Let's talk about the food in America. If I'm going on vacation, all bets are off. I'm eating twelve pizzas, snacking on local junk food (Cheesy Garlic Bread Lay's, anyone?) and unbuttoning my pants after dinner. I don't stress about holiday weight but since I'm 25, I know it's time to stop taking my arteries for granted. Still, I had my last hoorah of being totally irresponsible with food and gained 3 kilos like a boss. It was USA after all, and even though Los Angeles has a ton of organic, vegan, gluten-free, sugar-free and dairy-free options - I'm from Africa ok? I came to America to eat junk and enjoy every minute of it. Here's what I've concluded:
- Dominos is tastier than Pizza Hut (but Pizza Hut has stuffed crusts...)
- Ben & Jerry's is a must-have emergency ice cream that really should be available in the Southern Hemisphere
- Starbucks might be ridiculously over-priced but it's delicious (I'm not a coffee connoisseur, I'm strictly in it for chocolatey frappuccinos) and I would get it at least once a week if I had the chance. It would also be a lifetime game of wondering if they would ever spell my name right.
- Gluten-free waffles just aren't as yummy
- Lemonade on Abbott-Kinney in Venice is a delightfully healthy deli which as it should, makes the best lemonade I've ever tasted.
- I celebrated Pesach but a deli we ordered from (Jerry's deli in Venice) had even better matzah ball soup!
- The pizza slices in the beer garden at Coachella are legendary
- Bacon in the states is dangerously good so I only ate it once
- Icees and Slurpees have an awesome consistency that I can't find in any counterparts in SA; less slushy more foamy.
- American chocolate still doesn't do it for me.
- In N Out make the best burgers, hands down
- Hot-Dog-On-A-Stick still couldn't sway me when it comes to corn dogs. Don't really care for 'em.
- Hot butter dispensers for popcorn at movie theatres slay me
- Saints & Sinners Bakery is such a cute idea, half of their items are made with whole milk and cream etc. while the other half are made healthier using organic or non-fat options. I never got anything from there but how adorable is their shop?
There is something for everyone in LA, even the more high-brow foodies have to admit that you can get Italian food in Venice, California that is on par with pasta in Venice, Italy - or at least that's what I discovered at C&O Trattoria. If there's one thing you take from this though, I recommend that anyone heading to the West Coast get their hands on some In N Out. Till next time...I've gotta go do some sit-ups ;)
