Two beef taquitos and a handful of chips submerged in a scoop of bacon guacamole and a layer of lettuce and pico de gallo. And, for maximum eat-on-the-go efficiency, it is prepared IN A WAFFLE CONE.
Gelato meets taco.
Only in Austin.
Archive for the ‘eating’ Category
The gelataco
Monday, March 15th, 2010Planting the seeds
Saturday, March 6th, 2010
For a new project we’re launching at GOOD, Casey, Beth and I got to visit an amazing school garden with the LAUSD’s green policy director Mud Baron (at right). Yes, that’s his real name. Theresa Dahl, in white, is a mom and garden goddess at Carthay Center Elementary, and gave us a tour of the garden that was a sea of asphalt only a few years ago.
With the help of volunteers, the school built several raised beds where just about everything you can imagine is growing. Compost was donated from local supermarkets. We had some awesome spicy mustard greens that tasted like wasabi.
The students learn to grow plants from seed, transplanting the seedlings into bigger and bigger containers until they’re ready for the ground.
This is part of a papaya grove where all the trees were grown from a single papaya that got tossed into a compost heap.
Here are some peach blossoms in the fruit orchard, where a retired maintenance worker takes care of the trees, making sure they’re appropriately pruned.
Theresa said the students were outside learning about life cycle when a mouse ran out of the compost heap and started nibbling on a strawberry, only to have a hawk swoop out from the sky and pluck the mouse from the garden. You can’t teach that in the classroom, folks!
I’ll write more soon about what we’re planning over at GOOD, but until then, I’ll leave you with some good advice from one of the students.
Taco town
Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010
For the fifth(!) year in a row, I’ll be headed down to Austin for the SXSW Interactive Festival, where, for a few warm, sunny Texas days, I talk tech and eat only tacos. Since I have to make a detour to cold, wintry Chicago to see my dear friend Heather (and my dear friends at Coudal) I won’t be getting there until Sunday afternoon, so that means I have to pack twice as much tech-talking (and twice as many tacos) into a short amount of time.
But! I will be doing one panel, kind of a special one. On Monday, March 15 at 11am, I’ll be moderating a roundtable with Valerie Casey, founder of the Designers Accord, with whom I write Designers Accord case studies over at Fast Company; and Casey Caplowe, creative director at GOOD, with whom I created the GOOD Design program. This talk is part of Studio SX’s programming, which we were told is more like a fun, Charlie Rose-style talk show (and it will be filmed!). So please come by and see two of my favorite people if you’re at SXSW. Afterwards, maybe some tacos?
To get you in the mood, you can read some of last year’s coverage and browse some of the years before that. See you in Austin!
Update: By the way, the amazing J.D. Nasaw, who coordinated our Studio SX program, also runs the incredible blog Citizen Taco, which includes—yes!—a SXSW taco guide! Now that’s some delicious synergy.
Party arty
Thursday, February 18th, 2010
Hung with an ethereal swirl of fine mist, Madrid was absolutely breathtaking last night.
This is Le Instituto Cervantes where the show Invisible City features L.A. artists exploring mythologies of Los Angeles. Daniel Joseph Martinez’s words are draped between the pillars.
At the gilt-y Palace Hotel, me and Wendy Yao (of the delightful store Ooga Booga) show off our martinis in glassware circa 1986.
It’s rather disturbing to come across these legs all over the place, their stiletto heels draped in a white blanket like a dismembered supermodel.
But disturbing in the most delicious way.
Later we asked a taxi driver to take us to a bar where all the art people go called Cock. He took us here. And also, to a place named CATS.
Finally we made it to Cock, where it was so crowded the bartenders refused to make mixed drinks. Also photography was strictly not allowed, but I snuck this one of the lovely Linlee Allen.
It just wouldn’t be Madrid without stumbling into a piano bar at 3am and singing a few tunes like “New York, New York” and “I Can’t Help Falling In Love With You.” The best part about singing in a foreign country: If you mess up the words a little, no one will ever know.
Many, many more Madrid photos, over here…
Rain, Spain, and anything but plain
Wednesday, February 17th, 2010
I’m in Spain. It’s raining. No, no one’s said that joke yet. You’re the first one. Really.
I’m here for a bunch of really cool exhibitions and installations surrounding Madrid’s annual contemporary art fair, ARCO. It’s the first time the Spanish show has chosen to highlight a group of foreign artists from a particular city (instead of a country). And guess what city they chose?
Last night I went to a party at the Reina Sofia (yes, I know, rain is the theme) contemporary art museum and it was so full of LA art people it was like Saturday night in Culver City.
The party was in this massive Jean Nouvel-designed annex that looked like it was painted with metallic car paint.
In fact, being inside there gave the very distinct feeling that you were locked inside the trunk of a ‘86 Chevy Malibu.
The food at the party was crazy. I did a few lines of jamon.
But my absolute favorite Spanish food is pan con tomate, a very simple and delicious dish made with toasted bread and tomatoes.
We also got to see the Thomas Schütte show, which opens tomorrow. Check out these melons! And seedless, even.
More Madrid photos, right this way…
