How to Keep White Chocolate Special

Take a ride in the time machine with me:

Do you remember when the only time you ever saw white chocolate was in this shape?



Remember when white chocolate (which isn’t really chocolate, but let's not split hairs) tasted better...because you knew you could only have it at Easter? Not for your birthday. Not for Christmas. Easter only, in a shape of a bunny. White chocolate was a seasonal thing.

Today, white chocolate is available 24/7/365. You can pick it up in bar form in the candy aisle, buy white chocolate chips for your cookies, and see Lindt white chocolate truffles staring up at you while you pay for your books at Borders. White chocolate still tastes the same as it did as an Easter bunny. But it no longer tastes special.

What else is no longer special today?

The movie The Wizard of Oz -- once aired once and only once a year on one of the networks, now you can watch it every day on DVD.

Movies in general – how can something that you can do in your living room be called an “event”?

Going out to eat – some of us think we can’t cook and therefore stop and pick up fast food or do takeout every day. (I see an inverse relationship between the quantity of the restaurants and the specialness of the food – a dinner at Pina’s Bistro in Tustin, of which there is only one, is far better for the soul than a dinner at, say, McDonald’s.)

How can we make these things special again?

It would be impractical, not to mention annoying, to return specialness to these things by means of law. Imagine a law which forbade the sale of white chocolate except in the month before Easter.

What we can do to return specialness is
a.) not overconsuming, and
b.) remembering to be grateful.

The last time I saw The Wizard of Oz was in a real theater – the Bay Theater in Seal Beach, some years ago. (If you're in the area, go to the Bay. Please go. Classic single-screen theaters need all the support they can get!) I eat any sort of chocolate in small doses, no more than about an inch square at a time. Two Dogs and I enjoy every moment when we get the chance to eat out, and we pick our restaurants with care. Quality of food, not mere convenience, earns our respect and business.

Come to think of it, life itself is pretty darn special anyways, isn't it?

An Evening at Felix Continental Cafe

If you meander to the Old Towne area of Orange, California, and find yourself hungry, I vigorously recommend Felix Continental Café on the southwest side of the traffic circle. It serves traditional dishes from Cuba and the Caribbean, in generous but not overwhelming portions and prices that are easy on the budget. Two Dogs and I were there not too long ago.



Here is our appetizer – white bread with a layer of butter and a sprinkling of salt. I saw Two Dogs sprinkle salt on his buttered bread at Felix. Mmmmm. This is such a treat that it inspired a T-shirt design.

For those of gentle palate, like myself, Felix can accommodate you with this grilled shrimp and white rice dish. You can request maduros (fried slices of a banana-like fruit) or, since it’s spring, asparagus (as shown below).



Here’s the dish with some white rice left over, which the nutrition police would have me leave on my plate (but I didn’t).



Felix also has a selection of domestic and imported wines and beers. Two Dogs favors Alhambra Negra, a rich dark brew. We also enjoy the Marques de Riscal Rioja and the Martin Codax Tempranillo Rioja. This evening, we shared a bottle of Martin Codax Albariño, a citrusy white which complimented the shrimp.



Come to Felix with an appetite, curiosity, and some good friends. You might even find new friends – or much more. I met Two Dogs here at breakfast one Sunday morning. I had simply decided to eat breakfast out that day. I can’t say exactly why I made that instantaneous decision. Maybe it was because it was the day of the Oscars, and I wanted to read my Sunday Los Angeles Times in a pleasant place. Maybe it was because it was a sunny day, and sunshine has a special magnetism for this mouse. Maybe the universe was nudging me towards a whole new world of music and cuddling and adventure and luvvy-luv.

The sophisticated magic of Felix brought us together, and it brings us back time and time again.

Romance Novel Update

I didn't finish "The Rogue and the Rival". It's not Ms. Rodale's fault; I have lost my ability to get into the traditional romance novel. I want to read stories in which I can't see everything that is coming next, in which I don't feel deja vus stacked up on top of each other like the turtles in Dr. Seuss's "Yertle the Turtle."

I did finish "Soulful Sex: The Dark Side", where I couldn't see everything that was coming next. I think you would enjoy it too, but you can't borrow my copy. Go buy your own.

My favorite video (for this week)

When you Twitter, Twitter smart, y'all...

Say What?!?

I found these signs in a Japanese restaurant in San Diego (which shall remain nameless because the food is really good and fairly priced, and I would hate to discourage you from eating there but these signs simply scream for comment).



If toilet paper is not supposed to go into the toilet bowl, then where is it supposed to go? The trash can? Out the window? Your pockets? To hell and back? (Just in case you were wondering, I used a disposable seat covering in lieu of the forbidden t.p.) Are the signs supposed to encourage use of the bidet? If so, where was the bidet???

You have to love those signs that make you think...

Tiny food (and food containers) from Roscata

I took a few pictures last week and I'm just now doing blog catch-up. I ordered these earrings and charm from an artisan called Roscata:



Roscata creates tiny foods from polymer clay and upcycled materials (such as miniatures). The baked goods look good enough to eat, don't you think? I can smell the chocolate when I wear the cupcake. And I am a particular fan of miniature food refrigerator magnets. (I can't wait until my full-size refrigerator and I are reunited!)

When I recommend a merchant on this blog, I do so with trust that you will be happy with the product and service. It's my way of spreading the wealth, so to speak.

Why it will take more than higher taxes to move me from California...

I took this picture on Sunday, March 22nd, near the surf at La Jolla -- one of the best places for surf-watching in the world:



If only I could make the photo look bigger on the blog! You can at least click on it to see it at its best.