Happiness Now! a Battle Cry and a Mantra

"What is the best thing on the menu?"

What is the best thing on your menu? This is a Donism.

Since, I met Don eleven years ago, every time we go to a restaurant he always asks this question to our waiter/waitress:"What is the best thing on the menu?" or "What is your signature dish?" or "What is your favorite thing on the menu?"

This inquiry works magic as I have seen that 9 times out of 10, he gets a really tasty meal. I found that this strategy is really useful. Also, you connect with your waiter/ress and you usually get the best food in the house! Try it, next time you sit down in a restaurant. Instead of hemming and hawing about what to choose, ask some good advice from the wait staff who are "in the know."

Speaking of "What is the best thing on the menu?", a couple of weeks ago when I arrived back in LA from my SF intense Take5:ARTbreak Day marketing meetings, we stopped at the Wilshire Restaurant in Santa Monica for some nosh.The restaurant was booked, so we ate in the lounge area. I, with my paint splotched,brown hoody on, clicked my Keen's and said I am not in San Francisco anymore. The scene was so stereotypically LA. Girls in really, really short skirts with stilettos and boys talking about how many flat screens they had. It really was good people watching though and kind of a culture shock. But we asked our waitress, "what was the best thing on the menu?" and she suggested the sweet English pea soup.

It was the best pea soup I have ever tasted!!!

We will go back to the Wilshire Restaurant; the food is really good and the ambiance is awesome. And we did spot a cool fireplace in the dinning area, amongst all the bling.

The Big Boy image is from our weekend journey camping to Joshua Tree (that is another post). On our way we had to stop for some food and Big Boy brought back nostalgia from my days of growing up in Wisconsin. Don, as always, asked our waitress "what is the best thing on the menu?" and par for the course, he happily devoured the "Big Boy" hamburger.

The Loot! CSA's in SoCal

Food for thought-thought for food!

We finally committed to joining the Slow Food Movement and to receiving our first CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) box filled with some delectable and edible loot!! This week we tried the CSA from the South Central Farmers in Los Angeles. I was kind of bummed to findout that the farm in South Central was closed down and now the Farmers have to travel two hours to Bakersfield to toil their crops. The closure of the farm was a really bad government decision and was really bad for the whole community. Having a farm in the urban jungle was idyllic and healing for all. I am sure it is missed.

Here is a documentary about the South Central Farm. For fourteen years the farm thrived.

What is a CSA?

Local Harvest is an amazing national resource for CSA's and you find one in your local community. Here is what they have to say.

Here are the basics: a farmer offers a certain number of "shares" to the public. Typically the share consists of a box of vegetables, but other farm products may be included. Interested consumers purchase a share (aka a "membership" or a "subscription") and in return receive a box (bag, basket) of seasonal produce each week throughout the farming season.

Getting fresh and seasonal vegies and fruits is really a win, win situation for consumers, farmers, and the environment!

Today we had to pick up our South Central Farmers produce box at a residential house in Santa Monica. Like most CSA's they will not deliver it unless you have fifteen neighbors, who want to participate. So, they provide pre-existing pick up and drop off locations. We arrived at the house and no one was in site. We rang the doorbell and then saw that it was self service. The box was very light and we opened it up it was so beautiful. Yummy! The array we received was awesome! Don and I each had an orange and that was delicious. Now I have to get creative with my cooking.

Anyone know a good recipe for Fava beans? I will keep you posted on what I create from these amazing vegies. Intuitively cooking seasonal "slow" food is good for your body, soul, and your pocket book.

If this has made you epicurious, remember you can find a CSA in your neighborhood at the Local Harvest.

Thanksgiving and Gratitude!

Point Dume' for the Sunset, Malibu

Point Dume' at Dusk (the in between)

Point Dume' State Preserve is an amazing sanctuary.

"It features headlands, cliffs, rocky coves and vast beach access. The beach is presently operated by Los Angeles County, which also operates Zuma County Beach. These facilities are noted for swimming, surfing, scuba diving and fishing. Point Dume is a perfect place to watch for California gray whales during the December - March migration period."

