About

Welcome to my food blog!

First and foremost, I would like to thank you for visiting my site.  It is a new side I am venturing in, and it is quite exciting.  As the site grows, I hope that you find great interest in my experiences with food.

An introduction to me.  I am a Korean American born and raised in the Los Angeles area.  As a Korean American growing up in Los Angeles, I had a diverse background of foods that broadened my palate.  I was never a picky eater; if it was good, I ate it. Growing up in a Korean family and in San Gabriel Valley, I’ve always been introduced to some interesting stuff.  I remember eating tripe soup as a kid, and kind of liking it.  My dad would just boil beef tendon for hours until soft. We’d dip it in a vinegar and soy sauce mixture and just chomp it down. We loved eating livers and onions, chicken gizzards, beef tongue, and all the other good stuff. As a child, I didn’t really ask what it was — I just ate.

What is food to me?  Food isn’t just something that keeps us full throughout the day; it isn’t something that just tastes good.   This is not what food is to me.  My food philosophy is that food has everything to do with culture.  European, Asian, African, Latin American, and all other foods all have different flavor profiles. Just as the food and palates are different, the people are equally different. We all come from different backgrounds, cultures, and ethnicities.  Though these differences exist, food is something that brings us all together.  Food is the center of every celebration and our daily life. We communicate through with and with food. A mother’s love is shown with the extra care she takes to prepare lunch for her family. Two people converse for hours over a cup of coffee. Friends drink beer and eat good food to reminisce and catch up. Even the first humans gathered around the fire with their catch of the day and ate together. Food has become such an important part of our lives and a lot of the time, people forget. We shouldn’t eat to live, nor should we live to eat. We eat because we are part of this whole community and this culture.

Food has to be four things.  It has to taste good, smell good, look good, and feel good (both texturally and emotionally).  As I venture around my city and town, I will be seeking all of the good places to eat.   If the food has these simple characteristics, I will be sure to write about it.  I don’t see myself as a food expert or connoisseur by any means.  I just like food and want to share my thoughts with everyone.  As much as this blog is for the reader, it is just as much something for me as well. It is a way for me to write, hone my photography skills, and share all of the delicious adventures with you all.

This blog was formed based on love of food alone.  I don’t pride myself in being a great writer, photographer, or a grammatical genius.  Half of the stuff I type have red squiggles under them.  This is just a site to share the foods I eat in a city that I love.

Thank you again, and I hope you eat well and enjoy reading.

-Franklin