Fancy a good in-out-in-out?

Since we first arrived in L.A., I've already noticed a few differences. First of all, there's a beach every three blocks, a salty aroma permeating through the air wherever we walk. Second, I see tons of fast food places that aren't McDonald's. Every block there's at least two restaurants, but each one is different... or a Jack in the Box. Third, wherever I'd usually see a Chinese restaurant, there's a Japanese one in its place. I know of only one authentic Japanese place in Rockville, and it resides in a small shopping center that essentially represents the epicenter of Japanese culture in Montgomery County... which there isn't much of. Over here in Torrance, though, sushi bars and Japanese markets are a commonplace.

Katie is truly in her element. I mean, she's at her home and all, sure, but there's always something special that comes out in a person when they're given the opportunity to share something special and unique to others completely alien to the experience--i.e. me and Dustin. He and I have never been to California before, so the first thing that Katie does is take us to an In-N-Out Burger. I've been jaded by the likes of McDonald's and Wendy's, which often have a diverse menu of foody goodness, but In-N-Out is different--it just lists three kinds of burgers, and a few drinks, and some fries... no more no less. The burgers, though greasy, are freshly made. That, and you can order x-by-y burgers, where x is the number of beef patties and y is the number of cheese slices. I had a 3-by-3 burger animal style (part of the hidden menu only available online), which means three patties, three slices of cheese, lettuce, tomato, pickles, and thousand island-ish sauce. I'm pretty sure my stomach hates me at the moment, but it's gonna kill me when we hit Wiener Schnitzel later D: