Managing to move on with a broken heart

The Elvis of Sushi has left the building...at least for the time being.

Grandma Mona called to inform me.

Katsu is closed.

I have already told one friend that I was going to have take some time away from Sushi now. I have been eating his Sushi nearly my whole life. I remember visiting my Grandparents in California as a child..hot car rides with quarters, avocado trees, iced teas, the 1984 Olympics, Bamboo, the Griffith Park Observatory and eating at Michael's and of course eating at Katsu.

I would have a small glass of fresh squeezed OJ and french onion soup at Michael's, kindly refusing any alteration to the meal. Mr. father once comically remarked me a connoisseur of both, I then considered it a point of pride that I hone my palate at every opportunity. At Katsu however there was no fresh squeezed OJ and certainly no french onion soup. No, on those hot summer nights I would instead sample the mysterious creatures of the sea and odd vegetation of Grandma Mona's homeland. A curious mixture of salts and textures.

As years passed Katsu moved from one location to another. From Los Feliz, to third street, to the Valley, then just in this last year to Beverly Hills. Taken for granted by me for far too long I only recently realized how spoiled I was. I can write this next sentence with great pride and no amount of uncertainty. Katsu-san makes the best Sushi in America. Period. Of course everything is subjective, but I challenge anyone to say otherwise. teach me as he did. He never really got that mantle bestowed upon him. Katsu has always been too unassuming to claim such a title. Humble, gentle, kind, and like any Chef these characteristics always came out in his food.

My heart breaks with fond memories. So much of my life's turning points have been with Katsu's food in the background(or even the foreground). Birthdays, Funerals, and everthing in between.


Day 4 Lunch at Sauce. Greek Salad w/ grilled Chicken. Mint Ice tea.



Dinner @ Yabu. Omakase 7 courses(which somehow ended up as 8). It was a little bit saddening, nothing wrong with it. Very good clean dishes, but it's not Katsu. Not in concept, not in execution. Not with same amount of automatic care or graceful nonchalance that I came to marvel at and respect more with each passing meal. To be honest I felt like I was cheating on him in someway. No longer going out together but still on my mind on that first date with someone new. It will take some time for me to find another who will woo me, educate me, guide me again. Perhaps its time to change positions. I am no longer an eager student, waiting to learn.

I am jaded. I am sad...

cocoon

Day 3-Mitsuwa Market. soba, pickles, sashimi, and whatnot. Poppe declares giddiness

"Mineral Wine"- half bottle of sancerre, some oysters and off to the next spot. JayDD claims not to like Oysters, but soon recants

Vincente- Michola is in Italia, something is missing
Perhaps my Carbonara, which I definetly don't need.
Butter lettuce caesar
Quail

Gnochi w/truffe.

Two glasses of Rosso di Montalchino...

Roger Room- No Photos allowed, 1 Tiajuana Brass. uhm-yum

Savanna bites through my jacket and into my bicep. uhm-not so pleasant.

Townhouse- 2 Gigantic Tecates. lime tastes sour...

no sleep for the weary... must rise early and hung over to fetch the Badmama Wagon.

Moosetical beings & the mysterious double yolked egg

Day 2 - 10:30

Start your day off right with a bowl of Siggis' grapefruit yogurt, granola, sliced ripe banana, and top it off with some agave syrup.
The splendid rarity of yesterday's two yolk in one egg phenomenon have been replaced with concern of radioactive genetically enhanced "organic" New Zealand eggs from Frenz. Might I fall ill from farm fresh eggs? I cracked another one this afternoon and uhm... another freakish mutation stared back at me with its oggely cleavage eyes.



Futher investigation proved even more corncerning as the next egg was also a double.

Must.Learn.Truth.

Intraweb research has turned up this;

the average frequency of a double yolk huevo is about 1 in a 1000. That being said certain Hens have a propensity for laying double eggs, particularly young hens who have yet to develop a laying pattern.

this from the Hindu-India's National Newspaper

"Each egg yolk starts as a follicle cell in the hen's ovary. When a follicle is released from the ovary, it reaches the funnel-shaped infundibulum.

Here is where the rooster's sperm cells get collected and fertilization occurs. Then the yolk reaches the magnum where albumin layers (part of the egg white) are added. The next part of the oviduct is the isthmus where water and more albumin are added and the `egg' gets covered by two fibrous protein membranes.

The egg then reaches the `shell gland' where it gets the hard calcium shell. Finally, the egg is laid.

Young hens sometimes secrete two follicles in quick succession from the ovary. When both of them are together in the oviduct, they get `entrapped' in the same shell leading to a double-yolked egg.

Rarely, one of the follicles remains in the infundibulum too long to be joined by the next secreted follicle leading to double-yolked eggs.

Breakage of non-follicle tissue from the ovary is sometimes mistaken as a yolk and gets covered in the oviduct with albumin and shell. This leads to an egg with no yolk inside.

Double-yolked eggs do not hatch two chicks; usually both the chicks die. There is not enough space for two chicks in the eggshell and neither of the chicks can reach the air-cell (seen in between the two membranes at one end of the egg)."

and now ya know...but does this explain an entire 1/2 carton filled with these things. Does Frenz' Free Fange Eggs Co. recognize the "double layerz" at an early age and house them all together to boost moral? Why not sell and market the Double yolked Carton? "this chick wouldn't have lived anyway so eat it, Karma free" cage free, karma free.

James Beach 9:30- rotiserrie chicken with snap peas and house chop salad. A strange man sat near me at the bar, clearly looking for eye contact so he might begin a convo. Must.Avert.Eyes. I finished the meal hastily, but as I was gathering my things he remarked something about the chicken without provocation.

"must be a good Chicken" he states

"It'll do the job" I say without emotional connection.

"thought you was gonna eat the bones." he snays

I fain giggle.

"no some people do that. like the Japanese." this comes out of his mouth with great authority.

I give him my eyes for the first time. They are Japanese.

"ahghhh. just kidding." he states in an uncomfortable pose.

I am now putting my camera in its case. Failing valiantly at a quick exit.

"Don't see many people with camera cases anymore. they just shove it in where ever." yes he said that.

"well mine's to big to just shove where ever." yes I said that. It came out naturally..and I'm not sorry for it.

I woddled home as fast I could.

then two shots of fernet

then the Moosetical being told me he was town sooooo....four Imperial Beers at the Otherroom


crap....

Journey Journal

The plan is simple.

Shave Your Dome. Shave your Face.

Don't cut it, don't shave it until you've reached your goal.

Document all the food. take a self portrait everyday.






Day one is a Monday and I have begun with limp. This past Saturday I threw my back out playing soccer, so the exercise I was planning on jumping into to get this thing going will have to wait. I must concentrate on the diet with great vigilance if these first few weeks are to be a success. Today @1pm I consumed toasted pastrami Panini which was made in Sea Horse's new home grilling machine...a premium George Foreman if you will. I schmieeered the white roll with Olive tapenade and artichoke spread, casually tossed some well chosen meat slices around before covering the whole thing with shredded mozzarella and compressing the beast with faux grill marks. Sea Horse proclaimed every household could do with one of these. I am not one to argue.

@10:30pm I ate again. Sauteed some left over collards, fried up some rice.




Topped it with a fried egg twin. Two yolks in a single egg, some odd mutation. What would have happened had it hatched? Would there be 2 chicklettes or just 1 with two heads. The preciousness of it, the freakishness and the beautiful rareness it presented almost kept me from eating it. But then I put the salt and hot sauce on. It gone now...


Day one...not such a good start.