Food

Mai Basta Pasta

As I grab the little step stool so I can see over the counter, I see flour flying around the kitchen while my grandmother’s arms move in an aggressive, circula...

Meatballs, Senza Spaghetti

A couple years ago, I went to my nonna’s house to start transcribing her recipes for future use. The ingredients for her food are simple, but the dictation was ambitious. We made her polpette together as the broth for her tortellini in brodo simmered on the stove. ...

Jamaican Food-focused Snapshot from Miami

“Yuh waah bwile green banana an yam fi dinna?” my grandmother called in Jamaican patois from the kitchen. I hung over the couch, watching her favorite show, Walker, Texas Ranger, upside down. She adapted to the ease of American-living within the first year of moving to Miami, but her palate never changed. ...

Artisanal Meats for Sustainable Eats: An Ethical Carnivore’s Map to Los Angeles

It’s Friday night, after work, and the symmetrical grocery store aisles are flooded with drones of human beings trying to get dinner on the table. For most, meat will be on the menu. Exceptions: Vegans, Vegetarians, Pescatarians, subscribers to GOOP, people who attended Woodstock in the 70’s, whoever drinks Skinny Tea… quite frankly the list is long and you get the point. Empty pockets, much like stomachs, usually incite people to opt for the easiest options, but will you make that extra effort to find ethical, sustainable and significantly pricier meat, as opposed to the average cut at your local grocery store?...

Nostalgia Wrap

After an intense basketball game (well, as intense as a bunch of ten-year-olds running up and down a court gets) my reward was a pita sandwich. It did not matter whether we won or lost; my father would always drive my younger sister and me to Tarzana Armenian Deli (TAD) to grab a bite. I’d enthusiastically skip into the shop while my sister and father would lag behind.  The employees greet me with a familiar smile. My father orders three turkey sandwiches while my sister and I run to the chip rack to choose our favorite salty treat. “WAIT,” a lightbulb would go off in my mind. “Mom wants us to get Armenian string cheese!” I run towards the white, braided cheese with sprinkles of black sesame dispersed throughout. As we collect our treats and groceries, my father walks to the coolers in the back of the shop to grab tan, a yogurt-based drink popular in the Middle East. Once our sandwiches are ready, I take my bright red tray to the small white table near the windows....