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Justin took this pic. Yup, this pretty much about sums it up.

After breakfast, I took a small hike/walk through the Kit Carson Park Nature Trail with Hanie. The trail runs between a creek bed and some nice homes with big backyards. After the recent rains, the trail is very overgrown and green, while the creek is more that its usual trickle. We saw a few dogs along the way. The trail itself alternates in stretches of shade and sun. It’s a very flat trail and is more of a leisurely walk than any sort of hike. There’s also a half buried Ford Rustang along the trail. It’s been there for as long as I can remember.

Went to the Wild Animal Park a few weeks ago with Hanie, Johann, Reina and Doug. We scored some premiere parking up front because we were driving a hybrid. Prius - 1 : Everyone else - 0. The highlight of the trip was the new Journey Into Africa tour, which replaces the aging, squeaking Wgasa Boosh Line monorail. Instead of following the outer perimeter of the open and expansive animal exhibit, you now board a biodiesel/bioethanol tram. I don’t remember which fuel it uses, just that it was green. The new tour snakes its way through the exhibit, bringing you much closer to the animals. The only downside is that it costs an additional $10. Luckily for us, Reina and Doug had coupons and existing membership passes, so it wasn’t pricey at all. It was an awesome trip overall. Here are a few pics from the trip. Follow the link afterwards for the rest.

Wild Animal Park Gallery

At the mere mention of ramen, you can’t help but think of hyper-salty Top Ramen with bits of orange and green dehydrated styrofoam bits posing as carrots and peas. It’s just another staple piece of Americana that you can pick up anywhere, even at gas stations. I’ve been guilty of eating and enjoying it.

Real ramen is a rare bird consisting of wheat noodles swimming in a seasoned meat-based broth. I recently went down to Mitsuwa Japanese market and ate ramen at their resident restaurant Kayaba. They had a ramen promotion which showcased the many different Japanese ramen styles. I had sadly missed the first 2 flavors, but I was able to taste the third: asameshimaeda shoyu ramen.

Shoyu ramen is a soy-based broth made from chicken & vegetable stock. The ramen came with half a hard-boiled egg, sliced shiitake mushrooms, and thinly sliced pork. A little light on looks, it was definitely big on flavor. The mushrooms were fresh and light, while the pork was tender. The healthy portion of noodles were perfect. However, the broth really is the centerpiece of everything. It’s rich, salty, and decadent. I had to get some green tea ice cream afterwards because my taste buds were exploding. I highly recommend hunting down a place that serves ramen and trying the real stuff. It’s a welcomed addiction.

The closest ramen place to me is in Poway, at Yume Cafe. They serve tonkotsu ramen, which is made of a pork-based broth. The broth is made from pork bones that have been boiling and stewing for hours. Yume Cafe’s website claims they stew theirs for 12 hours. I can’t wait to try it out.

Two shows that I’m totally obsessed about are No Reservations with Anthony Bourdain and Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern. After watching a recent episode of Bizarre Foods in which Andrew Zimmern bombs around Mexico looking for the strangest, wildest, and most exotic foods, I developed a huge hunger for authentic Mexican food. I’m talking the real deal, not the usual carne asada burritos and fajitas. My quest led me to a tiny, family owned and operated establishment in Escondido. I give you, La Cocina de Maria.

La Cocina de Maria
168 W. Mission Ave., Escondido, CA 92025

The exterior of the restaurant is rather bland and unassuming, but what’s served inside is anything but. Family owned and operated, the tiny eatery prides itself on quality, authentic Mexican & Oaxacan food. The menu barely resembles anything you would see at any other Mexican restaurant; and that’s a good thing. The pollo en mole was incredible - tender chicken smothered in a rich, dark mole sauce accompanied by rice and beans. The camarones rancheros were as flavorful as they were colorful. A generous portion of shrimp mixed in a rich bed of onions, cilantro, tomatoes, peppers, and spices were also accompanied by rice and beans. The homemade corn tortillas were extremely unique tasting, nothing like the store bought kind. Sweet and slightly earthy, the tortillas had an aroma and taste all to its own. The watermelon aguas frescas was extremely refreshing and naturally sweet. Large pictures of various dishes adorn the windows. The gorditas looked especially inviting and will definitely require another visit. The service was friendly and the prices moderate. If you are looking for authentic Mexican food with strong Oaxacan roots, then look no further than La Cocina de Maria.

Now that the fires have subsided, I’d like to just thank everyone who called in, texted, and emailed their concerns. It meant a lot to me. My parents’ place survived the fires by the skin of its teeth. Our pool deck was partially burned, entire backyard burned, and my mom’s window was smashed. Our pool was nearly drained of all its water, which means firefighters were pumping our pool water. Huge kudos to all the firefighters, police, sheriff, and National Guardsmen risking their lives to protect life and property in SD. I can’t thank them enough. All in all, 29 homes burned in my parent’s neighborhood. Here are some pics of the aftermath and neighborhood taken with my parents’ camera (my old Canon G5). For those of you that know my neighborhood, the large white house with the tennis court completely burned down, including 2 Mercedes parked in the garage.