saturday night i met bekah at vas before picking up dinner supplies. first place up was kittycorner from vas: supermercado de los cuatros caminos. the goal there was marinara sauce. i wouldn't buy much perishable stuff from them, but it's a good place for cheap staples. a jar of di nicola tomato basil was $2.03. like many of the brands stocked around here it's extra sweet; i like it that way.

next we crossed the street to california produce. there, we picked up some white button mushrooms for the sauce (though we also ate them with dijon). the avocados were good so i snagged one, and some chips: el rancheros. the mushrooms, chips and avocado came to $5.17. later, while waiting for the onions to saute, i made some salsa guacamole that got devoured.

our last stop before dinner was panadaria la central. in accordance with the pasta we selected a long loaf of bread, and some pastries for dessert. we paid the $1.77 in change and gave the rest of our coins to the guy who opens the door outside. i don't gratuitously, or even usually, give people money but this guy never asks, just opens the door for everyone and tells them all to have a good night. he's very nice about it.

after we got the bread we were ready to eat. i sauteed onions (white and red) and some garlic in my wok, added sauce and mushrooms to the mix, letting it bubble for a while. d0h! forgot to buy fresh basil, oh well. one more poke of motivation to start an herb garden. point is, i've been using my wok a lot lately; made egg scramble with it this morning, and gyoza with glass noodles tonight.

several hours after we'd finished dinner it was time for the last stop of the evening. we took a walk up the block to los artista to get mixers (pete's and the store three doors down were closed). i spent five bucks on a couple of two liters (lime jarritos and lemonade) and a bag of ice. on the walk back it occurred to me that every place from which i bought food and drink that day was on california, a very short walk away.