My parents are from New York. I was born in LA. Technically, I'm an East Coast-West Coast hybrid. But sorry, NYC, the West Coast is the best coast. No doubt about it. We've got the summer sun nearly year-round. We've got beaches, snowcapped mountains, national parks, and wineries. And we're the home of the movies. Hit me with your best shot, y'all. But more importantly, being from the West Coast, there are so many food stereotypes that have come to be associated with La La Land. And while we love to hate them, we can't help but agree that some are warranted. Here are 13 West Coast food things you'll only understand if you're from the aforementioned best coast (and I repeat, for dramatic effect, the best coast).
1. We LOVE In-N-Out
Cardinal rule about people from the West Coast: In-N-Out is the superior burger shop in the In-N-Out vs Shake Shack battle. If you disagree, sorry, you're just misinformed or haven't tried animal style fries.
2. Starbucks Beats Dunkin'
No matter what street you turn onto, whether it's in Long Island or Jersey, Dunkin' Donuts is ubiquitous. You literally cannot miss the donut shop's presence. And if you need a refresher on just how popular Dunkin' Munchkins are, check out this video of Casey Affleck for SNL.
But in reality, here on the West Coast, Dunkin' is absent from the coffee culture, except for a few sparse locations. Starbucks is everywhere. Escaping the famous mermaid emblem is impossible. We're used to it. We understand it. We embrace it. Hey, it does hail from Seattle, Washington, so we as West Coasters can't help but represent our own.
3. Healthy Eating and Dietary Restrictions are Normal
Fresh fruit from the Farmers Market for breakfast. Salad for lunch. Maybe some salmon and brown rice for dinner. Here in "Cali" (although if you're from California, you would never actually say "Cali"), we only like to put healthy things in our bodies to give us enough nutrients to go out and surf some waves like all your faves you'd watch living the teen dream on Laguna Beach. Most restaurants are also quite accommodating of dietary restrictions, so all of our vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free friends are welcome to the West Coast anytime.
4. Juicing Can Help You Cleanse
Head on over to your local Pressed Juicery or Kreation for your next juice cleanse. While most of us don't go all out on the juicing trend and just get a fresh OJ from Nekter, some people do go on juice cleanses in order to purify their bodies and feel better for it afterwards.
5. Açai Bowls are the Bomb.com
Açai bowls are a trend that will never fade away. Smoothie base, granola, fruit, and some coconut flakes on top? Yes, please. Especially with some added nut butter, these Hawaiian treats that came to the mainland via SF make for a beachside snack all us West Coasters just can't help but munch on.
6. Sushi is a Way of Life
While Bender might not have seen the appeal of Claire's choice of lunch in John Hughes' seminal classic The Breakfast Club, we West Coasters are drawn to sushi. Hello, we're right next to the Pacific Ocean and that much closer to Japan. Sure, California rolls come from our state, but we don't play favorites with our rice, raw fish and seaweed. We'd be more than happy to snag a spot at the Sugarfish bar for lunch any day in order to eat one of our favorite West Coast food things.
7. We're All About the Poké
Like açai bowls, this other Hawaiian dish has taken the West Coast restaurant scene by storm. We can't get enough of these cubed pieces of raw fish mixed with veggies and rice, and when we go abroad, we've even got to find a local shop to get us our poké fix (i.e., me in London).
8. A Good Breakfast Burrito Is All You Need
Sizzling bacon. Scrambled eggs. Gooey Cheddar cheese. Roasted potatoes. Smooth and cool Avocado. All wrapped up in snuggly burrito form. Do you want one of our famous SoCal breakfast burritos yet? Ya, come out here, and we'll hook you up with one of our best West Coast food things.
9. Avocados on Everythingggggg
Avocados complement practically any dish from savory to sweet. Whether it's on top of toast (aka the famed avocado toast that's at every brunch spot nowadays), mixed with chocolate in a smoothie (which tastes surprisingly good), or stirred up in some quality guac, us West Coasters know how to show our love for the pitted berry (yup, it is a berry).
10. We See Matcha as the Bigger and Better Version of Green Tea
Health-nuts that we are, we only want to drink up the best that tea has to offer. And that means that regular green tea is out, and matcha is in. Matcha is all the rage with its ridiculously healthy properties and buttery consistency.
11. Regular Old Cow's Milk Is So Passé
We can't just take regular whole milk with our coffee. We need options like milk made from nuts such as almonds or cashews. Or maybe rice milk could do the trick. Wait, no, oat is the current trend. Sorry, it's a little hard to keep up with all the new milks coming our way. But one thing's for sure. Cows, you're out of the West Coast milk game. It's just part of the ebbs and flows of West Coast food things. You understand.
12. No Latte Is Complete Without a Design
We need designs drawn in the foam. A Spanish latte without a leaf on top will immediately be sent back from whence it came. If you're from the West Coast and your drink doesn't look pretty, or even worse, if it doesn't taste like it's made of the purest beans out there, there's going to be a problem.
13. No Grocery Store Compares to TJ's
Trader Joe's planted its first trading post (I mean grocery store) in Pasadena, California in 1967. For all of us on the West Coast, Trader Joe's is more than a store. It's a lifestyle. TJ's rose Speculoos to prominence. TJ's gave us sweet potato gnocchi. TJ's is the grocery store of our West Coast dreams. It's ok, Ralph's, you're a close second.
The West Coast is the Best Coast, undoubtedly. And if you're from the Pacific end on the "sea to shining sea" spectrum, you have been lucky enough to experience these West Coast food phenomena we've all come to know, love, and worship. Now let's all go grab some artisanal coffees with almond milk.