With my thick skull, it’s not often I learn stuff so I figured I’d share some of the breakthrough insights I gathered over the weekend. Most of it is meaningless, but you already know that’s my favorite kind of learning! This first item, a pile of broken eggs on Broadway during the heat of the noon sun, wasn’t really something new I learned, just a refresher course: piles of broken eggs on a hot day stink. Fuchi!
I like Funyuns, I like Flamin’ Hot Cheetos. But the two together are not very special. But most important, according to the cashier at a local store, they made her “pee blood”. I was a bit startled by this offhand information, but we still had a short conversation on the subject: “maybe it was the dye?” “It disappeared when I stopped eating them, and came back when I had more” “they are kinda too hot”, something along those lines. Needless to say, I haven’t finished the bag but I did appreciate the unexpected frankness of a fellow Lincoln Heightsian. You can’t make this stuff up!
Some people like to sketch cute cartoons in concrete so that others will smile and enjoy their permanent artwork.
Some people are pigs. For the record, these last two pics were not taken in LH but way west of the river. Figures.
I also learned that I don’t have any pictures of weed, thus this filler one above. This high flying hawk is not related to this next nugget of insight, but it helps in breaking up the post. According to a conversation I overheard by some stoner looking high school kids getting off the bus, it takes “2 lbs. of weed for a baby to overdose.” I don’t know where they got their facts, but if you’re gonna feed weed to your baby, keep it under a pound. It’s the safe thing to do.
Stick with me kids, I know what I’m talking about. According to the Best of LA issue of Los Angeles magazine…
..our beloved El Huarachito is the best place in LA to get a Mexican Breakfast! Orale. I turns out I know how this came to be – I tipped a friend on the greatness of this little place- and it’s kinda cool that helped give attention to a restaurant that deserves the praise. But I guess if the wait for a table gets even longer, I’m also partly responsible. Sorry about that.
Soon I’ll learn something: either that it’s good to promote places I like, or that I should just keep my mouth shut and enjoy those places for myself. But for the moment, I think security by obscurity isn’t an option. An old friend I respect recently confided that someone told her “EL CHAVO! is giving away too many Eastside secrets, he must be stopped!” which was kinda amusing, somewhat true, kinda crazy, but just plain puzzling. This stupid lil’ blog filled with my babosadas is going beyond what I expected, maybe I should plan an expiration date.
The Boys and Girls Club proves that you don’t have to give up the lawn to plant some rosemary, sage, and lavender plants, though I’m wondering what will happen when the lawnmower guy comes around. Stay tuned! Oh yeah, I also learned pigeons like to tan behind said plants. Who knew?
“Ama, hoy disfrute el dia porque ‘toy pedo.” Jajaja!
A giggle is easy to come by when you add meanings to words.
The kids are still crazy. Good for them! The interminable boredom of modern day living can still lead to a creative response to said condition. Lesson learned: never give up.
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Awesome post! I learned a lot too but maybe I’m thinking this cause ‘toypedo!
‘toypedo tambien
Thank you for sharing these important lessons!
re: “pee blood”
She was trying to help you out!
The cashiers at 99 Cent Only always have the best advice/comments. Its amazing the things lady cashiers will share when you buy lady products or say, a cart full of peppermint soy milk (2 for 99!)
You mean a giggle is easy to come buy when you’re pedo.
I read the review in El Huarachito and it really sounds like they read the blog and rewrote it for mag lol or is it you that wrote if for them?
Did anyone pick up on “maybe I should plan an expiration date.” now this is serious stuff. People disappear (Amy Mcpherson, Madalyn Murray O’Hair, Vaneigem, B. Traven) or drop out some tragic some not none the less we gotta make sure we don’t loose him… : )
Dona Junta, funny about the review huh? Although I do think El Chavo knows geography better. Mexico is part of North America not Central America.
Chimatli,
Yeah I thought it was a Mexican place by how it was described by Chavo,but since I never been there I was surprised by the review in the mag when it said Central American, I was like oh ok
I never had the Flamin’ Hot Funyuns, but that warning sure makes me think twice about even trying them!
