Dat Moi Market

Photo info: Apple iPhone 15 Pro, 6.7649998656528mm, f/1.8, 1/60 sec, ISO125
“Pickapeppas” Gardena, 2025

Today my mom and I went on a mission to find Pickapeppa sauce. It has been weirdly hard to track down lately, both in SoCal and back in Texas. One of my mom’s neighbors suggested we try Dat Moi Market in Gardena, and thank goodness we did. They had Pickapeppa! Success!

Even better, the shelves were packed with all kinds of interesting Caribbean ingredients, and we spent a good while just looking around and discovering new things. Of course, we could not leave without grabbing a couple of beef patties too. Absolutely worth the stop.

Dat Moi’s website says it is “your source for African, Asian, Caribbean, Hispanic & Polynesian products,” and yep, that checks out. Highly recommend if you are looking for something a little harder to find.

Photo info: Apple iPhone 15 Pro, 6.7649998656528mm, f/1.8, 1/3200 sec, ISO80
“Beef Pattie” Torrance, 2025

More Mexican Food

Photo info: Apple iPhone 15 Pro, 6.7649998656528mm, f/1.8, 1/60 sec, ISO250
“Mexican Dinner” Lomita, 2025

We rolled into SoCal right around dinner time and made a beeline for Alfredo’s, a place we visit often and for good reason. The carnitas here is excellent. Tonight I mixed things up and swapped the usual rice for fries, and wow, that was a great call. I would absolutely do that again.

Also in the photo are the Chile Verde, Carnitas Burrito, and Carne Asada Burrito. Only Koa was able to finish his meal. He’s only in his 20s so he can still eat a huge meal without skipping a beat

The portions are massive, so I ended up taking more than half of my meal home. That means I have at least one more delicious lunch waiting for me!

Dinner in New Mexico

Photo info: Apple iPhone 15 Pro, 6.7649998656528mm, f/1.8, 1/40 sec, ISO800
“Combo Plate” Lordsburg, 2025

Koa and I kicked off our road trip from Texas to California today and put in a solid 10 hours on the road. We rolled into Lordsburg, New Mexico, checked into our hotel, and then headed straight to Ramona’s for dinner. I stuck with the old standby, Combination 1, which comes with a taco, enchilada, and tamale. It hit the spot after a long day of driving. Tasty, comforting, and definitely something I would order again. 😆

May and the Chicken

Photo info: Apple iPhone 15 Pro, 6.7649998656528mm, f/1.8, 1/60 sec, ISO400
“May and Chicken” Cedar Park, 2025

Mariko had some guests over for lunch today, and one of them brought their dog, May, along. She was very interested in the karaage and kept a close eye on it the whole time. Watching her was such a flashback, she reminded me so much of Lani.