Los Angeles Downtown Chick

I won't go as far as wanting human parenting and motherhood ceased but I generally have a distaste in them. Instead, I like pet ownership. The only time I am forced to be around so many pregnant women, babies and kids is in this place which I hate going but couldn't skip is... uh... My gynecologist is really good because he sees mostly those crazy immigrant preggies from China and Mexico with only MediCal. Poor people with the least bodily maintenance and most medical problems = good doctor. This Hong Kong guy's office is always packed. Always. He's like the king of preggies in the entire San Gabriel Valley. I've been with him for many years. Honestly every time I come, I can smell many babies and kids stink. Ew!

Sent from Palm Centro

Write to your congress representatives, tell your friends and families to support press, religious freedom in China.

Anybody that values human rights and freedom of speech in China should never forget the June 4 Massacre. The government used tanks and guns to kill its intellectuals, university students and citizens who demanded democracy.

Once upon a time, I had only one hour to do lunch here with Joe because we had things to do that day back-to-back. So we went to this cafe next to Cole's on 6th Street. There was a kid that waited all the tables. We went in at about 12:00PM. The kid gave us a breakfast menu. We asked for the lunch menus. He gave us one lunch menu. We thought the menu looked okay and decided to get seated. I immediately ordered an iced coffee to start since I really needed caffeine. I was on my period and going through some crazy job situation. You know how a psycho woman on her period is like, right? Okay good, let's go on.

Then after 5 minutes, we were still holding just the same lunch menu we brought over ourselves. We had 2 people. I had no idea what to order. Then, the kid gave me an iced tea. I ordered coffee.

After another 5 minutes and all the hassle of asking for breakfast and lunch menus back so we knew what to order, and returned the tea for coffee, we tried to place orders. Since there was only that kid there for all the tables, we had waited for another 10 minutes before he came to take our orders. By the way, there was no creamer for the coffee. I asked again. It seems like you had to ask for every fucking thing there or they just wouldn't give it to you.

So I ordered the Blu LA huevos. I wanted some over-easy fried eggs with salsa and beans. First, the eggs were too cooked, but I said, I didn't care, I was tired and hungry. Let's just get it over with. Then, I put some patches of hard fried egg-white, yolk, some black beans, salsa and guacamole in the tortilla and started digging. Um, wait a minute, I think I tasted germs.

What was it? Germs? I thought I must have not gotten enough sleep from the previous night. So I had a sip of my iced coffee to sober up. Then I ate again. Um, I think I smelt trash. Pretty sure. So I sniffed my tortilla and realized it was the guacamole. I still was not sure if it was my hormones because Joe had been telling me I was extra crazy during my period. So I asked him to confirm for me. As a protective boyfriend, he went to try some of that stinky thing himself. Yes, holy moly, that greenish brown stuff already went bad!

What happened? You got the idea. The manager came and apologized. He said the guacamole was just "too ripe". He was a really nice Asian guy so I was easy on him. He offered to get me something else and take the huevos off our check. But their guacamole had so successfully served as an appetite suppressant that I was no longer hungry. Argh.

I think I heard the owner of Nickel was owned by the same grumpy lady in Banquet who was sometimes a little scary. Maybe she should close Banquet and focus on Nickel, because it is so obvious that Nickel is so much better as a food business. If Nickel is a work of passion as a diner, Banquet is probably a work of inertia as a wine bar. Jeez, finally there's somebody who can cook on this block!

Everybody has tried Nickel. I heard all the complaints about the notorious 1-hour wait and discriminatory services against single guests. But the crowd waiting outside of it at 11:45AM on sundays is obviously an impressive exception for this kind of economy. Can't beat that. I guess I got lucky. Everything during my visit was pretty good from what I remember. I loved the yummy cucumber soda in particular. It was very refreshing and not that sweet. Wanna find out where I can buy in bulk and stock up at home.

The vegan chili with avocado and soy cheese was awesome. The base was very thin, making it more like a soup than a paste. It was very favorful, not like any of the usual disgusting sweet, oily and sticky chili with cheddar at all. Order a large one at $6 if that's already your lunch / dinner. The $4 would be enough only as a starter if you order another entry.

The catfish with corn cakes underneath was a piece of art. The pecan sauce was so tasty! The fillets were a little crusty on the surface with herbs and pecan sprinkled all over. I am definitely going to experiment it at home. I love cooking catfish. It has a good rich, smooth and thick texture with enough fat but does not come with an overwhelming favor. I like making Chinese congee with catfish nuggets when I am sick or marinate them and bake them for an easy toaster oven meal. But my super picky pescatarian boyfriend never touched my catfish before. Guess what? He had a bite of Nickel's pecan catfish and sighed that if I could cook that well, he would marry me. Well, what about if he could cook that well, I would marry him? Huh?! I can't believe he ate some of the bacon brussel sprouts on the side. He would claim he didn't but I was pretty sure there was some bacon on his fork. Bleh.

