I was looking at the Sunday magazines the other day. Probably Sunday. And I’m always drawn to images of food. And the photos all look fab, but then you read the recipes and I can’t help thinking that there is a fundamental issue with the whole genre. That there are only so many foods and once you’ve mixed them all up in every possible permutation and combination, then you can only re-invent the wheel. Ya got meat, ya got fish, ya got vegitibals, innit. Then ya got chilli powder, curry powder, za’atar and coriander. Ok, you can add pomegranate or tahini or even dandelions, but a roast chicken is a roast chicken, whatever.

And that got me to thinking about a simpler time and place for food. Some of the places I frequented on my great world tour of Los Angeles in 1982. And when I say ‘simpler’ I generally mean light on the za’atar (wasn’t invented until 2007, even though its actually mentioned in the bible, Exodus, ch 14, v.19: ‘Moses cooks up a storm’) and high on the… calories and speed. I mean places which are open 24 hours a day, specifically to cater to the massive California market of partying drunks and stoners. Generally places you wouldn’t necessarily term ‘restaurants’. More ‘caravans’ or ‘stalls’.

Tommy’s Burgers were legendary. I’m guessing, and hoping really, that in the intervening 40 years they’ve survived and still thrive. Because they were fantastic. There was one branch ‘downtown’, which, back then, was a fairly ‘no-go’ area at night due to gangs and guns. But for a fabulous burger, there is no danger or peril too great for this heroic foody. So as the bullets whistle by your head you could zone out into the awesome sandwich and hope you were still alive to finish your coke. Which, in terms of probability, had a greater chance of killing you. Tommy’s also had a branch ‘in the Valley’, which was safer, but 20 minutes away from anywhere.

White Castles are New York’s ultimate street food. Tiny burgers. Single, double or triple, and so small (40 years ago a ‘slider’ was an out of control car) that you ordered, like, 3, or 7. Or 12 if you were really hungry. Or really stoned. The US soldiers in Afghanistan had White Castles flown over for their requested Christmas dinner. A caravan in the middle of Long Island but international in fame.

Best of all was ‘Oki-dog’ in West Hollywood. They only sold… Oki-dogs. Which was a great big tortilla upon which they laid 2 hot dog sausages, covered them with cheese and pastrami, then added a shovel full of chilli beef, just in case the rest wasn’t enough. Then it was wrapped in such a way that the first bite was sufficient to have half the rest of the contents on your lap. Brilliant. They don’t make food like that any more. Not since the word ‘obesity’ became a watch-word and Americans, as in so many other walks (or ‘waddles’) of life, led the way.

I just checked and in fact all three of these businesses are still there and (hopefully) thriving.

Next week’s food item will feature vegetables. Possibly salad. Bit’a fruit maybe. Or at least mention them.

Happy eating

A xxxx