Naomi: Cooking for one and for friends



For years now, even before I wrote the recipes in what I think of as my "static blog," Fiftytworecipesfrommymother, at the request of my children, Sarah and Sam, Sarah had been urging me to keep a daily (more or less) record of my cookings--the meals I make for myself in my (surprisingly) solitary life as well as those I make for friends. For whatever reasons, I've never done it.


But, after months of wandering, I've finally begun. As I haven't quite mastered the art of cooking for one, and love throwing together grand meals at the last minute, I have been encouraging friends to call to check on what I might have on hand any evening for a quick meal. Instructions can be found in my entry for March 20th--What's in Naomi's Refrigerator.

This is primarily a record of the meals I prepare for myself and others, accompanied by "mug shots" of the food (when I remember to photograph before eating). Shot by my phone, with no styling, they may not capture their subjects at their best, but so be it.



Friday, August 17, 2012

August 17th. Frittata. Three-Colored Metro Ride. Atheneum Picnic Buffet


Today shared yesterday's uneaten zucchini and onion frittata with Amanda.


Although it was over 100 in South Pasadena, I was not giving up on my plans to meet Suzanne and Peter at their local Metro Gold line station.
Suzanne had suggested we have dinner at Cal Tech's Athenaeum, at the warm weather outdoor buffet.   After my  forays on the Culver City Expo line, I was ready to continue my Metro explorations--driving to Pasadena late Friday afternoon or evening would take hours--this seemed the perfect opportunity to ride three Metro Lines--Expo, Red and Gold.
I've finally learned how to buy tickets from the silent machines on ground level, and since I now know that each line of a different color requires a separate fare, I bought a one-day pass--which for $1.80 (we're talking senior rates here) would let me ride from Culver City to South Pasadena and back.  In addition to the financial savings, possession of the pass means I didn't have to buy a new ticket each time I changed trains (maybe we're all meant to buy passes all the time--it is certainly onerous to have to buy numerous tickets for each trip).
looking East from Window of Expo Train
Looking up, same window

The train leaving Culver City at around 4:40 was almost empty, but it began filling as we headed east and  once we arrived at the 7th Street Metro Station we were in full Rush Hour mode.  Crowded but not jam-packed, and compared to New York subways, breezy, new and clean.  Rode the Red Line underground to its terminus at Union Station and then walked through that old grand station (though not through its most splendid entry hall) to catch the Gold Line on an outside platform for the final stage of my journey.
Looking towards Main Entrance (I think) while hurrying to Gold Line
Suzanne and Peter picked me up (how precise we can be thanks to these phones we once mocked--I called from Union Station and they pulled up just as I was descending the stairs in South Pasadena).

Dinner was quite jolly--a bar-b-que buffet--tri-tip, chicken and salmon with many sides and hot fudge sundaes for dessert.  The heat had abated, so it was quite pleasant sitting on the Athanaeum lawns surrounded by many happy eaters.  After dinner, we picked up the three dogs and took them for an outing on dark and beautiful tree-lined Pasadena streets.

It was after nine when they brought me to the South Pasadena station.  We must have just missed a train, because we waited for close to 20 minutes.  That first train was fairly empty, but the Red Line which I boarded at Union Station was well-populated and there was a good crowd waiting on the platform for the Expo Line at 7th Avenue.
The trip was remarkably easy.  The signage wasn't always perfect, but I'd figured out my way around, and on this my third Metro outing from Culver City, I was beginning to feel like I could become a regular.  I did have a moment of anxiety as I settled into my seat on the train clearly marked Culver City and heard an announcement that the last stop was Jefferson/La Cienega.  How could that be--that was the stop before Culver where I'd left my car.  Was this a glitch in the system I hadn't prepared for?  The young man sitting next to me was no help.  He hadn't noted that the train now went to Culver City, so thought the announcement was correct.  "That's as far as the train goes," he said, of the La Cienega stop.  Having boarded in Culver City, I knew this was not the case.  I then peered out onto the platform.  Many people had not boarded, but I assumed they were waiting for the Long Beach Line which shares these rails.  One young man walked over to help, but he spoke only German and had no idea what I was talking about.  Deciding to take my chances, I returned to my seat.  A young Latino man then turned to me.  "Don't worry," he said, "that announcement was just a machine.  "This train does go to Culver City.  I've been taking it for weeks."  Indeed, although the new station had been open for some time, they hadn't yet updated that initial recording.  My doubts assuaged, I enjoyed the half hour ride through the Los Angeles night before returning to my car that I'd left hours before in the ample Culver City lot and was home, if not in record breaking time, early enough.  On my return, I did a little research and discovered all kinds of warnings about the dangers of traveling on these many lines.  What can I say?  In my oblivious way, I found it completely pleasant and will certainly do it again.




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