A fan of all things deep fried and sweet, I just had a churro experience this past weekend that tops even my Spanish churro and chocolate experience in Barcelona. After watching multiple episodes of Anthony Bourdain’s ‘No Reservations’ and Andrew Zimmern’s ‘Bizarre Foods’ on the Travel Network, I’ve been reminded that some of the most tasty, soulful, and inexpensive food can be found on the street. So on Saturday night, I dashed out to the heart of Koreatown on 8th and Irolo where a handful of taco trucks and food vendors hawking everything from homemade tamales, beef rib tacos, and hot dogs abound, to satiate my craving. And there, I saw a man selling his churros at his humble cart. Five for one dollar, the churros were a bit thicker than your average, skinny, soulless pre-fab churro usually seen at amusement parks and county fairgrounds. These were substantial churros. A crunchy, deep fried shell encasing a delicate, spongy center that teased the palate with a faint egg custard-like aroma, these churros reminded me of the best French-style crullers I ever had. 24 hours later, I went back to get my churro fix but saw no sign of the truck. Perhaps next time…
I have a friend staying in Japan on a Fulbright Scholarship. I’ll call him “Bill”. He loves it there to the point where he says he doesn’t want to come back. He commented however, that if there is one thing about the culture that really bugs him, it’s that the Japanese don’t know how to say “no”.
