Surfing often brings you in contact with interesting and colorful people. This past Sunday, for example, waves were pretty small and mellow, so it was a great day for me to paddle out. I thought I was doing pretty good, even though it was really crowded, which is never too much fun, and which I often find distracting, if not dangerous. Nearby was a real old-school surfer. How could I tell this? Well, for one, he was on a battered, and well-used old long-board. Also he wore just shorts, no rash guard or wetsuit or anything like that -- probably not even sun screen. He was maybe late-50's…possibly older, although quite frankly he had the body of a twenty year old, which is what surfing a lot will do for you. Between waves, he'd kick back and relax on his board like he was sitting on a beach chair. I saw him take off on a couple of waves, and I was just amazed. This was one of those people who make it all look completely effortless. Anyway, just after I went after one wave and failed he asked if he might make a couple of suggestions. I was cool with that, but the first thing he told me is something I already know -- I still have a tendency to pop up before I've completely caught the wave. What happens then is I get to my feet, but then basically stop and fall off as the wave passes. So he said, "one more paddle, man, and you'd have it." I thanked him, of course, but it was a little later that he had some even more colorful words, ones that also rang true while also being pretty funny. Now first I have to explain: I have tendency to take my time between waves. There's a couple of reasons. One is I think for a person like me, still battling some silly phobias, the adrenalin pumps -- so I get tired and think I need to rest, even though I'm not sure that's really true. Another reason is I'm super picky about selecting waves. It has to look just right for me to go after it -- not too big, not to small, not too steep, etc! This means I spend a lot of time watching waves. This dude totally called me on it, though. He said something close to this: "surfing is like when you were in high school with girls. You can go after one girl, yeah, but it's better to go after ten or fifteen or more because you learn something from each one, and you can figure out what works!" Then he added this: "or guys. Whatever you were into." His point, though, was a valid one. You have to go after as many waves as you can in order to learn, so next time I promised myself I'd do just that.
This session made me hungry for some old school eats, like a good old diner or coffee shop breakfast, which made me think of The Pantry downtown. Open pretty much 24/7 since 1924, the Pantry, now owned by former Mayor Richard Riordan, is like stepping into a time warp, or an LA Noir movie from the 1940's. There's a colorful cast of characters scattered throughout, and forget about modern day amenities like credit or debit cards or, God forbid, Apple Pay! The Pantry only accepts cash and you pay at a cashier's booth that hasn't been updated probably since the place opened. But this is all what's so great and endearing about The Pantry, its steadfast refusal to change. Also fun is watching the guys behind the counter making the food. They are total pros who make juggling about twelve orders at once look like a piece of cake. Usually you can count on a line out the door of patrons waiting for old-style eats like steaks and chops, but many go to the Pantry for the generous breakfasts, especially for the pancakes. I opted for what you see here:
Yep, eggs over-easy, with crisp bacon, sourdough toast, and hash browns which are so, so good, perfectly crisp on the outside, but tender when you dig down beneath the crust. This place totally hits the spot when you're in the mood for a classic diner breakfast.
So the next time you find looking for some old school eats, hit up the Pantry. And, hey, you might even get lucky and spot one of these like I did outside the place.
Definitely helps make you think you've stepped into another era (by the way there's a lot across the street -- The Pantry validates so you get parking for two and a half bucks).
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