Old Blog: February 2006

Los Angeles: Galco's Soda Pop Stop

Recently, I made a run to Galco's Soda Pop Stop in the north LA neighborhood of Highland Park. Galco's is housed in an old grocery store building, and all the aisles are filled with sodas of all kinds, colors, and flavors - some mainstream, some unique, and some old-fashioned. They even have old-fashioned and hard-to-find candies, and beers from around the world. It's a pretty interesting place, and if you find yourself in LA, you should check it out. Below are photos of what I got; it's way too easy to spend a lot of money in that place, so I had to force myself to head for the checkout counter before I put more sodas in my shopping cart!

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L to R: Americana Root Beer, Fentiman's Shandy, Fentiman's Mandarin and Seville Orange Jigger, Manhattan Special Sarsaparilla, and Fentiman's Curiosity Cola

L to R: Old-fashioned candies - Idaho Spud, Bun Caramel, Jujubes, Nut Goodie, and Mallo Cup

L to R: Leninade, Hot Ginger Beer, Jones Chocolate Fudge Soda, Fentiman's Victorian Lemonade, and Cheerwine

L to R: Beers - Alba Scots' Pine Ale, Singha Thai Beer, Brazilian Palm Beer, Tinkov Russian Pilsner, Hue Vietnamese Beer, and Empire Sprice Beer

L to R: Boylan Grape Soda, Desert Sage Root Beer, Plantation Mint Julep Soda, Peach Nehi, and Bubble Up Soda

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All photos are ©2005-06 Kathryn Hill Photography.

Kitchen: Escargot

Escargots cooked with shallots, tarragon, butter, garlic, and Pernod.

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All photos are ©2005-06 Kathryn Hill Photography.

Kitchen: How to open a durian fruit

I purchased a durian, which is a tropical fruit that originates in Southeast Asia, in Chinatown in San Francisco with my friend Prisna. Durians have received mixed reviews across the board.. They are considered either a delicacy or a nuisance; some say their scent is fragrant, while others have a far different opinion:

Richard Sterling, as quoted in The Travelling Curmudgeon, says: "... its odor is best described as pig-shit, turpentine and onions, garnished with a gym sock. It can be smelled from yards away. Despite its great local popularity, the raw fruit is forbidden from some establishments such as hotels, subways and airports, including public transportation in Southeast Asia."

(Source: Wikipedia)

Durians are about the size of a large football, quite heavy, and covered with spikes. The outer flesh is thick and tough, and can be difficult to open if you don't know how. Inside are segments of flesh with the consistency of custard, with a hard stone in the center of each segment.

We took the fruit home on the BART - there were no "NO DURIAN" signs there, and no one seemed to notice. :) Prisna, who has experience in opening durians, demonstrated for me while I took photographs.

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The durian

Lay paper on the floor (this can get messy) and then with a large, sharp knife, make a deep score in the outer hull, about 8 to 10 inches long.

Dig your fingers in the incision and start prying the hull apart.

Keep pulling.

After some effort, you will have two halves.

Take the knife and score a deep cut in the fibrous "rib" in the center of each half.

Pull the halved section apart into two sections.

See the "pod" coming out of the husk? That's the edible part. It's a bit soft, and yellowish. In my experience, it did not have much of an unpleasant scent; it smelled sweet, almost like a custard. The taste was sweet, creamy, and fruity. However, every so often, for a millisecond or so, we would get a whiff of something tart and slightly foul that would disappear.

Collected durian "pods."

Durian "pods" and bowls of sticky rice with coconut milk.

Durian and sticky rice with coconut milk. A very simple, delicious dessert.

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All photos are ©2005-06 Kathryn Hill Photography.

Kitchen: Chocolate and Chestnut

Chocolate cake with Clement Faugier chestnut pureé.

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All photos are ©2005-06 Kathryn Hill Photography.

Kitchen: Four Rosés

Various shots of four of my favorite rosé wines; Domaine Tempier Bandol Rosé, CORE Santa Barbara Rosé, Billencart-Salmon Brut Rosé, and Nicolas Feuillate Premier Cru Rosé.

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More? See "Previous Posts" in the right-hand menu bar.

All photos are ©2005-06 Kathryn Hill Photography.

Phone Cam Pictures

Just for fun! Pictures from my phone cam from between December 2005 and February 2006.

White House, Feb 2006

Washington Monument, Feb 2006

Tuna Bread at a Korean Bakery.

zoot gives his opinion.

Mongolian calligraphy, National Geographic Museum, Washington DC

Eating the mystery wrap!

Holly's orchids

Skiier contemplating the expert run. Mammoth Mountain, Jan 2006

Mystery wrap!

Mammoth Mountain

Self portrait at Mammoth Mountain

Macworld Expo, San Francisco

Top of Mammoth

It's a long way down!

Japanese calligraphy, Asian Art Museum, San Francisco

Kimono, Asian Art Museum, San Francisco

100% ID check at the White House, Washington DC

Japanese calligraphy, Asian Art Museum, San Francisco

Wedding kimono, National Geographic Museum, Washington DC

"Ecstasy: In and Out of Altered States" exhibit at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles

Gilka liquor at BevMo with penguin label

"It's been great, good luck!" Sounds like a break-up cake.

The huge margarita I had at Dulles Airport after my 7 PM flight got cancelled and I was bumped to the 9:30 flight.

Cheese Stick Cookie at a Korean bakery.

Kitchen: Cilantro Butter

Entry 2 of 3 for Foodography 2: Dairy. Fresh cilantro butter on crusty bread.

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Kitchen: Caprese Salad

Entry 1 of 3 for Foodography 2: Dairy.

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Kitchen: Eggplants and Chiles

Exotic heirloom eggplants and capsicums acquired at the Farmer's Market in San Francisco. Capsicum = correct term for chile pepper.

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Turkish eggplant

New Mexico "Eclipse" capsicum - interesting chocolate brown color

Heirloom eggplants - Turkish (orange,) Louisiana Green Banana (green,) Ichiban (long dark purple,) Snowy (white,) Listada de Gandia (purple,) and Rosa Bianca (lavender.)