The dish was pretty big. I suggest to eat all the fish and get the corn cake to go if you can't finish all of it. The fish becomes harder and dryer if you microwave it afterwards.

As for the crowd, honestly, I have no idea, and I really don't care. It's definitely not a place to meet people. That's for sure. The decor was okay-cool but all color-coordinated so I don't know how much of it is original of the building. I was just there for the food.

This is actually located inside Elevate Lounge. I used to work around the corner for years before I became Downtown Chick. You know what I like the most about Takami Sushi? Their outdoor seating.

It's like eating sushi on the roof top of the Standard, but you can enjoy it in the middle of the day (with no alcohol), and come back to work feeling refreshed. Believe it or not, I love the rooftop atomosphere, but I hate having to drink in order to enjoy it. My building does not have an open rooftop. So instead of doing the Downtown-style rooftop party thing at night, having an affordable bento box at Takami every once in a while is actually an awesome idea. You park right behind the building on Figueroa for $5, cross the gate, then you're in Elevate's building. Easy, when you consider Downtown's parking situation.

The crowd is the same Financial District-corporate-slave types. Guys in suits, normal working people. No drama. Relaxed. Just the way it's supposed to be. Twenty-one floors above where you imagined all the troubles in life were (at least in that little lunch hour) you get some fresh air. Poof. Hell, yeah.

It's been tough these days. With a few gigs, studies, my little high-maintenance "owner" getting all sick and spending my money like a maniac again, am I the only crazy chick running around like a chicken with her head cut off ? I know I'm not, and a little cold food can certainly calm me down. See the picture of my master there? Yeah, that's kind of how I feel these days too.

The salad that came with the Sushi and Sashimi Bento lunch specials was very spring/summer-like. A little zesty Asian mango sauce over some apple worked like magic. Very refreshing. That was my favorite part of the meal. I've had nothing like that before. Lemme tell ya. It's definitely not traditional Japanese. It's what I call "Downtown-Japanese." I also got a green salad and some soba to go with the fish.

The only cooked fish we ordered was the seabass, and my only complaint was there was too little of it: the seabass was just perfect! Cooked in a creamy sauce just right, it was so fat and rich, but still on the healthy side. An amazing carnovore-friendly dish. I actually would also say their salmon and tuna were at least Sushi-Gen quality, if not Kappo (if you care about sashimi), which was a nice surprise. Spicy tuna rolls are for the ABC, Hispanic, African American and white girlfriends, you know that, but Takami's were actually fresh and respectable, unlike the usual vulgar frozen, overtly spiced Kabuki-style spicy tuna rolls for tourists in Hollywood. Forgive me if I'm judging this place as "a white place," cuz come on, this is not Little Tokyo. We're talking about almost the polar opposite of Sanwa Plaza. I normally wouldn't even dream of having Japanese food around here, unless I was splurgin at Sai Sai's. Haven't we all known how boring Kyoto is? With that kind of a budget, I'd go to Cardini any day, but I'd never think of Japanese food.

I really hope Takami hangs in there. It's a convenient stop. And at $17-25 per entry, it's a great place for meeting a client or just having lunch with a frugal guy when I know he's paying. How else are you gonna get a decent bento box overlooking Downtown without breaking the bank or driving all the way to Little Tokyo? You can't. Times are tough. When you really think about it, Takami is actually not a bad deal.

Well, chances are, most of you are not into perverted dominance. So what do you do when you are starving at four o'clock in the morning do not want to go out? Nobody is going to pick up your stupid phone call and bring you a box of hot rice, you know that. So the answer is: T.G. Express.

Do I remember the first time I went to Ko Samui and tasted the most amazing fresh Thai fried rice with fresh meat and vegetables when I was still naive and young? Well, no, not really, heh! What do you expect? That was like past life. But do I still remember the amazing Thai restaurant right next to the Malaysian restaurant opposite to Club 64 in Lan Kwai Fong in Central, Hong Kong, before the Communists took Hong Kong back? Hell yeah! And that Chinese guy behind his heavy prescription eyeglasses made fucking amazing Thai fried rice too! Oh my God! That's like when you lose your virginity! You can never forget that! That simple beef with herbs, especially that kind of Thai-specific little bamboo. Jeez, gave me an orgasm! So what Thai food do we have over here?

Before I moved to DT, I lived in Alhambra for years. One of the weekly practice I religiously retained in Alhambra was to go to U2 Cafe on Valley for their Thai seafood soup noodles (which later on was known as "Sika Cafe" for a short period of time). That's just one of the things that kept me moving with no meaningful relationship, no goal and no future in a small Chinese town. I just felt at home when I tasted that perfectly prepared healthy, low-fat spicy noodles with lots of goodies like big shrimp, fish, scallops, pineapples and tomatoes. I was just hanging in there in Alhambra (15 minutes driving time from DT if no traffic). I had nowhere to go to psychologically. That's what spice is for.

