A Quokka Dreeds its Weird

When my last Native Foods Nursery order arrives and is planted, I will have nine types of berries growing on my land: strawberries, blackberries (wild), raspberries (wild and cultivated), blueberries, golden currants, salmonberries, thimbleberries, salal berries, and honeyberries/haskaps.

I have never tried the latter five - please comment if you have! - and in fact only learned about them on the website. But since I've only ever encountered one berry I really dislike, I have high hopes. Except for the salal berries, which are mostly for the birds.)

Now that I am fully immunized (two weeks past the last Moderna shot) I set out to enjoy my freedom. The closest large(ish) city to me is Fresno (an hour and a half drive), so that's where I went.

I went to a glorious used bookshop, which would have been excellent by any standard but was especially sweet under the circumstances, the Book Barn in Clovis, and obtained these:



Anyone read any of these? Any votes for which you'd really like to read reviews of?



Then I went to a Filipino restaurant which was, alas, terrible. The best I can say about the meal was that it was sufficiently edible that I ate some of it. Well, and that it was a restaurant and I sat at a table (outside). Of the taro boba tea, the less said the better.

Then I went to a truly glorious ice cream parlor, La Michoacana PLUS. Page down to see the interior, yes it really looks like that. Only it additionally had a million spherical lights that changed color.

It is PLUS, all right. Look at their paletas! I had a mangolada and it made up for the wretched lunch. It looked exactly like the photos. I also got paletas to go (took home in a freezer). I have horchata, pecan, watermelon, coconut water, and one that isn't labeled and got slightly melted in transit and I have no idea what it is. I ate a strawberry cheesecake one last night and it was so fucking good.

Finally, I went to Trader Joe's, an ordinary pleasure which I haven't had in year. Just like eating at a restaurant or going to a bookshop or ice cream parlor. Glorious.

Out of everything that's going on, what's hitting me hardest is all the small restaurants that are closing down or struggling desperately to survive. In LA, a lot of them are beloved family-owned, people of color-owned, and/or woman-owned places. I love them and their food and their owners and workers, and I'm doing my best to support them.

So! Want to get a taste of LA's deliciousness while supporting people who could really use a break? Order by mail! They are shipping nationwide, though I would check in advance if you're in Hawaii.

Ninong's Cafe is selling pastries, cookie butter, coffee, and mugs. This is one of my absolute favorite LA restaurants, a Filipino place best-known for its pancake flight and devotion to all things ube. I especially recommend their ube coffee cake and other ube treats. You can order now and they'll ship everything fresh on Saturday. You get 20% off with the code FLATTENTHECURVE. (Ube is purple sweet potato. It has a delicate and delectable flavor. I hate yams and I love ube.)

If there's anything you want that's listed as out of stock, just email the Cafe. They'll respond promptly. Nothing is really out of stock as they're baking it fresh, it just sometimes sells out and gets listed that way.

Cookies and coffee cake can be frozen, so you can order extras for later. ;)

Porto's is selling frozen bake-at-home stuff. They're a Cuban bakery notorious for their extremely long lines, and famous for their addictiveness. I am especially in love with the potato balls and guava pastries, both of which are available to bake at home.

Bhan Kanom Thai is selling all sorts of Thai treats. They are a wonderful Thai dessert and grocery shop in the heart of Thai Town, selling unusual cupcakes and other delicious things. A lot of what's available for mail order is non-perishable groceries; if you don't live in LA, I'd use their contact form to check on whether it's practical for them to ship their fresh desserts and cupcakes. They respond very promptly.

Please comment with any beloved local places that are also shipping. And please share this post widely, if you so desire, or make your own!