Eating in California

I can see why the beautiful people live in California.

The California cuisine and lifestyle is just better.

Breakfast consisted of copious amounts of fresh fruit. NOT the canned variety, although that was an option too.... canned slices of peaches and pears.

But every morning there were huge bowls of sliced cantaloupe and every one of the melons was perfect and tasted divinely ... never a bad one like you get here.

Sliced fresh pineapple, cherries, prunes, strawberries. All perfectly ripe and wonderful.

Then there were various bowls of yogurt and pots of oatmeal, plates of nutty bread and danishes, roasted potatoes with onions and garlic, quiches, and some variety of eggs-- omelet, eggs benedict or scrambled, french toast or pancake. Ham, bacon or sausage.

All sorts of fruit juices, bagels, cereal, raisin toast, whole wheat toast... (no white bread anywhere), coffee, teas (all kinds) and hot chocolate.

Then for dinner and lunch each started with a lettuce salad (NO ICEBURG!) with tomato wedges, baby corn, pickled beets, fresh mushrooms, red onions, sliced cucumbers, olives, and sliced carrots (NO CHEESE) Dressing choices were house (looked ranchy), blue cheese, Italian and raspberry vinaigrette.

Then were the prepared salads, which changed daily, although there was always a choice of four: bean salad (red beans, garbanzo, peas, green beans...etc); pasta salad with basil pesto; Asian salad with carrots and noodles and lettuce; bamboo heart and shoots salad with red peppers and onions and lettuce, tofu salads and artichoke heart salads. All cold and vinegary. NO WHITE OR YELLOW POTATO SALAD, NO JELLO SALAD, NO MACARONI SALAD... NOTHING WHITE AND COVERED IN MAYONNAISE.

The entrees were sublime, vegetarian lasagna, polenta slices with portobello mushrooms and zucchini slices topped with tomato sauce and cheese, always some seafood choice, grilled shrimp, calamari, halibut, salmon.... and some other meat like chicken breast in a sauce or a small steak or sausage. NOTHING FRIED, EVERYTHING GRILLED OR BAKED TO PERFECTION

Even on the "Mexican day" there was no re-fried beans, and no re-fried meat. Only shredded beef or pork cooked in spices. NOTHING WAS GREASY AT ALL.

Steamed or roasted veggies. Nothing swimming around in a rectangular pan of goo like you would get in Texas or the South.

Deserts were available and a few were to-die-for.

But salads took up the bulk of every meal and of course there was a dinner roll or croissant available.

I started gathering data when I noticed a trend. The fat people always took a dinner roll and ate it. The skinny people never did. Never. There were a few who fell in between somewhere there was one skinny person who always took a roll.... but almost never ate it.... but the fat people ALWAYS took a roll and always ate it. Hmmmmmm.

After 5 days of gathering data, I can conclude that there is a direct relationship between being fat and eating bread.

Texas people may know how to eat and prepare the food they are accustomed to (to perfection).... but there is another lifestyle out there, and their food is better. It tastes better, looks better and feels better.

Now, let's talk climate.

When you are outside in California, (the majority of the state), you hate to go inside. Simply put.... but the truth. The weather was so delicious at 6,000 feet (and that is not that high when you think of the rest of the West... that's lower than Santa Fe, lower than Taos, lower than most of Albuquerque and lower than most of Colorado and Utah, AND lower than where I lived in central New Mexico), that you wanted to spend every minute outside. The TV seemed like a vulgar substitute for happiness. Happiness was out there.... away from the noise. Windows needed to be open. It was almost atheist to keep them closed. Breezes were welcomed. Sun was welcomed. I didn't get bitten by any mosquitoes although I saw a total of two.

There were no flies.

That is all for now.