* Join us on the road as we savor the vegan paradise that is Los Angeles and discover the wisdom of a quiet grove of ancient Redwoods. *
THE HOT POTATO
Serving Up a Weekly Helping of
Sustainable & Organic Gardening, Food, Health, and Community
by Adam Brockman & Aireen Joven, April 2007, #14
THIS WEEK’S DISH:
A Filipino Vegetarian Restaurant & The Wonders Of California
BLISSFUL DINING AT L.A.’S PAPILLON FILIPINO CUISINE & GRILL. Traditional Filipino dishes made 100% vegan to satisfy all who discover this gem of a restaurant.
YOUR HOT POTATO columnists are currently in the midst of traveling through the state of California, and thus we have not had as much time to write as we’d like. California, whose name comes from a fifteenth-century Spanish romance, really is The Golden State. For the past 2 weeks, we have been blessed by her landscapes, nature, culture, food, farms, and best of all, our friends & family who live here. Of course, home sweet home in the Midwest and our baby seedlings are calling to us to return soon, but our journey is still unfolding.
It began with a beautiful 2 day train ride from Chicago to Los Angeles through the mountainous Southwest, a fun experience we recommend to all. Both of us had been to L.A. before, but this time we really appreciated the city’s clean and landscaped streets, lush trees and flowers, and lovely architecture. We also spent a day on Catalina Island where we saw a young seal just four feet from us while kayaking! L.A.’s ultimate architectural beauty is the famed Getty Museum. Instead of being cooped up inside on a beautiful day, we opted for the art outdoors, which was the Getty’s spacious flowering garden and walkways surrounded by white marble blocks from Tuscany that make up the walls of the Getty. Admiring the intricate textures and natural leaf patterns on the marble blocks, our group made an astounding discovery that when you tap the blocks, they each emit their own unique and beautiful musical tone! This musical phenomena was captured on video. You can check out Steve and Adam’s impromptu jam session at the Getty on YouTube or watch below.
But the highlight of L.A., Hot Potato readers, was certainly THE FOOD. We visited a very inexpensive Ethiopian buffet that served delicious and lighter than usual injera bread, yellow lentils, collard greens, and other finger food. The buffet was all vegan – made without meat, dairy, or eggs. And then there was the hands-down best Chinese food on the planet (possibly better than even in China). Happy Family (608 N. Atlantic Blvd., Monterey Park, CA 91754, 626-282-8986) is a family-run restaurant, whose entire menu is vegan, but you wouldn’t know it at first glance. Happy Family has a buffet option where each person can order 2 entrées per round with unlimited buffet rounds. The sweet and sour veggie-chicken was actually far better tasting than the meat version. Other highlights included fake fish, squid, shredded pork, and beef with broccoli, all with delicious sauces, spices, and vegetables. Bring your family to Happy Family, and they will certainly be happy.
Last but not least, the ultimate culinary bliss of L.A. was to be found dining (twice in one week) at Papillon, a small but incredible restaurant with simple decor and outdoor seating that serves mostly vegetarian but some meat dishes. The chefs are very mindful to separate the meat and non-meat ingredients and cooking utensils, which shows great appreciation for the restaurant patrons. Papillon means butterfly in French, but it does not serve French cuisine. Owned by a vegetarian Filipino who practices spiritual-centered yoga, Papillon’s authentic Filipino dishes unexpectedly brought me back to the days of my childhood and Mom’s cooking, many years before becoming vegetarian at age 20.
FUN AT PAPILLON VEGAN FILIPINO CUISINE & GRILL.
With just a few sips of their Vegetarian Sinigang soup, I was transported to the memory of being a little girl savoring my favorite soup, which I used to always request my mother make for dinner. Papillon’s vegetarian version of Sinigang tasted JUST LIKE the soup of my childhood. Wow, delicious. And another flashback hit me with the Vegetarian Embutido – a veggie version of ground pork, raisins, sweet peas, chopped relish pickles and other vegetables with original Embutido sauce. Adam was the one who picked the Embutido, and I am so glad he did! I had almost forgotten about these dishes that were a beloved part of my childhood, and I am so thankful that Papillon exists for Filipinas like me and our host in L.A. who don’t eat meat, and for our non-Filipino boyfriends who also don’t eat meat but still want to experience the culinary wonders of Filipino food.
Of course, what is a Filipino restaurant without Pancit, which Papillon serves with vegetarian versions of chicken, pork, and shrimp. The Halo-Halo desert drink was not as good as my mom makes it, but still fun. This classic Filipino drink, perfect on a summer day, came in a gigantic glass topped with soy vanilla ice cream. The delicious Vegetarian Chicken Adobo did not taste like how I remember meat adobo, but the difference might be in regional cooking styles.
I almost forgot the Vegetarian Lumpia! The authentic Filipino-style eggrolls didn’t stay on the table long before being gobbled down by our group of six. Papillon is closed Mondays, but if on any other day you find yourself in the Los Angeles area, whether you eat meat or not, you must fly on over to Papillon and take many friends with you so you can try all the dishes! Papillon-Vegetarian Cuisine & Grill is located at 408 Main Street, El Segundo, CA 90246. Their website is www.papillonvgcuisine.com and their phone is 310-640-0408.
TOUCHING WISDOM.
Adam touches an old growth redwood tree for the first time.
ANCIENT INHABITANTS OF NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
Thoughts of food naturally lead us to thoughts of farming, which is where our trip has led us to so far. Three days ago, after experiencing the magical coastline of Pacifica, south of San Francisco, and further vegan indulgences – notably soy ice cream sundaes at MaggieMud (903 Cortland Ave., San Francisco, CA 94110), a half-dairy half-vegan ice cream shop in San Fran’s Bernal Heights neighborhood, we met up with the manager of Ecology Action’s Golden Rule Mini-Farm and drove with her to the community where the farm is located, the beautiful Ridgewood Ranch just outside of Willits, California. Set on thousands of acres of truly magical mountains, grasslands, forest, and rolling hills, this is the same ranch where Seabiscuit, the Depression-era race horse brought back into the limelight by the recent Oscar-nominated film, retired and is buried. It is also the home of a 2 acre preserve of old-growth Redwood trees.
ABOUT TO ENTER THE GROVE OF ANCIENT REDWOODS. 2 acres of ancient Redwood trees protected by a conservation easement covering over a thousand acres of absolutely beautiful land.
2 acres may not sound like a lot. But once you get right up next to them, as we had the joy of experiencing Tuesday at sunset, the towering Redwoods’ sheer immensity and power leave you in such awe that, even if there were only one such tree standing before you, your attention would be captivated. We walked into this grove of ancient trees as if walking into a sacred temple, and indeed, we felt a serene connectedness to God and to the Earth amongst the Redwood grove, a house of worship built by nature over hundreds of years. With sensitivity and patience to sit and listen, the trees carry within them a wisdom that is timeless and accessible to all. For those who have never experienced the wonder of the Redwoods, Northern California is worth visiting just for these magnificent creations alone. And if that isn’t enough to get you California dreamin, there is always the breathtaking mountains and, of course, the food.
Until next week, the Hot Potato is in your hands. Happy Spring blessings to you, and pass it on!
