Tag Archives: Los Angeles

Downtown LA’s Grand Central Market

20 Sep

I have been wanting to go to DTLA’s Grand Central Market for a while. So last week, when I had a meeting in downtown I decided to finally walk around the Market.

Growing up in Brazil, I would love to go with my grandma to the Municipal Market (this is how we call them) and explore the fruits and vegetables that you would not be able to find anywhere else. So I was very excited to see the Los Angeles’ version of it.

The Market has a Public Parking Lot and it offers Free Parking for an hour with a $10 minimum purchase.The parking ticket needs to be validated, then stamped at the Information’s Desk right before you exit the market.

grandcentralmarket1

Once I was there, I realized I picked the wrong day for my food explorations. It was scorching hot, with temperatures in the high 90’s and it felt like a sauna in there. Alright, gotta move fast!

I walked around trying to choose a place to eat, but there were so many options! Pupusas, Tacos, Seafood, Middle Eastern, Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Bagels,Pizza… all freshly prepared there.

So my first and favorite stop was at DTLA, an amazing Cheese Shop stocked with cold cuts and cheese from all over the world. They also sell jams, condiments, and a surprisingly delicious cucumber soda. I ordered a sandwich of Pork Loin, arugula, grated Grana Padano, mushrooms and house made cucumber pickles =Spectacular!

I also bought yummy California’s Toma Cheese,and drums please – Bread Cheese!!

BreadcheeseCarrValleyBreadCheese

 Bread Cheese is also known as Leipäjuusto, a Finnish cheese, and as my beloved Brazilian Queijo Coalho (which means Curd Cheese in Portuguese). Queijo Coalho is a little bit firmer, and does not melt inside, but its elastic texture and taste is very similar to Bread Cheese. People sometimes compare Bread Cheese to Halloumi, and while I adore Halloumi, you cannot compare apples to oranges. I am so indescribably happy I found one of my favorite ingredients in Brazilian Cuisine! There is an infinity of recipes you can make using it.Here, I quickly warmed it in a skillet(microwave for 30 sec works too), and ate with organic blueberries and Raw Honey.

The Market also has a Seafood Shop, a meat shop, and fruits and vegetables stands. The produce is extremely cheap but it does not look super fresh. I am guessing they can afford to sell it this cheap because the produce is on the verge of going bad. For example, a pint of blueberries was $1. If I were to buy it at the store or Farmer’s Market it would cost anywhere from $3,99 to $5. But when I inspected the bottom of the container I noticed many were squished and moldy. No organic produce was available. I bought a bag of limes, a bag of corn, and a bag of bananas for $ 1 each.

By then I was melting, it was terribly hot in there. So I made my last stop at the Dried Chiles stand, and bought a generous amount of Oaxacan Mole. It keeps in the fridge for a year, and you just have to add some chicken or vegetable’s stock, and heat it in a pan sauce. Serve it with seasoned Chicken breast, Mole Sauce and Sesame Seeds on top.

Mole

The Market was great and I am definitely coming back. I was a little bit disappointed at their fresh produce availability and selection though. But on the other hand,it was great to see that in a world where carrots are more expensive than a sandwich, people can still buy fresh and affordable fruits and vegetables and have the option of eating healthy.

GRAND CENTRAL MARKET
317 S. Broadway
Los Angeles, CA 90013

Open Seven Days a Week,
Monday – Sunday 9:00 A.M. to 6:00 P.M.
Telephone: (213) 624-2378
Fax: (213) 624-9496

 

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Frida Kahlo: Her Photos

4 Jun

When Frida died, her husband Diego Rivera kept her personal belongings locked in trunks and secret. He had ordered them to stay locked for 15 years. Diego passed away four years later, and at his request,the trunks were kept locked by their friend and manager of their houses (turned into Museums) Dolores Olmedo. When Dolores passed in 2004, Frida’s trunks were unlocked. Among dresses, skirts, corsets, shoes, and artwork, there were photographs never seen before.

FridaMolaa

Now the public can see photos that belonged to Frida’s personal archives. There are over 200 photos of her family, friends, lovers, pets,travels, and hard times painting in her bed and at the hospital.Photos taken for her, of her, and by her. The exhibition Frida Kahlo, Her Photos is at the MOLAA (Museum of Latin American Art), in Long Beach , California until June 8th.

Molaahours

The exhibition was divided into six different sections:

  • Photos of Frida’s parents, many taken by her father xxx who was an historic photographer; and Frida with friends, pets, and specially her monkey Fulang Chang.
  • La Casa Azul (The Blue House): Photos taken at La Casa Azul, in Coyoacan, Mexico. This is where she was born, spent her childhood,her final years and passed away. Now the Casa Azul is a Museum dedicated to Frida, her art and life.
  • Amores (Her loves): Numerous photos of Frida’s friends and lovers. It is no secret that she had many lovers, men and women. In this section there are also photos of her travels to different countries. There are a few photos of indigenous people. I specially liked one from an anonymous author, called Indigenas Enumerados (Numbered Indigenous People).
  • The Broken Body: This part of the exhibition shows photos of Frida taken by her lover Nicholas Murray. Frida is painting in her bed with a traction device attached to the bed and pulling her chin to straighten her spine. There are also photos of her in the hospital in NY. There are several mutilated pictures, where she cut herself and others from it, making noticeable not who was in the picture, but who is absent.
  • Diego’s Gaze: Photos showing Diego’s view of the world. His relationship with politics can be seen in photos of the dictator Porfirio Dias,the Revolutionary Movement and Diego and Trotsky in Berlin. Technology intrigued him, and it was present in his life as shown in the photos of Diego’s trip to the Ford plant in Detroit. There is also a photo of Diego’s eye captured by Frida.
  • Photography: This last section gathers photos from Frida’s personal collection that where purchased or given to her as gifts by friends and famous photographers, such as Tina Modotti and Edward Weston. Some of these pictures influenced her work, like Martin Muncaksis’ black cat.

At the end of the exhibition there is an exploring station on a computer where the visitor can see Frida’s art work in a slide show. There are also two interactive stations where the visitor can either paint Frida’s cast, or write her a Get Well Soon card and hang them on the wall for visitor to see.

If you are in Los Angeles make sure you stop by the MOLAA, the exhibition is only available until June 8th.

 

 

FridaDiego

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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