Los Angelista – The Hipper Version of Tourista

Many of you are posting about the outdoor BBQs you attended and the fireworks you saw on the 4^th of July holiday; I will not post any such story. Being brand spanking new to the blog world, I am deciding to burst onto the scene with my different but equally explosive recount of how I spent my July 4^th.

I got sick from the water in LA. I spent the last month in Peru collecting data for my Master’s thesis and taking part in other projects directed by my advisor. I ate good food in some often questionable locations and never doubted that I was getting more than I was paying for with regards to dirt and foreign microbes. As much as I adore Peru, I really was longing to get home to warm weather and wonderful, clean food. It wasn’t until I returned to Los Angeles, the city of my birth - the city that I love more than any other in the nation - that I got sick from the water!

I spent the 4^th of July lying on the couch fighting a battle with unseen enemies and making repeated, rushed trips to the bathroom. The food of choice for my appetizer, main course, and dessert was…the pink stuff! While I am grateful that I did not get this sick in Peru, the land of absent toilet seats, I am astounded that I would get ill from eating and drinking the food that I was raised on. Has my stomach become that unaccustomed to living in Los Angeles? Am I weak or are these bugs strong? What has Indiana done to me?

It is true that one of my favorite fast food restaurants, El Pollo Loco, has become my enemy since moving to the least memorable and most conservative of the fly-over states, Indiana. For some reason, my stomach has decided, unbeknown to me, to declare war on their chicken! This happened, not once, but twice and I still fight back tears when lamenting about their food.

Until this recent bout I haven’t had any other problems traveling between my residence (Indiana) and my home (Los Angeles) and though I do get a tinge of stomach upset when first arriving in a foreign country such as Peru, I have rarely become as ill as I was yesterday.

On a brighter note, I am getting better. This morning I was able to stomach a cup of coffee and a fuji apple topped with Trader Joe’s Chevre Lite. Wish me luck on lunch!