Mar 9

Mar 9 A Struggle Meal Because I’m Struggling

T.K.

I know y’all seen gas prices have risen towards $10/gallon in Los Angeles. Don’t act like the struggle ain’t real.

I don’t even have a car.. But still.

Ou, that’s a thought (that I’ve already had and am reminded of), I need to make a “how to make it in Los Angeles without a car” post. It’s been working my nerves, lately, getting to my event gigs all #aroundLA, yet, I manage. I may wait until I’m a little more even-tempered, or else I’ll run the risk of sounding like a grouch.

Anyway, hey! The cost of living in Los Angeles is high af! It’s so high that when I hear people in other cities complain, down South, where I’m from, in particular, I can’t help but to let them know that their cost of living is a joke in comparison.

I was craving ramen today, and instead of hitting my local ramen bar in Los Angeles, I decided to try to satisfy my craving at home with whatever I had.

I thought about my visits to La Brea Ramen and Sushi Bar, and tried to think what else it is I’m tasting in their ramen that I could replicate at home. I was stumped.

I hopped on the Google machine and typed, “how to make at-home pack ramen taste like restaurant ramen.”

I went with the first article that came up because this didn’t need to be any long drawn out research right now.

Preparation suggestions from a budget-friendly food blog, BudgetBytes.com, quickly came up during a Google search of how to elevate instant ramen.

“6 Ways to Upgrade Instant Ramen,” by a food budgeting website, came right up giving me some easy steps to take my pack of 25-cent ramen noodles to the next level.

(Side note: Getting to Google’s search result landing page for a question about Los Angeles, or female lifestyle bloggers, is one of my short term goals. If I can’t figure it out within the next couple of months, I may have to hire an SEO expert. The first page of Google is where the real page views are… and page views are where the money resides.)

Now, my next level of instant ramen isn’t going too much higher up because I don’t have much of nothing in my kitchen.

Ingredients the food bloggers suggested including are:

cooking oil

clove garlic, minced

grated fresh ginger
sliced mushrooms
vegetable broth
handful fresh spinach
a large egg
a green onion, sliced
some sriracha

All I had in my refrigerator was the holy trinity, as I am from South Louisiana. That’s onions, bell peppers, and shallots. They were already cut up from when I made an omelette the other morning.

I borrowed an egg from my landlord. Oh, wait, I borrowed the pack of 25-cent ramen noodles too; I didn’t even have the “ramen” for ramen. (This is a perk of renting in a duplex and your landlord being merely steps away.)

I also had a little almond oil and garlic powder in my cabinet. That’s it. That’s all I was able to scrounge up from the list of recommended ingredients.

Did it come out like the food blogger’s homemade instant ramen upgrade?

Of course not. What do you think I am, a magician?!

What it did do was fill up my little, already bloated, belly. And it saved me 20 bucks and a walk up the block!

I’m pleased.

… But I’ll probably go get some ramen from the professionals before the week is out.

Y’all take care. Let me go see if my fingers feel like typing up a more detailed piece about Revolve’s Women’s Day celebration hosted by Kelly Rowland.

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