REDONDOWRITER'S SACRED ORDINARY

Haiku My Heart Friday: In Search of Dia de los Muertos Goodies

After work I had an adventure in search of Dia de los Muertos supplies. Our Spanish teacher at school told me to try Northgate Market in Wilmington, and though I didn’t find pan de muertos, paper papeles or sugar skulls there, I found three of the friendliest butchers in town instead--and lots of other good stuff. I bought asada el pastor, shrimp ceviche, and pollo patties, which had nothing to do with what I went shopping for. I did take some pictures along the way, however. I love living in California. We have access to some of the best ethnic food in the country. Next week I’ll go to the Middle Eastern market. I did find piñatas, nopales, maize, asada, and some very nice people. I highly recommend this market. Double click the photos to enlarge them.

My haiku is after the last photo.

I found piñatas

Nopales, maize, asada,

No pan muertos.

 To read more Haiku my Heart, go to Rebecca's Recuerda mi Corazon.  

Miyako Hybrid Hotel and Gonpachi Restaurant, Torrance - Wonderful!

When you have lived a long time in one place, like I have in Redondo Beach of the South Bay area of Los Angeles, sometimes you get stuck in your same old patterns. You think you’ve experienced most things in the area—and as I have aged, I’m less likely to explore my own immediate area. However, once a month, I lunch with five other ladies, long time married friends and I have come to look forward to this outing. Our “leader,” Mary, seeks out places we haven’t been. Today she hit the jackpot. We met at the Miyako Hybrid Hotel in Torrance, right in the industrial/business area. Two of Mary’s friends, both Asian, had strongly recommended the signature restaurant, Gonpachi. I didn’t even know a new hotel had opened—and I didn’t know it had been getting great reviews as an exceptional “green hotel.” I have never been to Japan, but this hotel reminded me of what I would expect a Japanese hotel to be.

As I parked free in their ample parking lot at Western and 213^th Streets, I was really dazzled by what I saw. Their brochure says, “In Japanese, the term ‘miyako’ refers to a flourishing center of business and entertainment. The Miyako Hybrid is nestled among the corporate headquarters of some of Japan's most famous companies. It is close to downtown Los Angeles and surrounding airports.” The hotel is very modern looking and all the staff were amazingly friendly and welcoming. Apparently Miyako hotels are known throughout Japan for their traditional beauty and impeccable service.

The Gonpachi restaurant offers cuisine which is an intriguing combination of authentic Japanese cooking influenced by California’s unique culinary flavors and styles. When you first enter, you pass the classic sushi bar where the sushi chefs were busy chopping, mixing and smiling. Fortunately we had a reservation as it was filled with a happy group of noisy, eclectic diners.

The lunch menu was amazing. I had a donburi rice bowl called Tem Don with tempura shrimp and vegetables. My $10 lunch included the salad, soup and fruit bar and green iced tea. Yum. There is also a large outdoor dining patio. Next time we'll go a little later, after the lunch period, and we'll sit on the patio.

So, today I had a lovely experience and a great meal with my friends in a place near my home that I didn’t even know existed. If you live in L.A. or Orange County, check it out. How grateful I am to live where I live. I stayed home a lot more in the winter but I'm ready to start going out more.