Holding Buddha's Hand

I was at Jimi's last night. He reached below the counter to grab something and said "Check this out this lemon". He tossed on the counter what appeared to be a mutated lemon. It was yellow like a lemon, a the top wear the stem was looked like a lemon, but the other tip of the fruit was bizzare. It had many small fingers that grew concentric and appeared to be a cross between a flower and a squid. I imagined it coming to life and the fingers moving like tentacles and the center closing like the mouth of a sea anemone. Then I quickly remembered reading about it and blurted out, "I think it's a Buddha's Hand". He had no idea what I was talking about and I wasn't sure I did either, so I googled it on my iPhone. Sure enough Wikipedia confirmed my information.

Indeed this fruit was known as a Buddha's Hand. It is also known as the Fingered Citron and in Japan, bushukan. Supposedly it has very little flesh inside. It is very fragrant and the peel can be used for citrus zest.

Take me away in the Pattywagon! LA's Hamburger Food Truck

I love the Pattywagon. It's one of my favorite food trucks in LA. Fortunately for me and my friend David (and his lovely wife, Nina) they have a weekly stop here in Silver Lake near Trader Joe's on Wednesday evenings. I've also been lucky enough to run into them elsewhere in the city.

There's nothing new about a burger truck, but Pattywagon offers grassfed beef. And boy is it delicious. Those little hamburgers are packed with flavor and melt away in your mouth. They are prepared with an array of toppings and sauces and the menu changes regularly.

Check out Pattywagon's menu and follow them on Twitter to see where they are in Los Angeles.

Foodspotting

I love documenting my adventures, especially with food. Then Foodspotting came along and gave me an excuse to do so. Foodspotting is a great service that works with a website and mobile app (they currently have one for the iPhone and are working on one for Android) that allows users to find food with visual aid. If you're like me and prefer pictures to words, then it's perfect for you. It let's you see what your in store for so you know what to expect from your meal.

Let's say you want a burger. You can search "burger" in your nearby area and photos of burgers will appear. You can get it the way you like it: big-meaty-and-juicy, diner-style, sesame seed bun, or flimsy fast food. But when you see that burger that was meant for you, your stomach will tell you right away. And thanks to Foodspotting, you will know where to go to make your stomach as happy as your eyes.

Foodspotting also let's you follow other fellow spotters, favorite restaurants and guides created by others and you too!

They recently picked 100 Super Spotters and I was named one of them! Thanks Fooodspotting!

Follow me on Foodspotting and see some of the delicious and sometimes tragic things I eat.

I am the Growler

My name is Larimie. My friends call me Growler. I am an artist and designer living in Los Angeles, California. I am inspired by the experiences of food. Everyday I look forward to my meals and the adventures that come with them. Now, I am going to share them with you.

Leftouts: Leftover Turkey? Make Soup

I've been calling "leftovers", "leftouts" for over a year now. My friend from Colombia, Rapetino, had some language mix up while he was visiting and always called leftovers, leftouts. It would make me smile because it was so genuine and quite an adorable mix up. So I've officially adopted "leftouts".

My dad makes good soup (though sometime a little too salty for me). After Thanksgiving he made a Turkey Barley Vegetable Soup with the left over turkey. Mmm... Good. Just shred the left over turkey, throw in some veggies and barley. Cook on low for an hour or so.

As you can see, unfortunately, my dad is still a fan of paper plates, which I am highly against for so many reasons. Please practice sustainability and use real bowls.

Intelligent Choice for Pumps for Intelligentsia

Girl in line at Intelligenstia Coffee in Los Angeles rocking some cute red pumps.

See more from Intelligentsia on Foodspotting or check it out in person in Silver Lake near the Sunset Junction. Intelligentsia Silver Lake Coffeebar is located at 3922 West Sunset Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90029.

LA Food Truck: Gastrobus

The Gastrobus is one of my favorite food trucks in LA. Anytime I spot the yellow mystery machine, I always check it out. You never know what they are going to be serving that day, but you can always count on it to be fresh and locally sourced from a farmer's market or local food shop like McCall's butcher in Los Feliz where they get their meat.

Today I had the Pumpkin and Green Bean Tempura. It was drizzled with Plum Mustard and served with Ponzu dipping sauce on the side. It was one of the best treats I've had in awhile. I also tried their comforting Spiced Apple Cider.

You can regularly find them Sunday morning's at the Los Feliz Farmer's Market where they have a tapas style brunch menu for "Organic Sundays". Check them out this Wednesday night at McCall's and follow them on Twitter @thegastrobus.

See more from Gastrobus on Foodspotting.