Around California in several meals

"So you want to come  soak up some of that Cali summer, huh? I dont blame ya, you must be all wrinkled and soggy 300 days out of the year (I hear it's raining in London. Again.) A word of caution, your skin might not be able to handle such a drastic change in weather and air humidity. You're  going to have to walk around with a layer of lotion for protection wherever you go.  Get ready to put on at least 10 pounds, turn a couple shades darker, and probably develop asthma from all the smog!!! I'll start making battle plans and let you know if there's anything specific you should pack. Like, don't pack your dignity, leave that behind, you don't need it here,"  teased my friend Charles in a flurry of excited emails between the two of us prior to my visit to the sunny side of life. 


California! 


I was neither prepared for the intensity of the sun, nor the gastronomical delight the last fortnight has handed in droves. On the former, I thought: 'Nonsense! I am from the hottest continent on earth; the sunshine in California needs to fear ME', and on the latter: 'I will just will any added weight to less conspicuous body parts..like my earlobes. Or something.'


The thing is...it didn't quite go as planned. By the end of the first day in Los Angeles, I'd developed a bad skin reaction that had me rushing to the nearest pharmacy to get some sort of anti-itching cream to soothe the discomfort. And, a week or so later when I saw my arms looking suspiciously bigger than usual in pictures, I knew I'd gained the promised extra pounds.

It was perhaps that...or more accurately, the enthusiastic catcall from a strange man in San Diego that had me dissolving into giggles. He was leaning against a wooden fence looking bored with the world. But, as I walked past him somewhere in Pacific Beach, he said loudly, 'Daaamn, girl, you got ass for days!' 

Ah, but you see, I've got a great excuse. Great, delicious excuses. California was quite the food lover's heaven. Take a look:

Smile. It costs nothing! 
Santa Monica

Croque Monsieur 
South Coast Plaza, Costa Mesa

                                                                         

El puerto primo 
((Braised pork with collard greens and ripe plantain)
Long Beach 

Pancit Palabok, (a Filipino culinary delight)

Guido Burger - grease fest galore at Hodad's
Ocean Beach, San Diego

The seven-layered dip
(includes cheese, salad, olives, tomatoes, beans and avocado)

Fajita Burrito
Hollywood

More or less the final state of each dish*.
Here, There and Everywhere

...and the desserts, naturally. Sweet after meals, non?

And so it comes to this: a year and a half after signing up at the gym, (and putting in approximately three appearances in the time since), an extra 3kg gained over two weeks in California means that perhaps ...maybe...just maybe the time has come to put that membership to use at last. And I'm talking spending more than my standard twelve minutes or so per session.**


Ahem.


*   I'm a founding member of the Clean Plate Association.
** I almost passed out after the eight-minute mark, so yes, twelve minutes is a big deal.