mmm-yoso!!! is a blog about food and sometimes Kirk or Cathy write about how the acquisition of a meal or snacks came to be. This is one of those posts.
Yes, it's the time of year when the January 1 Tournament of Roses Rose Parade is becoming real.
The Logo, Theme (Celebrating A World of Music, The Universal Language) and President (Alex Aghajanian) of the 2024 Tournament of Roses were announced in January (yes, the Rose Bowl Football Game is the culmination of the Tournament) and preparations for the 135th Rose Parade began.
Designs for floats, centering on the theme, were submitted, approved and construction began. On Saturday, road tests for mechanics and maneuverability of eight floats were conducted at Phoenix Decorating Company in Irwindale. 
The artist rendition of Lions Clubs International entry, "Changing The World Through Music" has 'come to life'.
It's looking very much like the rendition and will have to be tested again, with 'weight' (people) on board. Then it will be ready for decorating, since it is colored in. Colors help the volunteer decorators and also help if there might be rain and some of the natural items used to cover (all visible portions of) the float succumb to the elements.
The 2024 Rotary International entry, "Clean Water-The Music of Life" is still in its basic rebar and wire structure. I can see umbrellas and the cuteness of this float, with the design supporting one the many areas of focus that Rotary serves internationally.
The Petal Pushers and Lutheran Hour Ministries will have its 73rd entry in the Rose Parade in 2024, "Make A Joyful Noise Unto The Lord". It is the only Christian Themed float in the Parade.
Oddfellows and Rebekahs will be entering this cute, unicorn design, "All We Need Is Love". Did you know that each float plays music along the route? Well, we know the song that will be played on this float!
Kiwanis International is entering "Serving in Harmony", an old fashioned look some long past symbols of music and harmony (Nipper! His Master's Voice! and a Player Piano with a metronomic roll).
The Elks Clubs have another patriotic entry this year. I can see a Fife and Drum Corps and the back of the float looks like fireworks. 
The City of Alhambra is entering this dragon-esque float. 
Here is the base for what will most likely be another magnificent float, entered by Trader Joe's.
////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
On to the food portion of this post. We started driving South, then East. Then we saw signage.
It looks like a super version of Tokyo Central that we have in the Marukai Complex in San Diego; all under one roof.
It was before 9 a.m.-breakfast time. 
We had to. 
We made our selections, purchased a few other items, paid and found a seat at the front of the store. 
There is a water fountain available, but we had purchased this 2 liter bottle of Jasmine tea (on sale)
Our selections from the Hot Buffet serving trays: Vegetable Croquette, Cheese Tonkatsu, four Fried shrimp, two pieces of Teriyaki Chicken and one 'umami pork rib'. (Total bill for hot food was $14.58)
Of course everything was absolutely fresh and wonderful. It's good to know we can stop here.
Tokyo Central 1420 S. Azusa Ave West Covina Opens 8 a.m. daily
///////////////////////////////////////
For those of you wondering, of course we had to stop at Portos; it's only six miles directly South of Phoenix Decorating.
We purchased a loaf of Walnut Raisin bread, and new items- an iced ube matcha tea drink and carrot cake slice. Quite excellent new items.
Porto's Bakery and Cafe 584 S. Sunset Ave West Covina 91790 Opens at 6:30 a.m.
I'm sure if you ordered online things would work out fine. And that guanciale looked really good.
We came across what looked like a hotel….it turned out to be the Splendor Hotel, with a bunch of vendors selling all sorts of plants and crafts. The Missus read one of the signs and noticed that the building is called "Park Lane" and on the third floor was something called "Taichung Sixth Market". Since it was still early and Dawncake didn't open until 10 we decided to check the place out.
The Mister and I stopped in on a Saturday and walked through the store which is undergoing renovations. Fresh, warm tortillas in an insulated box on the floor, as well as all sorts of beverages, a couple of grocery aisles and a small freezer as well as a meat counter with well-priced selections made this look like a convenient place in the neighborhood. We ordered and paid at the check out counter.
There are outdoor tables and on the weekends, the smoker is filled with meats (ready at around 2 p.m., if you want to purchase by the pound).
Soon, our sandwich was brought out. ($11.99, includes a beverage from the cooler).
It's already cut in half and ordered with 'everything'- mayonnaise, lettuce, tomato, avocado, onion, pickled jalapeño and pickled carrots. Sometimes we have to 'rearrange' the tri-tip on our sandwich. 
The meat has an excellent flavor-smoky and meaty (with a thin smoke ring),even with the condiments. The torta is soft and fresh. The size is just right for sharing.
You might notice the truck in the parking lot, as well as neighbors who stop by on weekends.
I perused the menu where prices range from $7.99 to $10.99 for sandwiches. Siesel's sells Dietz and Watson products and that's what they use for their sandwiches as well. The gentleman behind the counter saw me checking out the menu, came over and apologized. Apparently, they had just raised prices of all sandwiches by a dollar that week
So, as you can see, there was a lot going on here! From the three meats, Hot Ham (Capicola), Turkey, and Bacon. The "Buffalo" Cheddar was actually a good match in this protein laden sandwich as it added a bit of spice. Loved the sprouts and avocado. The triple threat of sauces, chipotle mayo, mustard, and D&Ws oil-vinegar "hoagie sauce" was a bit too much. I'd probably go without the mustard next time.
I definitely didn't expect anything like what 
In the far corner, the former Sinjeon Food Sys (prior it was CDD Tofu and Grill) has turned into Krab Bros- a boiled seafood restaurant. 
A simple menu is always appreciated. 
The lunch shrimp platter ($14.99) with chosen flavors of original butter, garlic parmesan and Bros Cajun was an excellent choice. This platter has ten shrimp, a boiled egg, sausage, corn and tiny whole potatoes, all coated in the chosen flavors. The shrimp were quite large, very plump and had good flavor when I tasted a bit without any flavor coating. I liked the sausage, egg and corn and especially the small, skin-on potatoes; it was a well balanced meal and quite enough to share.
I walked over to Boba Bar and ordered a mango slush ($5) for us to share. We had already shopped inside the Zion Grocery store.
Now, the piano as well as the teddy bear are gone from the Food Court platform. Damn Covid-19!
There were no herbs and veggies on a plate; what little there was had already been dumped in the soup; which had a weird tinge that was almost grey. The broth tasted like salt water with some beef bouillon dumped in it. The slices of beef were tough and tasteless. The banh pho were of the thicker variety and were just a tad overcooked. Man, this was even worse than the 
The best item were the "nems", which we call Cha Gio, it was light and crisp and the filling while on the chewier side had a nice porky flavor. The bun was overcooked. The bun cha dry, tough, and bland. The nuoc mam cham suffered a from a serious shortage of fish sauce. I'm just going to stop here…..
The church is dedicated to 
We walked past places that would become all too familiar during our short stay in Edinburgh, like the St Giles Cathedral, which we'd visit the following day and the distinctive 
It wasn't a very large farmer's market, at least on this day. But the Missus did find some soap She loved. And folks were really friendly and nice.
