no lah. where got?

S America (SG, HK, LA)
09 July 2009 - 12:38

> one month late, part 1 of many.

first in-flight meal out of many

HK international airport. 3 hour stopover.

fauchon!! bought dulce de leche for HK80. aka confiture de lait. have been savouring it slowly (by the spoon) at home. fauchon stand at takashimaya b1 doesn't sell this.

茶餐厅

茶餐厅 nerd

hk 奶茶

15h of wearing face mask smelling own bad breath

bad food.

4h of "night" and day breaks

worst chee cheong fun. evar.

westin LAX

angmoh coffee

suburbs of LA (closer to airport) made up of mostly low-rise buildings and strip malls

santa monica at night

big blue bus service!

adults going shopping

dinner at locanda del lago, santa monica.

malanzane alla parmigiana. baked eggplant, fresh mozzarella, tomato sauce, herbs. 11USD.

vitello tonnato. roasted and chilled veal tenderloin, creamy tuna-caper aioli, micro rainbow greens, shaved parmesan. 11USD.

tortellini al prosciutto e funghi. tortellini of ground veal and parma prosciutto, protobello, sage-brown butter. 19USD.

also ordered pizza diavola (spicy salame calabrese, oregano, mozzarella, tomato; 12USD) and ossobuco alla milanese (veal shank, saffron-parmesan risotto; 28USD).

drove through an empty rodeo drive -- lots of pretty shopfronts! -- and then back to hotel.

on the freeway. pepperdine university behind howard hughes center.

suburbs have rows and rows of fast food drive throughs.

back to santa monica in the morning...

...for all-day breakfast!!!

only at jinky's cafe.

free-flow breakfast condiments on every table. preserves, butter, pancake syrup, hot sauce (3 different kinds).

house specialty 2+2+2. 2 eggs (any style) + sausage (beef, turkey, spicy pork) or 2 slices bacon + 2 buttermilk pancakes or french toast. 9.95USD. fresh squeezed O.J. 3.50USD.

as big as dinner knives and forks. but wait, there's more! US dinner knives and forks are bigger than the usual ones in singapore. these pancakes are ginormous.

adults order fresh toast, 6.95USD.

everyone is happy.

anthropologie!!!! <3

blackberry bliss -- apple strawberry juice blend, frozen blueberries, frozen strawberries, plain sorbet, ice, frozen blackberries, raspberry sherbet.

12 hour delay. YESSSS!!!!

complimentary day use at sheraton.

aw. so cute.

mother's burger.

favourite place in LA: the original los angeles farmers market

this is the beginning of the end of my camera. starts screwing up before we even reach s america. pictures will start to get either under/overexposed, really grainy or really saturated. you have been warned.

doggie bakery

fresh juices and granola parfaits

bakeries, nuts, candied and jellied fruits

classic american dude in his classic american argyle sweater wearing classic american shades strolling around the classic american farmers market. classsssic.

every imaginable pie, crumble, cobbler

tacky souvenir shops

shop that sellshot sauces from different parts of the world. managed to take one picture before hispanic lady starting raving in spanish about "no photo".

surprise, surprise! an american man set up shop in farmers market. selling our femes char kway teow, hokkien mee, etc.

monsieur marcel gourmet market.

syrups in every imaginable flavour! we have a few normal ones at modesto's: litchee, raspberry, mango, peach, irish, pina colada. this is where things start to get a little fun.

macarons

entrance to the grove, next to farmers market. like a shopping theme park. almost died from happiness. my next favourite place in LA.

goodbye, farmers market.

goodbye, organic heirloom tomatoes. you tasted so good.

helloooooo, shopping!!!

+ kiehl's, stella mccartney, banana republic, american girl place, etc.

last meal in LA before flying to peru. cobb salad.

some mediterranean salad.

***SO WHAT DO I LOVE ABOUT AMERICA?***

the whole hype over a&f

their 3-storeyed flagship stores come with skyhigh ceilings, dimmed lighting and uber cool music. wall fixtures and dark wood-panelled racks and lounge chairs complete the entire experience. did i mention the moose heads?

well, that's what you get from an a&f flagship store. nothing fancy about the outdoor area, right?

haha, oh wait, i forgot the shirtless, hot, young men. only model-esque figure need apply for sales at any a&f outlet. no portfolio = no job opportunity. i vote abercrombie and fitch the #1 place to drop 1000 points off your self-esteem meter.

"hi! do you need any help with your purchase?"
"uh, no. you kinda just ruined my day by being effortlessly gorgeous. thanks a lot."

only in amerikah! gotta love it.

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