Nijiya Market Tour with Mineko Moreno

Had never been to this Japanese market but knew of Mineko Moreno's reputation as a top-notch sushi instructor (she is also the co-author of Sushi for Dummies).

So the market tour and Japanese lunch (offered by Great News!) was ideal.

For over two hours, our group followed Mineko around the grocery store, starting with produce and ending with ice cream. Then we walked to a restaurant nearby for a traditional Japanese lunch.

Although this was not a cooking class, it was a great way to learn about Japanese ingredients and become motivated to create authentic dishes at home.

I left with supplies for making Dashi, the base for Miso Soup, tempura batter mix, unfamiliar salad greens (mizuna) and root vegetable (kabu) plus Japanese beer from Moreno's hometown, Yebisu.

Here are a few bits and pieces from the tour.

In Japan, if you are told that you have 'Daikon Legs', it means that you have no ankles.

Dried persimmons are a favorite snack in Japan.

Kabocha squash - for soup or tempura or steam/puree and add to vanilla ice cream.

Miso for soup or sauces. This organic unpasteurized version is her favorite.

Crazy Americans have made Shirataki noodles a popular pasta replacement as they contain no carbs. 

Rice is the center of the universe!

An affordable sake that 'tastes pretty good'.

I would recommend checking out this market and taking a class by Mineko Moreno!

Patina or Shine?

I wouldn't turn down a ride in either one.

Blooming Tree

The tippy top of a very large...   What is it?

A succulent tree?

Regardless. It is blooming. A sure sign that Spring is on the way.

A Stretch of Main Street

3rd Street Promenade. Abbott Kinney Boulevard. Montana Avenue.

Those instantly come to mind when I think of fun streets in Santa Monica.

We recently discovered a fourth.

A stretch of Main that has a very distinct personality and is definitely worth a visit.

Start at Tao Healing Arts.

Go for the Shiatsu massage and ask for Tatiana.

Stroll into Vital Hemp to try on a few comfortable garments and then head to the corner for lunch at Euphoria Loves Rawvolution.

Meals are light, delicious and filling.

Place is casual and comfy.

Just across the street is the Santa Monica Community Garden.

Walk through and see what's growing.

Apparently a good place for a nap ranks high for this gardener.

Fresh peas and whimsy offered here.

Colorful flowers and stepping stones transform this piece of land.

Further down the road is a charming library.

Consider waiting for the lines to die down at Urth Caffe (they never do). There is valet parking out front and a constant stream of customers.

Meander the side streets instead.

The architecture and courtyards are charming.

Oh, one last stop, Bike Attack, fun stuff.

Marina del Rey

Top-siders (or perhaps you call them boat shoes or deck shoes) are never really in style.

But they never go away either.

I have always liked the look of a man, in jeans, no socks, wearing a pair of top-siders.

Especially when they are aged and scuffed up (the shoes, not the man).

West Marine store.

Seems that the old standbys have inched forward....fashion wise.

At least in the Women's Department.

Available in shiny black or white patent leather.

Over in the boating section we saw the latest in SUPs (Stand Up Paddle boards).

Apparently, you can now purchase an inflatable version.

Considering how long, large and heavy a regular paddle board is, this sounds like a remarkable idea.

But no one in the store, including the manager, could tell us exactly how long it would take to inflate this wonder board.

"Living in a Modern Way"

An exhibit at LACMA that features objects of California design from 1930 to 1965.

Although I enjoyed checking out the furniture, ceramics and vehicles...

It was more fun looking at the clothes.

Leisure wear.

Because if you are going to wear a dress to a BBQ, the fabric should be sporting a grill.

Can't lie.

I think this orange two-piece is adorable and even figure flattering. 

This one.

Not so much.

Not sure if it is the color, the cut, or the explosion of blooms.

Hmmm....

Hard to know what will look odd or ugly or fashionable a hundred years from now.

Will skinny jeans make the cut?

Or neon pants that are being shown for Spring?

These hats have already made a comeback.

But will it last?

Fashion can be fickle.

LACMA

We spent hours walking around the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and didn't even scratch the surface of what it has to offer.

Which is okay.

Because it is the largest art museum in the western United States.

"For me the work of the embroidered Mappa is the maximum of beauty. For that work I did nothing, chose nothing, in the sense that: the world is made as it is, not as I designed it, the flags are those that exist, and I did not design them; in short I did absolutely nothing; when the basic idea, the concept, emerges everything else requires no choosing."   Alighiero e Boetti

Inside the Sculpture Garden.

Broad Contemporary Art Museum, one of seven buildings at LACMA.

Riding the very large, very tall elevator.

Modern art - how did they join the two pieces of furniture?

An exhibit you are supposed to touch!

Already eager to get back and explore.