The OC Disorder

So the other day I was driving around my home town and all of a sudden it hit me…

I REALLY HATE A LOT ABOUT ORANGE COUNTY!!!

Don’t get me wrong. There is a lot of redeeming values to Orange County, which is probably why I haven’t abandoned ship quite yet, but as I was sitting at a four-way-stop and almost witnessed four different accidents because of rude or just plain dumb Orange County drivers I got mad. Real Mad. And I started thinking about of the things like dumb drivers that I hate.

Well I decided to start a sort of “series” where I rant about these things and I will try to remember and update you with the things that have caught my attention.

So without further delay here is the first of many THINGS I HATE ABOUT YOU (Orange County):

#1 Insane Soccer Moms:

Now maybe this is more of a problem out here where I live in Yorba Linda, but I’m pretty sure we’ve all had the pleasure of witnessing or coming across one of these lovely ladies menacing around in their mini vans, SUVs, or ridiculously lifted trucks wreaking havoc on and off the road just so that they can get little Jimmy and Suzie to soccer practice, tae kwon do, etc.

I’m sure these ladies have a pretty hard life trying to make their children happy, but I’d rather not be disrespected or almost killed on a daily basis by them. I’m also a fond believer of adults acting like adults in situations where there may be a conflict.

You might be reading this thinking “Sean… aren’t you being a little dramatic about these women?”

To which my answer would be…  No. You are stupid and I am of course far superior and right when it comes to this subject matter.

Don’t believe me that these women suck? Well how about these little gems I found:

Lady Calls 911 Over Wrong Burger King Order (Laguna Niguel)

Woman A can’t park her SUV and Woman B confronts her about it. (Google Building, Irvine)

It’s sad to think that these women are raising the future of the world, our country, and this county…

Looks like the Mayans were right… the world is going to end very very soon.

OC Weekly’s Gustavo Arrelano puts the smackdown on John Hughes, the owner of The Filling Station in Orange.  Hughes was upset at Arrelano for saying his restaurant is expensive in a published review.  Hughes then left a comment saying Arrelano is a horrible reviewer and accuses the OC Weekly of payola–giving favorable reviews to businesses that buy ads.  As a occasional letter writer, let me offer you a tip for complaining: don’t make shit up.

Gustavo smartly uses data and stats to prove Hughes is full of shit about the payola claim.  Way to fail your business.  Even if Hughes is right by arguing that his business model can’t afford cheaper prices, he should’ve just said that and not make unwarrented accusations.  The best way for businesses to counter negative reviews and criticism is to assess the problem and decide if change will effectively benefit the business.  Otherwise, keep your mouth shut because you don’t control the microphone.  The publisher/author/reviewer always has the last word.

OC Weekly blog: Do OC Weely Food Critics Practice Payola?

Fish skin is underrated.  It can be wonderfully delicious if you cook it to crisp.  The secret that I learned from Gordon Ramsay is to score the skin of the fillet (make thinly spaced cuts) and fry it skin-side down for most of the cooking time.  I didn’t exactly do Ramsay’s recipe with the potatoes.  Instead, I made a simple salad with balsamic vinaigrette.

Crispy Salmon on Simple Romaine Salad

• 1 fillet of salmon
• your favorite seafood seasoning, like Old Bay
• extra virgin olive oil
• 4-5 leaves of romaine lettuce
• balsamic vinegar
• real bacon bits
• croutons
• sea salt and pepper

Crispy Salmon

1. Heat a pan to medium-high, preferably a cast iron.
2. Score the skin of the salmon fillet with a very sharp knife.
3. Season liberally both sides of the fillet with Old Bay seasoning or simply salt and pepper.
4. Pour 2-3 tablespoons of oil onto the hot pan and carefully lay your fillet skin-side down onto the pan.
5. Let your fish cook until you see it cooked halfway (look at the side of the thick side of the fillet).
6. Once the fish is half cooked, carefully flip your fillet.  Let it cook for about 1 minute.
7. Tip the pan so the thick side of the fillet is being cooked in most of the oil.  Do this for about 15 seconds.
8. Serve on the salad with a nice glass of white wine.

Simple Salad

1. Wash and dry 4-5 leaves of romaine lettuce.  Plate them on your dish.
2. Drizzle extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar onto the leaves.
3. Sprinkle a dash of sea salt, freshly cracked pepper, and real bacon bits.
4. Drop a few croutons around the salad.
5. Serve the salmon on top of the salad.  Drizzle more extra virgin olive oil to taste.

Despite the atrocious website design, it’s weak overall reporting, and bleak financial outlook, the OC Register actually has a pretty good “fast food” blog.  Keep up-to-date with the latest news on price specials, new menu items, and new eateries in the county.

Best news lately?…More Sonic restaurants are coming to OC.  Having been to Sonic (no “s” at the end!) in Anaheim and more around the country (nearly every town on the East Coast has one), Sonic is delicious.  Good burgers and sandwiches all around, especially their sandwiches made with Texas toast.  My favorite is getting some chili cheese tots and a cherry limeade.

Sad news? No more Mother’s Circus Cookies!

Don’t you just love the feeling of squeezing out soybeans?

So Abel invited a bunch of us to downtown Fullerton on Saturday.  Chris Kawagiwa went to the bar to buy Abel, I, and himself a round of drinks.  I was called up to the bar and what I saw was three flaming shots alongside three pints of beer.  WTF?  In a fast blur, everyone was yelling to drop the shot and drink.  Before I could realize what was in front of me, I dropped the shot, burned by thumb, made a mess on the bar, and chugged.  It turned out to be the infamous Flaming Dr. Pepper–always talked about, but never done.  Not too bad.  Some people at the bar were impressed and/or stupified by our shots.  Two bro’s came up and asked me in bewilderment, “Hey, what was that?”  Next drink: A Flaming Homer (or Moe).

When I used to work for Greenpeace, someone told us all about freerice.com. It’s a fun vocabulary game that allows you to donate rice to hungry people. Each correct word is worth 20 grains of rice! So start playing and feed some people!