United States

A 2,200-Mile American Road Trip in 50 pictures

Julio Moreno United States 6 Comments
A 2,200-Mile American Road Trip in 50 pictures

After completing a 2,200-mile American road trip solo across the great southwest, my mind is blown. It was not until moving abroad that I came to appreciate the nature and cultural wonders that our great country has to offer. The United States of America is just bursting with so many, that it is hard to explain with words. Many of these places I didn’t even know existed until recently. Here is a run through of my trip in pictures. I start and end in the same suburb of Mira Loma, California.

 

Mile 77

Interstate 15 (near Barstow, CA)

i-15 - American Roadtrip
Just outside of civilization is a wonderful bridge where you can take in this view. It is a corridor on i-15 where people are coming and going to Nevada.

 

Mile 109

Calico Ghost Town (near Barstow, CA)

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Eating America #3 – Authentic Mexican Snacks

Julio Moreno Eating America , , , , , , , , 2 Comments
Eating America #3 – Authentic Mexican Snacks

One of the biggest reasons to travel is food, and given how many amazing meals there are out there, who could blame us? However, no matter where you are in the world, the food doesn’t really transfer across country lines without some changes. For example, when I lived in Korea, I thought  Chinese and Japanese food would be nearly identical or at the very least, readily available. While you can find it if you look for it, differences in the Korean palate changes the taste enough to long for the real deal.

California is in the best of both worlds. It is undoubtedly American, but still has an incredible amount of Mexican influence fuelled by its strong Mexican-American community. Here are some snacks that are originally Mexican, that you can easily find in California (and hopefully, at least some other parts of the US).

 

Mazapan

Mazapan - Mexican Snacks

This peanut based soft Read more →

Eating America #2 – Picadillo (Homemade Mexican)

Julio Moreno Eating America , , 0 Comment
Eating America #2 – Picadillo (Homemade Mexican)

#2 Picadillo

Picadillo can be found in Mexico, as well as in other Latin American cultures, Spain, and in the Philippines. They all derive from a Spanish dish, but has been adapted to meet the needs of the local people. Filipinos, for example, often eat it with rice, which is something Mexicans never do.  Mexicans, like with many other meals, like to eat it with tortillas on the side (pictured). Like menudo, it boasts a very rich broth, definitely not as fatty or thick, but still too salty for some blander taste buds. The main meat is ground beef which is cooked in chunks that often fall apart during the cooking process. However, this mix of big chunks and smaller pieces makes it so that you have a slightly different texture with every spoonful, which enhances the taste in my opinion.  The other main ingredients are onions (cut into slices) and Italian or Mexican squash which is cut into slices that gets soggy in the broth. Read more →

Returning to America After Three Years Abroad (9 observations)

Julio Moreno United States , 0 Comment
Returning to America After Three Years Abroad (9 observations)

Going back anywhere after three years feels kind of weird. You think you know a place, but whether the locals notice or not, things change a lot in that time. Going back to your home country after that amount of time is stranger still.

A few days ago, I arrived in Southern California after being abroad for three consecutive years. Part of me feels home, but another part of me feels like I am visiting a foreign country. Sure, I have a lot of friends and family here, but truth be told, I feel a lot more comfortable in the streets of Seoul than in any part of the greater LA area. I always thought that it was the foreign factor of South Korea that appealed so much to me, but maybe now, the exact opposite is true.

I’ve only been here a few days, but there are already some observations I’ve made. Most of them are not really positive or negative, simply different or things I hadn’t noticed before that have given me a sense of mild reverse culture-shock:

 

1) Food Portions are Enormous Read more →