The shopping cart on the street sign reminds me of a poor old lady in Pasadena who was killed from a shopping cart which fell from a flag pole in front of a grocery store………………true story
1. I’m pretty sure the original edit didn’t mention Central America, but the pieces get tweaked by everyone on the edit staff there–seriously, everyone on the staff pores over them–so lawdy knows.
2. Dona Junta: No, I actually went there, and I went on El Chavo’s advice before I read his blog on the place…I think? It’s been a year or two since I first went, now. I think it’s just that there are only so many adjectives one can employ when describing good Mexican food. I have to admit, when I’ve gone I’ve mostly ordered the things El Chavo’s talked up–tortas de camaron and huevos rancheros (which I love almost as much as he does), so those were the items I highlighted…I didn’t wanna write up anything I hadn’t tried. But I hella didn’t copy him, because I KNEW if I did he’d find me & kick my ass. And even though he’s a vegetarian & I’m not, he’d still win.
3. Someone told me a quote by a musician recently (I forget who they were quoting): “Starving artists starve.” I used to want to keep every part of a scene, a band, a restaurant, a neighborhood secret and just for me only. But it turns out that by trying not to “sell out,” that scene, that band, that restaurant & that ‘hood wasted away, unloved & unappreciated by everyone but their tiny little cadre of jealous fans, who of course were not enough to keep them afloat. I hope the family behind El Huarachito sees their business grow. I hope they get to afford nicer, better, bigger things for themselves & their kids. I hope they get to make their restaurant even bigger, a destination for people all over the city. I hope they prosper.
I remember a few years ago when chips gave you diarrhea. I think it’s happening again with these “pee red” chips.
Thanks Lucinda for the info regarding the “Central American” phrase in the review. I was really scratching my head on that one.
I know some people like to keep whatever they are into secret and I’m sure there are tons of Huarachito customers who want the place just for themselves. I stopped going there for a year or two before they remodeled and expanded because it was almost impossible to get a table. Now that they took over the shoe shop next door, it’s a little easier but still kinda hard on the weekends to get a table. I don’t think they are hurting for business.
What I love about the Huarachito (besides the food of course), is that it’s a real neighborhood/community restaurant. Whenever I’m there, folks are always running into friends and neighbors and the owner/waitresses seem to know everyone. More importantly, the diners know what to expect from the place. What I fear is sometimes when places start getting large random crowds they expect that eatery to be like Denny’s or something, all cookie-cutter service. Or worse, some people expect special treatment cause they have money or a have a privileged background. Then the servers start getting surly, the locals start feeling alienated and it turns into a place for “the others” (whoever that may be.) In the end it could be more profitable for the business owners but at the expense of their regular clientèle. And as I mentioned before, El Huarachito is not hurting for business. Just the other day, the waitress was kinda complaining they were TOO busy.
In any case, I’m glad to see them get some recognition and I’m sure those who do visit the restaurant will enjoy the authentic Guadalajara style cuisine (and hopefully not ask for them to put “less chiles” or “make it mild” or something). I hope they don’t get bigger cause that means they’ll have to leave Lincoln Heights and I admit, I want them to stay in the neighborhood for us locals. 🙂
Forgot to add, I reviewed their delicious Plato Vegetariano for LA Eastside a few months ago:
http://laeastside.com/2008/04/a-ver-licenciado-que-le-doy/
Most people raised in LA know that Mexico is in North America, possibly having more Angelenos, real ones on the staff of “Los Angeles” magazine might help with that.
I’d actually be curious to see all of the people on Los Angeles magazine staff to see if it actually is a micro representation of LA or just a micro representation of the Westside and parts of the Valley.
I just wish magazines would be honest with their titles, for instance Los Angeles magazine could be called LA through the eyes of people who don’t really live here and aren’t from here. Maybe that would be too long though…
ja ja ja ja!!!!! “toypedo, toy pedo” this has to be the funniest Chicano pun joke i have ever heard. how about the classic “Bird Ave? this people do like us, they even translate the signs” or “would you like a pie? no thanks, i got two pies.”
Chimatli, I LOVE the vegetarian plate!!! It’s prolly my favorite, even tho I’m not a vegetarian. SOOOO good.
I hope they stay in LH too. I just like ambling around the neighborhood.