JSLALALAND

THE HUNGRY HOURS

The Ultimate LA Food Guide

Greens in the morning, a binge at night: in LA, you eat for emotional stability. From matcha and smashburgers to roadside tacos, nine ways to eat in one place.

Translated from Jasmine’s original Chinese. The illustrated slides are on the interactive reader.

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  1. The LA insider food guide: a multiverse of greens and binges

    The Ultimate LA Food Guide. Greens in the morning, binge at night. In LA, you don't eat to survive; you eat for emotional stability. LA runs on green juices and regrets.

  2. Eating greens is a religion: healthy eating is a class language

    Wellness Cult | Clean Diet. You are what you ingest (Gluten-Free | Dairy-Free | Vegan). Erewhon collab smoothies are our mood stabilizers; ashwagandha and sea moss are the daily stack, not 'supplements.' Insider check-ins: Great White, Planta, The Butc…

  3. Functional green blood: The Matcha Scene

    The green blood of LA girls, matcha nerds only. No sickly sweet green tea powder (Not your basic sweet matcha); what you're buying is the perfect California persona, with its own built-in luxe aura. Main character energy. Iced, always. Insider check-ins: La La Land Reserve, Community Goods, Da…

  4. Carb salvation, the smashburger: crispy edges and drive-thrus

    The smashburger, the carb-fueled salvation of LA. Detox by day → relapse by night: LA's most stable rhythm. The A-team: Burgers Never Say Die, For The Win, Easy Street Burgers; the eternal classic faith is still In-N-Out: Animal Style…

  5. Midnight salvation: K-Town Survival

    A 2 a.m. nervous-system reboot: the 2 AM K-Town survival kit. K-Town isn't a neighborhood, it's a survival mechanism; when you're drunk and falling apart, hot soup and grilled intestines are the only salvation. Insider check-ins: Sun Nong Dan, Surawon, Ahgassi Gopchang, Dan Sung Sa. Resetting my nervous system wi…

  6. Street soul: the Taco Hierarchy

    California's soul is on a roadside grill: eating tacos on the curb. Forget fast food; the best stuff is at the curb (No fast food. Best eats on the street curb). Want tacos in heels? Head to the Arts District. Insider check-ins: Angel's Tijuana Tacos, Villa…

  7. Brunch battleground: the Bagel War

    Weekend brunch is a performance: brunch is a personality trait. The east-vs-west bagel war, and you'll happily bake in the sun for an hour (by the way, going to Catch LA for photos is already over). Insider check-ins: Courage Bagels, Layla Bagels, Republique, Jon & Vinny's. Did you even brun…

  8. Reservation hell: Global LA

    The reservation hunger games: switch neighborhoods and you've traveled the world. The international food isn't just authentic, it's up to the standard back home; booking a hot restaurant is a straight-up Hunger Games. Insider check-ins: Afuri, Pine & Crane, Mother Wolf, Bavel, Camphor, Bistro Na. I survived the Resy waitlis…

  9. Ice cream life support: the Ice Cream Obsession

    LA emotions have no off-season: frozen emotional support. Californians eat ice cream year-round because their feelings always need soothing; plant-based vegan scoops, viral Korean treats (taiyaki), eat them all. Insider check-ins: Awan, Wanderlust Creamery, Bumsan Organic Milk Bar, Bacio di Latte, Salt & S…

  10. The most absurd and most charming part is you

    Embracing the inner chaos. In the morning, a fairy meditating and eating greens (Morning Zen: meditation & green juice); at night, a chaotic human on the curb inhaling carbs (Night Chaos: street tacos & lots of carbs). Two completely different people, and both are you (Both are me. Both ar…

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Read it with the slides →The illustrated version on the LA Guide →

An original JSLALALAND field guide by Jasmine Chang (@jslalaland).