discover

so after 3 years of living in this town, i finally found the places i should have gone to years ago. i went to eat lunch at cafe gratitude for lunch today and i thought that the vegan pizza was amazing. to think that something healthy could actually taste good was a big shock to me. each bite was filled with the different tomatoes they layered on top. there was a whole array of flavor bombarding my taste buds and i found myself tasting my food for the first time in a long time. you know when you try new things and you let the flavor linger in your mouth? well yah that's what i did today, i let each bite cover my taste buds. the nutty pesto added to the tangy sweetness of the medley of cherry tomatoes. then after lunch we walked to the gourmet ghetto on north side and looked at everything they had to offer. although things were pricey, they looked far better than anything you can get on south side. the restaurants were filled with white people drinking wine and eating salads for lunch discussing politics with a nice pinot blanc. we also went to the farmers market where i sampled a variety of tomatoes each with their own flavor, color, size and shape. i bought some cherry tomatoes and tried an awesome white nectarine. families brought their kids, drank fresh apple cider, and it had a very nice community feeling to it.

i guess this is the side of me i hardly get to see because apparently everyone just thinks i'm a raving alcoholic bartender that spends all my weekends hungover. i really just enjoy watching the bartenders make their drinks, i like watching their techniques, and tasting how various bars mix their drinks. it is like research for me...most bartenders are alcoholics anyway. i think i have my wild party side, and a very homey farmer's market side too. i guess what i'm saying is i'm torn between the beauty that lies within the "organic" berkeley and the city life of hollywood.

maybe one day i can go to asia and try a bit of both with sakura viewing in japan. eating bento boxes under the tree with friends, family, co-workers, and neighbors. and then go to seoul, korea to party the nights away while i am still young. maybe one day i'll have cucumber scented bars of soap infused with shea butter waiting for me in my studio apartment.


i've been enjoying living by myself these last couple of weeks. i wash whatever dish i use right after i use it, i take out the trash, i keep the place the way i want it to be without anyone coming in to want it their way. "it's too cold, it's too hot, you ate my food, you left the water running..." etc... bullshit that you have to deal with when you have to live with others. i love just laying in bed hidden under my covers, curled up with a movie playing on my laptop or a nice book to read. sometimes, if it's too loud, you really should turn it down. slow down and enjoy life for whatever it has to offer. like fresh cherry tomatoes.