It is a beautiful drive and is only around eighteen miles from Santa Monica on the PCH. To get to the beach you walk through this beautiful field of coastal foliage. As you approach the cliff, one breathes in and one breathes out, letting the internal aaaaah commune with the universe. The vista is just breathtaking. Dolphins are dancing in the surf and the pelicans are just so spectacular. To get down to the beach you descend on these rickety worn wooden stairs. This place is so lovely for a picnic, beach lounging, or an afternoon walk. And YES! there is no garbage to be seen. The only scar is there are these hideous water pipes from the mansions above that hang down from the cliffs. Oh, and there was a ship wreck on the beach; a small sailboat.

This time we decided to ascend to the top of the park to see the sunset. In the background are luxurious mansions, where many well-known entertainers live, like Julia Roberts and Bob Dillon. After moving to LA, I have decided to take the word "Star" or "Celebrity" out of my vocabulary. I think the actor, James Woods, said it best when he stated, "Celebrity - I don't even know what that means. Obviously it's the same basic word as celebration, but I don't know what's being celebrated."

The hike up is pretty easy and when we arrived at the top "aahhh" or shall I say "Carpe Diem." What a breath-taking sunset! I have to say once again, I love pelicans. I love how they dive into the sea and how they glide inches away from the water. They are just the coolest creatures. Primal is the best word to describe them. They seem ancient. No wonder the Alchemists used the Pelican in their symbolism.

Don and I have made a ritual of applauding to the sunset and its grandeur as it slips under the horizon. I first experienced the applause for the sunset when I was in Key West. Everyone gathers at the pier in Key West and watches the sunset and over the years they have adopted a tradition of applauding at the sun's finale. I thought that it was so cool; what a great way to celebrate life! So I have adopted that simple ritual into my day-to-day life.

If you are looking for an amazing day trip to another world, Point Dume is the place to BE.

Oh yeah, on our way back we stopped at Pavilion's grocery store (Safeway with a fancy name) in Malibu for some food and who did we see? The entertainer, Shannen Doherty, buying a sack of potatoes.

A day of breathtaking communion with nature and some E sitings.

What else can you ask for in LA?

Check out Point Dume on Google Maps

quintessential quotes-travel

A traveler without observation is a bird without wings.”

Moslih Eddin Saadi

Image from Santa Monica Beach

Day Trippin-The Lake Shrine

If you are looking for a day retreat from the chaos of daily life, the Self Realization Fellowship Lake Shrine is the place to BE.

"COME INTO THE SILENCE OF SOLITUDE,AND THE VIBRATION

THERE WILL TALK TO YOU THROUGH THE VOICE OF GOD"

-- PARAMAHANSA YOGANANDA

Don and I kept driving past this interesting building in the Pacific Palisades, I had thought it was a Baha'i Temple. One day on one of our day adventures, we decided to check it out. This place is a sanctuary. The site induces reflection as one slowly walks around the lake. Breathing in the beauty of nature, the subtle signs, and exhaling the constraints of daily life. Don and I spent just one hour at this sacred site and I left with a sense of internal unity and peace. The Lake Shrine is definitely medicine for the soul.

Here is a little history:

The Lake Shrine was opened to the public on August 20, 1950, coinciding with the thirtieth anniversary of Paramahansa Yogananda's work in America.Paramahansa Yogananda designed the Golden Lotus Archway (above) as a "wall-less temple." In India the lotus flower is a symbol of divine unfoldment--the awakening of the soul to its infinite potential.

It seems fifty years later Deepak Chopra has followed in Paramahansa footsteps.

Indulge in the clarity of your own reflection and your internal solitude at the Lake Shrine. It is so close and yet so far. As you are driving west on Sunset Boulevard on your way to the PCH, make a short stop and breathe.

Why not?

OM

Self Realization Lake Shrine on Google Maps.