I was super excited to meet with Mark M and Alice Shin of LA’s Kogi BBQ and here’s the latest Twirlit video where we got to hang out with the team behind the latest Los Angeles food sensation.
Check it out:

Free Artisana Nut Butter Giveaway on Twirlit.com!  Kelly from Every Gym’s Nightmare and our resident Fitness blogger is heading up this giveaway which features..organic nut butters that are all the rage on food blogs these days.   Great source of healthy fats..and um, they taste good. (much more important)

2 Grand Prize Winners will receive 1 large jar of each of their all natural nut butters, including:

Cacao Bliss
Coconut Butter
Walnut Butter
Pecan Butter
Almond Butter
Cashew Butter
Macadamia Nut Butter
Tahini Sauce
Coconut Oil

3 Runners Up will receive the same products but in sample sizes:

HERE’S HOW TO ENTER!

First of all, I have MAD RESPECT for food bloggers and am a bit intrigued by them. Even when I was living in NYC, one of my favorite Sunday activities was reading the Food section of the New York Times with a soy latte in one hand, as I chilled in Union Square Park. OMG, I’m tearing up just thinking about it.

But seriously, they are very passionate about food in the way that I am about writing or music or making comedy shorts… its as if they speak another language and are quite angry if you aren’t a foodie like them. I could never be a part of their world thought I’d love to be a fly on the wall in their conversations.

We actually also went to a bakery in K-town that had Pot Bingsu, which is a Korean Red Bean Dessert over Ice and Fruit. This is quite the popular Korean dessert and I remember very distinctly when my Mom and I shared a Pot Bingsu when we were in Korea together. We were in the Kang-nam district of Seoul, which is like Soho in NYC, and we were at this WAY OVERPRICED cafe, but it was absolutely fab. I was only 17 at the time but I remember it being one of the coolest moments I ever had with my Mom.

Here’s their pretty cake display. So delicious looking.

And the Pot Bing Su.. I had a few bites and it was cold and creamy. Nothing compares to what I had in Seoul though…

And I saw this trailer for “Julie and Julia,” with Meryl Streep and Amy Adams…and FELL IN LOVE!! I love movies like this especially when they’re about people in NYC. Its about finding out your voice…via cooking.
Check it out! I cannot wait to see this..it makes me want to open a cookbook. Well, not really, but possibly.

I try to spend Saturdays NOT in front of my computer because…

1) My booty needs a break. It’s like, “Excuse me, Kat, but can you NOT sit on me all day. Instead why don’t you just go walk somewhere that’s not a treadmill.” Point taken, booty.
2) I live in freaking Los Angeles where the weather is ridiculously gorgeous and most days I’m inside working so I don’t take advantage of it. Need to start!
3) I try to do things that are different whether its going to an art show (and not understanding the paintings…no offense, but I pretend I do) , going to a comedy show, or checking out a new movie. Okay, that still involves me sitting on my booty, but at least I’m not typing.

Anyway, this Saturday, I hung out with my new friend Alice of Kogi BBQ who is also a writer and has a passion for writing about food. Seriously, we were hanging out and it made me want to learn to cook or something because I couldn’t add to the conversation. Usually, I try to stay far away from the kitchen because cooking annoys me, but I’m going to be making more of an effort. I think.

We went to the K-town street fair right on Olympic/Normandie

And there were these ADORABLE LITTLE KIDS onstage doing a rendition of BOA’s “Eat You Up.” OMG this kid in the middle was hilarious and they were so into it. CUTE!

And finally got to try KOGI BBQ. Mucho deliciouso!!! Seriously.

And also tried this corn situation which is roasted with Mexican hot chili pepper flakes. Very good. I couldn’t finish it b/c it was ginormous but it was yummy

And check out these chickens roasting over a spitfire… didn’t have any, but if I were a vegetarian, I’d be calling PETA.

All in all, it was a fun Saturday afternoon hanging with some new friends and seeing parts of LA that I don’t get to see too often. LA is definitely a city where you have to make an effort to meet new people or try new things because you’re always in your car.

I’m going to make more of an effort to do so!!!

So… I had a bit of time today to walk around Koreatown, Los Angeles which is a huge area and hosts the largest population of Koreans outside of Korea. As someone who was born and raised in the U.S.A., it was interesting when I first moved to L.A., and saw how all encompassing Koreatown is.

And today, I decided to take a walk and just take random pictures, so here goes…
Here’s a video I shot previously of me following my Dad as we went grocery shopping at a Korean supermarket here in LA.

Korean Food Shopping with My Dad from girlatastartup on Vimeo.
The story is that when you’re Asian-American, you usually go to two supermarkets.
1) The Ralphs/Trader Joes/Food Emporium- All the American food, cereals, protein bars, etc.
2) The Other Supermarket- The Ethnic supermarket that has all the odd veggies and foods that are difficult to explain to your friends. It’s always interesting to see a non-ethnic person in this Supermarket because they’re probably not used to being the minority. LOL.

I needed to pick up some food for my Dad, but thought I’d take pictures of some of the best Korean snacks as well. These are Shrimp-flavored crackers. Sounds gross but SOOO good!
One time I brought these to elementary school and all the kids were grossed out, but I kept eating them. haha..

And this is a Korean pastry made from sticky rice. I don’t eat it often, but usually for special occasions or holidays. It’s called dduk and it can be addictive so I have to stay away from it. (It sounds weird but it’s basically like mochi)

And this is Nori seaweed which I think is a beauty secret that us Asian gals have. Seaweed is incredibly nutritious and has tons of health benefits including strengthening your hair. I love the stuff and eat it daily.

And Tofu Shirataki!!! This stuff is amazing and though it’s not exactly the best substitute for pasta, it does the trick. Plus it’s low in calories and carbs..ya know, I DO live in LA. Also, a fave of mine. At Asian supermarkets, its also cheaper and who doesn’t like that these days?

And Peppero…this stuff is just pure junk food. Like thin breadsticks with chocolate. So bad for you, but really good!

And here’s how obsessed us Asian gals are with our skincare. Well, I don’t mean to generalize but I know many Asian ladies who walk around with umbrellas to protect their skin from the sun. I used to get in trouble for tanning during my high school years, and now I find that I try to use sunblock as often as possible. If you ever see me on the street with an umbrella on a sunny day, can you please just yell at me so I can come to my senses? Thanks.

And I was feeling extra healthy today and got this Aloe Vera juice which has loads of health benefits and tasted odd, but I swallowed it down as I’m trying to cut back on the caffeine.

Also, one last thing…if you ever go into an Asian supermarket, you’ll probably see lots of fish staring up at you. Don’t be frightened. I’ve been scared of them my whole life and will probably continue to be until I’m rocking my Senior citizen status. Just be prepared.

This is among the top 5 randomest posts I’ve written, but hope you enjoyed it. I plan to do more of these type of blog posts, and hopefully take more pics/videos of places that are cool, interesting and of course RANDOM.

Uh…random. Yes, I was getting coffee earlier today and found these exciting little items.
7UP flavored pound cake and Bimbo brand bread. RANDOM.