Then here it comes with the closing down. None of the Hong Kong style cafes survived except Garden and Regent it seems like. They keep changing hands. My favorite Thai noodles from that non-Thai place actually went away too. That ignited no desire for me to travel back to "China" from Downtown anymore. I stayed with Ralph's for grocery most of the time. Except for friends and work, I do not go back to the Far East again.

Maybe I had bad taste for Thai food, or maybe they cooked really well, I was really impressed with the later-than-Letterman late night delivery for $7.20. Come on, what do you think you can do with $7.20 with tax included these days? That's dirt cheap. A chicken fried rice is enough for me to take care of 3 meals already. No, seriouly, it's giant. It's like they fill the entire foam take-out box completely with fried rice. I was eating light canned soup for $2 or $3 a meal and figured maybe it's actually not a bad deal to have somebody cook for and deliver to me for almost the same amount of money. The only complaint I have is it's for Americans. It's not spicy enough. But overall, I'm very pleased. My neighbor is so cool to know and tell me about it. TG is such a hidden gem. Life saver when I'm not up for making dinner plans these days.

I haven't talked about wine for a long time, and I'm going to return to the topic: it's fucking great your boyfriend knows nothing about it. Bleh!

No, I'm serious. What's better than you can drink as much as you want without worrying taking the trash out, moving the dog's bed back to our bed and turning off everything before bed because he does not drink? Hm? What about drink outside? Well, I don't drink outside. Joe and I are weird people. We don't have friends. No, okay, I lied. I know how to spend money. But come on, this is 2009. It is not 2004. We are talking about the recession here! Nobody knows what's gonna happen next. How do you think I can still pull out that hundred dollar bill out of my old Vuitton limited edition wallet from a couple years ago again like nothing happened? So, let me have a glass at home.

Have you known young, genuine and practical people that do not pretend they know everything, are the best in the world and actually do the job just right? Yeah, it's nice to have more of them in the world, isn't it? Boire et Manger is kind of like that. It is cheap ($3 in Big Lot when on sale); it does the job; it does not pretend it is the old French wine. Although I have no idea where the place of its original production, Pays d'Oc, is, if I have tasted all those great wines ranging from the reputable grands crus from Saint-Émilion to the nice pinot noir from Paso Robles, and am still happy with Boire et Manger and a 7/11 hot dog tonight, then chances are, I am a content woman that knows what she wants.

Every time I drink or taste something, it always reminds me of the pain of having that super picky, controlling, judgmental, old-skool French winemaker *ex*-"dinner-companion" for that damn half a year with no freedom at all. Mon Dieu (My God)! Do you really think Boire et Manger is as easy and cheap as Drew Barrymore? Let me tell you, it's cheap for it's quality! It doesn't cut my throat like Trader Joe's 2-Buck-Chuck does. It doesn't jeopardize my plan to continue my education in French or to pay all my bills. It doesn't carry any appellation like I have to learn where the heck all these wine regions are, what years are good, what years are bad, what grapes they grow, if the aroma stays in my crazy nose or irritates my crazy throat. Guess what? See the little piglet there? It actually even tells me exactly what to pair with. That's right. Pork, fish, lamb, whatever. It's right on the bottle itself. Can't be simpler than that. It's light-bodied, smooth and easy-come-easy-go. It allows me to not have to force myself to succumb to the cheap Californian cabinet sauvignon on sale in Ralph's that are just worse than ketchup mixed with acetone. So it is what I want for tonight. I ran around these days. I have a lot on my plate. I am tired. I had nightmares about work and shit. All I want right now are my down-to-earth American boyfriend and an unpretentious French wine like Boire et Manger.

[Illustration by Kyle T. Webster ]

I got a promotion! Yay!

Um, no, okay, this is a really badly written humor blog that you are reading, because apparently, I'm just tryin' to find something to write about out of my ass. Of course, the truth is, I was laid off, along with thousands of Americans, at the end of 2008, as you all know.

So, what have I been doin'? Well, you think you can try to catch me right? Yeah right, you successful stalkers, the truth is, I ain't tellin' you! But what I can say is, along with my faith (yes, crazy women believe in something too, just not like yours, you jerks!), I thought it was actually life's decision to put me in another industry which if I didn't get a kick of it, I would never really take any action for - namely, the non-profit crap.

