Do you remember back when people used to visit restaurants, kitchens, and food trucks to purchase food items just to eat? You know, back in the days when you ate food because you were hungry? Cuz that other option of starving and dying was kinda lame? Well, that need has never left us and humans still have that instinct for nourishment, the basis of daily survival. It just seems to have disappeared because somewhere along the way, the food delivery systems we rely on to provide us with calories, decided to also dabble with the profit motive monster that hovers over everything, and it’s begun to chart the course of our regular meals. Fusion trucks, recreational eateries, tourist destinations, meals as entertainment: it’s the new norm. Yeah, it might be a fun night out, a nice way to meet up with old friends, a safe way to “explore” the inner city, another notch for your Instagram identity, but goddamn is it annoying when you just want to take care of a base necessity.
Ahh, the good old days. Will they ever return?
It seems as if they are long gone, but I’m pretty sure going back to basics is in our future. The next crisis will be like that blasted streak of light on your Monday morning hangover, when you were sure the Sunday Funday party would never end.
Above we see an agua de pepino y limon from Ana’s Kitchen. I think it also had chia seeds.
What’s going to happen to all the people that get their identity from their consumption habits? Will they be able to adjust to a world in which food is just food?
Nobody cares.
At Ana’s Kitchen they provide solid meals at good prices, a rarity in these times of fashion foods. Here we see the dining area, with some working people just eating their meals. Mostly Latinos speaking Spanish, and some Asian people that seemed to be familiar with the place.
On a corner wall behind me, they had a little homage to Mexican celebrities. Including the dude that wrote probably the worst song about Huevos Rancheros. Uh oh.
No need to fear, their version of the HR’s was good enough. Beans and rice: could be better but good enough. The thing that defines this dish, the salsa ranchera, was decent. A slight hint of piquant chile spice, a solid and flavorful tomato base, kind of a basic sauce but that’s kinda what you want. They offered a choice of maiz or harina tortillas to go with your meal, and I almost always go with harina. I’m glad I did so again because there is something particularly tasty about sopping up perfectly runny egg yolks with a tortilla de harina. I’ll not say anymore cuz it seems a bit disgusting to think or write about. Yeah, I know.
Since the world is never perfect, the corn tortilla underneath was not fried, so a round of demerits are issued. But if I were in Glendale again on some morning craving breakfast, I wouldn’t mind coming back.
Ana’s Kitchen Mexican Grill 818.244.5182
730 S Central Ave. Ste 101
Glendale, CA 91204
Dear El Chavo….how amazing, here in middle rio grande valley of N Mex, i have become talented enough to see at the bottom of your Verdolaga, chanflas.com/ blah
blah, i find that you have this BLOG! I will probably never get to LA. but for
some reason, i LOVE reading your posts, where’s the fried tortilla?, runny yolks
sopped up, dumb white people, what’s the world coming to, man taking his
rooster for a ride
it somehow made this day just very much ok.
Thank you and i’ve written your blog address down with pencil on my Keeping Track of Important Things Notebook.
I am waiting for more. Thank you.