Almost Heaven

Now that I'm back in Southern California, I've swapped calorie-dense foods for nutrient-dense ones and artery-clogging delicacies for the artery-cleansing variety.

Thanks to my brother Robert, I brought back three jars of the coveted Duke's Mayo. But on Thursday, I met friends for lunch at Cafe Surfas before surfing the food-lovers Mecca in Culver City. I brought home a specialty balsamic vinegar, EVOO and loquat white balsamic vinegar. (Two of these will be "prizes" at the Italian-themed wedding shower I'm hosting later this month for my friend Terry.)

I scarfed down high-fat biscuits and gravy twice in West Virginia, but now I'm back to my favorite breakfast of non-fat plain yogurt with antioxidant-rich, fresh berries. With a cup of hot green tea on the side, it's the perfect anti-cancer indulgence. (Hey, this is Cancer Banter; I figured I better start working that word back into the posts.)

Since my return, I've enjoyed a healthy cobb (no bacon or other high-fat ingredients) salad at Cafe Surfas, indulged in regional Italian cooking from a class at the Old Town Cooking School and eaten Vietnamese baguette sandwiches with a friend at a Pasadena park. Tomorrow I plan to have a bowl of ramen at Daikokuya, the Jonathan Gold-recommended ramen restaurant in Little Tokyo. Then we'll catch the special exhibit on Japanese gardeners at the Japanese American National Museum.

West Virginia might be "almost heaven," but the diversity and quality of foods (both high-fat and low-fat) in Southern California makes this place a little slice of heaven for me.