my biodegradable fork!

This is the most amazing fork. It is made of corn starch and will start bio-degrading in about 2 months. It was this fork coupled with plates and cups that were also compostable that made the Taste of the Nation fundraiser a near ideal event for us foodies. It's impressive that almost all the waste for the event could be composted or recycled. Restaurants were also encouraged to only bring reusable containers.

To bring a deeper purpose to our eating habits this year, we attended this spectacular food tasting fundraiser held by LA's fine food establishments to end childhood hunger all over the nation. I was shocked at the fact that there are over 200,000 children, just children alone, that go hungry in Los Angeles every day. It's a pricey $95 ticket, but for an important cause and totally tax deductable.

This was the place to be for an overview of LA's fanciests restaurants. The portions were huge for a "taste" and head chefs could be seen dishing out their best summer recipes. Ask anyone serving to describe their dish and it's a detailed, colorful description of a masterpiece. Among my favorites was AOC's shrimp ceviche with sour orange mojo, Providence's chilled summer melon soup with serano ham espuma (i think this is the lard), spit roasted lamb from Grace, and the avocado and three corn salad from Border Grill/Ciudad.

The live auction's highest prize was fun to watch, and I emphasize watch only, as an older business man and a younger wallpaper mag-styled man bid back an forth to see who would soon be the most popular guy amongst his friends. The coveted prize was a private dinner prepared by chefs Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger, who nursed each bidder during the process, for you and 20 of your closest friends on the helicopter pad of U.S. Bank, the top of the tallest building in dowtown LA. The winner.. the older gentleman and his lovely wife.