What's weird about non-profit is, unlike what you usually associate to the picture of a bunch of passionate, transcendent, awakened people like the cashiers in Trader Joe's dressed in vintage T-shirts and jeans, the concept of "non-profit" itself isn't even related to "profit" at all! Yes! Why would I say that? Well, because although by law it is not about business profit, it is in itself all about everybody's personal profit. It's something a little similar to what you know about our 2nd-term mayor, Villaraigosa. Have you all read his schedule obtained by LA Weekly? No? Okay, it's right here. It's a PDF file. Click and read it. This fucking loser does not hold any regular meetings with his department directors. He does not do shit. 11% of his time is dedicated to the City of Los Angeles, and the rest for himself, a wannabe successful politician. Am I surprised? No, because I have one right where I work at these several months too. Ironic, isn't it? You claim you want to serve the people does not mean you are really there to. It's all just bullshit about non-profit.

I have no idea why playing politics is so appealing to some people, but apparently, lots of wannabe politicians strive for that. Ever heard of some complete losers with no idea what they are doing and spends 99% of their time on "networking"? Bingo! What is "networking"? Let's cut to the chase, it means excuses to avoid actually working. Let me tell you, the difference between "networking" and "meeting" is that, "networking" means unlikely result, and "meeting" means possible result. Let me give you an example, do you really want to go through the lists of guys I met through "networking" that just wanted to get in my pants and nothing more? Aw, good! You got it! "Networking" is complete nonsense if you know anybody that would even bother to put it on his work schedule. If it is a woman, hm, yeah, okay, if she's actually hot, maybe she is really doing her job. If it's a man, especially a man who is unfuckable, I'm sorry, but he is a fraud, honey.

Could somebody tell me that it's not true the Republicans love the spreading of STDs? Now, I'm not saying "love spreading STDs". I'm saying "love the spreading of STDs". It is their political goal that more Americans don't know how to use condoms, to catch diseases and to be affected in their work when we are already going through these tough times. Otherwise, why on earth would these pseudo-conservatives chop such a small amount item, namely STD education and screening in the stimulus package, for a way bigger health care spending every year over treatments when the cases become full-blown?

Good job the GOP! Once again, you have successfully turned a blind eye to women, minorities and low-income people's lives when they are the populations suffering the most in our country from lack of family planning, STD education and screening!

From http://thinkprogress.org/2009/01/28/drudge-std/
By Amanda Terkel on Jan 28th, 2009 at 3:10 pm

Fact-Checking Conservative Outrage Over STD Prevention Provision In Economic Recovery Package

Another day, another shrill Drudge headline. On Monday, Drudge put up an unflattering picture of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), accompanied by the headline, “PELOSI SAYS BIRTH CONTROL WILL HELP ECONOMY.” His conservative fans in Congress, of course, quickly went on the attack against the sensible family planning provision in the House economic recovery package, and in an effort to compromise, President Obama agreed to drop the provision.

Drudge’s newest attack today focuses on the legislation’s provision to help prevent the spread of sexually transmitted diseases:

Democrats may have eliminated provisions on birth control and sod for the National Mall in the “job stimulus” — but buried on page 147 of the bill is stimulation for prevention of sexually transmitted diseases!

The House Democrats’ bill includes $335 million for sexually transmitted disease education and prevention programs at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the DRUDGE REPORT has learned.

Aside from the fact that many conservatives are squeamish about giving money to anything associated with sex, they seem unable to grasp the concept of preventive care and how it can help lower government health care spending. The $335 million provision to help stop the spread of STDs is part of a Prevention and Wellness Fund in the economic recovery legislation.

In 2006, CAP President and CEO John Podesta and Jeanne Lambrew — who is now a top health care adviser in the White House — proposed a similar idea. This fund would support clinically-proven prevention and wellness strategies that, in the end, would not only improve Americans’ health and productivity, but also lower U.S. health care costs. As Podesta and Lambrew explained:

Preventive health care service could reduce government spending on health care. If all elderly received a flu vaccine, health costs could be reduced by nearly $1 billion per year. Over 25 years, Medicare could save an estimated $890 billion from effective control of hypertension, and $1 trillion from returning to levels of obesity observed in the 1980s.

Some reasons that increased funding for STD prevention specifically will ultimately save the United States money:

– Increase workforce productivity. More than 56,000 people become infected with HIV/AIDS each year. The CDC estimates that the new infections cost the country $56 billion in medical care and lost productivity.

– Lower health industry costs. STDs, some of the most preventable diseases, cost the U.S. health care system as much as $15.3 billion annually.

– Lower federal government costs. The federal government is expected to spend $12.3 billion on HIV/AIDS-related medical care in 2009.

What’s more disturbing is that a new report by the CDC finds that the spread of the most common STDs — which are more likely to hit women and minorities — are on the rise. Obama has made clear that the economic recovery package is about getting people back to work; it’s hard for people to work if they’re struggling to get care for an infection.