Thursday, January 17, 2013

Is it possible to be a tourist in a city you've grown up in?

Playing: Champagne Supernova-Oasis (My brother and I sing this on road trips.)
Reading: Art For the London Underground by Oliver Green
It nearly killed me to visit Los Angeles last Saturday due to the homework overload that I had to deal with on Sunday, but it was definitely worth it. My brother wanted to go to the Original Farmers Market to try out new restaurants, so we ended up at Singapore's Banana Leaf. There was this family that ordered all these dishes from there that looked amazing, so my brother and I decided this was the place. We both ordered the Mee Goreng w/ Chicken Skewers and Fried Egg, which happened to be pretty good. I cracked open the egg yolk that way the yolk would get all over the noodles. The chicken skewers were so tender and tasted even better when dipped in the mildly spicy peanut sauce. I really recommend trying the Mangosteen Juice, which has this creamy, almost floral taste to it.
For desert, I shared an Apricot Tart and Lemon Tart with my dad and brother from Normandie Bakery. The Apricot Tart was intensely creamy and cutard-y, while the lemon tart was wonderfully sour. The only thing I would've fixed with the lemon tart is change the chocolate pastry surrounding it to a buttery pastry, since the chocolate one left a bitter aftertaste. However, my dad thought it helped balance out the sourness of the lemon curd, so maybe I'm just crazy.
After lunch, we walked around the Grove that way I could look at Barney's Co-Op, which is just like heaven to me. I ended up getting something there, which you'll hopefully see in an upcoming clothing haul, which isn't quite ready yet because I've been shopping less. Anyways, Nordstrom had Miss Wu in their store windows, which really excited me. I love Jason Wu and I think we're destined to be best friends one day. It was really shocking to see Miss Wu in all of the store windows, since Jason Wu is a relatively new designer and not that well known yet. You'd think Nordstrom would choose a more popular designer like Marc Jacobs or Michael Kors to attract the common shopper.
Afterwards, my dad took us to the Petersen Automotive Museum, since my brother and him are really into cars. One of the most interesting cars there was this airomobile, which was from the 1930s. With its streamlined design, it could reach up to 80mph and 43 mpg. Truth be told, I kind of want one of these that way I can paint it to look like a humpback whale, while saving gas. It's a win-win. The Petersen Automotive Museum is really fascinating, even for someone like me who gets bored at car dealers. It showcases cars ranging from 1897 onwards plus various cars from big movies like Batman and Gangster Squad. One of the best sections in the museum was one on Italian design. Literally every car was beyond perfection and I hope to see my car there one day.

12 comments:

  1. love this post! food and fashion!! that appricot tart looks delicious.. it sort of looks like pizza haha :p

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  2. I pretend I'm a tourist in my town all the time! Sometimes its just fun to explore. Your food looks really delicious!

    -Lisa
    The Lovely Memoir

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  3. Sounds like a pretty spectacular day to me! I wouldn't mind some delicious food and some decent window shopping right about now. ;)

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  4. I try to do this too after I read an article about being a 'local tourist' where you try to explore your town as a tourist would. It looks like you had fun :)

    Janine xx
    BakeGlueandTrend

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  5. I really can't read your blog posts without going to the fridge afterwards :)! Sounds like a nice day.

    xx

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  6. So traditional to leave it
    on banana leaf!
    The both tarts looks and
    sounds delicious c: I am
    surprised cuz you always go
    to nice cafes and you never
    gain weight at all!

    xx

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  7. Yum the lemon tart looks lovely xo

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  8. wow nice pics! hope you enjoyed your trip!

    xx
    Glass of Fashion

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  9. Lisa-Hahahaha, yes! My old French professor told me that in France, they often serve tarts like pie slices. :3

    Northern Style Exposure-It didn't just look delicious; it tasted good too! ^^

    Lisa-It just feels odd being touristy in an area you're familiar with. X)

    Sara-Let's go window shopping then! ^^

    Janine-Next time, I tourist it up, I'll be sure to Google touristy places and that article. (:

    Selina-Aww, it's nice to see that my food photos come out well. :D

    Ice Pandora-Thank you! You're so sweet! You always seem to eat the best foods and you're still super skinny. How do you do it? :)

    Jaz xo-Yup, so cute! :3

    Lia-Thanks! (:

    Francois-Pas de probleme!

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