Holy Guacamole!

I often forget how lucky I am to live in California. When I lived in Paris and came across people in the workplace, they'd always say how it was their dream to visit California. I always wonder what the stereotype of a typical Californian was; bleach blond surfer a la Baywatch? People do love the Hasselhoff. It isn't always an ethereal land of sunshine, though I can't complain too much about the weather.

What else is California known for? Apple, Google, and Facebook? Yes, as a state, we do boast the 8th largest economy in the world. Gold rush, Hollywood, and national parks? Sure I guess. When I think of California I think about us being on the forefront of the sustainable food movement. In fact, Alice Water's Chez Panisse in Berekely just celebrated their 40th anniversary. It does benefit to be in an area where you can get seasonal fresh produce.

One of my favorite items I can always find at the farmers market or grocery store are Hass avocados. These large avocados are of Californian origin, and were grafted and patented in the 1930's by an avid horticulturist by the name of Rudolph Hass. Yes peoples, this is the first time that a patent was ever given for a tree. A TREE! Okay, maybe I'm the only one who finds that interesting. In any case, this variety of avocado is the most important commercial avocado worldwide and accounts for 95% of the the Californian avocado crop.

The avocados are large with a lot of flesh, and oftentimes I'm able to find perfectly ripened ones that aren't very bruised. I grew up eating avocados, but not so much with Mexican food. In Vietnamese cuisine, you'll find avocado smoothies, or sometimes an avocado served up with a spoonful of condensed milk. Nowadays, I can't handle them in such decadence; I usually make guacamole.

My guacamole recipe, isn't really a recipe. I use fresh tomatoes, onion, garlic, lemon juice, cilantro, pepper, salt, and of course avocados. I couldn't tell you the exact amounts, but approximately half of the mixture is avocado, a quarter is tomato, and a quarter is well, everything else. Just add enough lemon juice and spices until it tastes right. It's not really rocket science.

I usually score the avocados while they're still in their skin so that I don't have to do much chopping. It also saves me a slimy mess on the cutting board. Once scored, the flesh can be scooped out with a large spoon. Mash it up a bit, and voila, guacamole! I like mine a bit chunky, though I've known people to process theirs to the point where it looks like that stuff you can make from a mix. Eww.

With some tortilla chips, all that's missing is a margarita!