It was a strange transition, moving from Deli-and-Dog City to the Health Food Capital of the U.S.  I’m pretty sure there are plenty of weird foods anywhere you go (fried snack cakes, anybody?), but I think L.A. takes the prize for the highest concentration of them.

Let’s take wheatgrass, for example.  It is EXACTLY what it sounds like: the grass of wheat.  From what I’ve read, wheatgrass contains good-for-you stuff like vitamins, minerals and amino acids, and it’s really caught on as a health thing; out here, lots of people squeeze it and put it into drinks like juices or shakes, and some folks grow it themselves.  I’m not quite that ambitious, but I like to think I’m open to trying new things.  Let’s just say it tastes like somewhere in the neighborhood of where chalk meets… well, GRASS.  Yuck.

If there’s a lesson here, I guess it’s just to take small steps into a new experience.  I’m proud of myself for taking a step into the health-focused L.A. food culture, but I think the next thing I try will be something a little less outlandish… like sushi or blowfish.  As for wheatgrass?  Hey, I can say I tried it, and be perfectly satisfied that my grass of choice is in the outfield at the ball park.

See more of Joe’s L.A. Adventures at www.torrestories.com