Do I Love OC? (RESTO 13)
It’s Complicated
Hi Friends,
Happy end of Q1! I am so glad that means virtually nothing to me; not much changes in my latte-pouring, town-frolicking side of the world. What it does mean, though, is that I’ve officially retired bulky outerwear until October; I’d rather be delusional and happy than bundled up and a gloomy gloop.
This week has been, frankly, extremely mentally tough. Last month I received an amazing scholarship offer for a local school, which is my best offer so far. This month was filled with a lot of rejections, and I got the email notif that I’m waitlisted at my top choice school earlier tonight. As much as I’m excited for the possibility of graduating law school with no loans and minimal depletion of my savings account, I’m also super disheartened by losing an ideal opportunity to move back out into a different city before (hopefully) setting my roots down here in OC in my 30s.
It’s really not the worst thing ever, and I am aware of my extreme privilege as an OC native. The biggest challenge will be continuing to live with my loving yet slightly overbearing parents in my mid to late twenties, followed by the fact that OC is a little sleepy. Otherwise, I’ve been blessed with the kindest, funnest friends and an amazing community that I know will be such a treat to keep growing within these coming years.
I guess all of this anxiety over staying here has forced me to reckon with this question: What do I actually love about OC? Here’s the shortlist I’ve come up with, largely culinarily-leaning.
1. Cafe Culture
I’m not just saying this because I work at a cool coffee shop: OC genuinely has a remarkably high concentration of good cafes serving tasty coffee, matcha, and vibes. I’d love to consolidate a list of my favourite spots in town once I’ve checked out a few more, but I have a few on rotation that I will always recommend.
2. The Diverse Food Scene
While I often bash OC for lacking quality fine dining establishments, this area makes up for that fact in its ethnic enclaves and subsequent culinary offerings. I love having access to great Mexican, Persian, Vietnamese, Korean, Japanese, and Chinese cuisine in town, as well as other drivable options (Cambodian in Long Beach, finer dining in LA, you get the gist).
3. The capacity for change and development
I’ve seen Orange County go from Red to Blue when we elected Katie Porter to the House. I’ve seen palates develop as Korean and Vietnamese cuisine has become part of the mainstream. Despite my beach town still being a Republican hub, I see pockets of liberal joy and the capacity for my generation to continue to push sociopolitical boundaries through my friends and community. There’s a LOT of work to be done, but there is something very exciting about living in an area that is constantly developing and changing.
I overall love where OC is at now; there’s a great deal of gentrification, an eerie presence of conservative evangelical Christian right-winged Trump-supporting empathy lacking church and social networks, and the cost of housing is actually ridiculous, but there is also a sort of preservation and continuation of cultural diversity and community that gives me hope as OC continues to become a hotspot. Yes this is definitely tied to my second point, but I’m more so talking about how OC has become a hub in and of itself, separate from being a suburban bubble between LA and SD.
I honestly do not have it in me to keep writing tonight (sorry, cool girls can be sad too), so I’m going to leave you with these thoughts and return to these points with some specific sips and digs soon.
Onto this week’s RESTO….
Reading/Watching: Opus
I took myself on an impromptu solo movie date to watch Opus, which was better than expected but still mid at best. Young Mazino was the highlight of the film for me - what a beautiful man - but his cameo was short and left me hanging. I think Ayo Edebiri had an amazing performance, but there wasn’t enough happening in the plot to carry the film to any form of greatness. The ending felt abrupt, and a small part of me wanted more, but I was satisfied enough with checking off another movie with my AMC membership.
Eating: Casual Digs
On Friday evening, I went Mercado Northgate Gonzalez to grab tacos with a few friends; it’s always a fun time there (and this time around there was live music)! The food isn’t extremely noteworthy, but there’s a diverse offering of affordable eats. I’ve only had tacos and churros here so far, but I can’t wait to return to get ceviche, chicharrón, amongst other goodies.
I grabbed lunch with Isabella today at Boil & Bake, a spot that’s quickly become part of my monthly meal rotation. The M.F. (fennel sausage, egg, and cheese) was delicious and a great way to break my post-shift hanger.
(Thinking of) Styling: My Room?
Now that I may be here for another three years, I’ve started to get antsy in the confines of my small yet highly functional room. Do I move my keyboard downstairs? Should I get rid of this standing desk (the answer is probably not, it’s a little ugly but I love to take meetings and write standing up). From desk lamps to new bedding, I’ve been scouring the internet to build a bedroom refresh Notion list that I can commit to at some point this summer.
Treating: Matcha This, Matcha That
I finally got to Stagger Coffee this week, thanks to an appointment at the Korean Consulate (sigh, we have to go back in a couple of weeks). The Double Matcha (half sweet) was the perfect post-lunch sweet treat, definitely more of a dessert with the hefty creamtop than a sippable beverage, but delicious nonetheless.
On the WIP end, Nani put me onto the matcha americano version of my doenjang caramel americanos, which has been the perfect sweet/salty/umami afternoon pick-me-up on work days.
Obsessing: over not taking life too seriously.
Maybe I’m coping, maybe I’m aging, but this week has truly been one of silliness. As my coworkers have grown into my dear friends, and as I’ve deepened preexisting relationships, I’ve found a lot of value in keeping my days open to ~vibe~ and generally enjoy the silly adventures that ensue. My parents and I made an impromptu lunch switch to Borit Gogae, which I will have to share more about in an LA post, as it was one of the most memorable lunches I’ve had in SoCal.
On Friday night, I went to a bootleg Boiler Room show with some coworkers and
, where I realized that life is a lot more fun without the handful of judgement I usually walk into a room with. (Not to worry, I will always be people watching and chatting with my friends about a crowd; I’m just over constantly being over it.) That night felt like a checkpoint with my New York 2024 self; I’m so glad I’ve escaped a lot of the clout-chasing elitist circles I found myself in during that period of my life.Anyways, I have to go make coffee and try to remember people’s names at the register in 7 hours, so good night - have an amazing week.
With Love,
Anna
1) Darbari looks fire - need to try. 2) too much LA discourse, need to put you onto the SD food scene, join aldo & i for a “chefs night out” 3) the irvine cop tesla truck is heinous 4) dont stress too much abt law school, you can also transfer (ik ppl who have done tht)! 5) let’s discuss offline how PE has infiltrated the once sacred space of Boiler rooms 🤢