California Coleslaw - A Recipe Swap

If I take the stereotype of southern California to its crazytown end, Californians don't "do" coleslaw. We strip the recipe down to its elements, replace the elements with fancy ingredients with some provenance, and then construct a plate that's appealing on the table. If one can leave the snootiness aside, it's actually a great method, because it's less work, and this type of dish construction tends to hold up better on the table.

My take on "coleslaw" was not unique to Southern Californian cuisine. I stripped this recipe down to three ingredients; California endive, goat cheese, and mango chutney. I'm actually headed out to a beach picnic with this dish as soon as the ink is dry on this post. (It's a fly-by picture, too.) That's the key to cuisine here; transportability. So much of our lives is spent on patios and beaches, I'm starting to realize the loosely termed "cuisine" of SoCal isn't just because the 80's was so excessive and the food had to match step; there is a method to the madness. Exhibiting pride in our local growers, and the desire to keep things simple to either let the flavors come through or spend the time we saved in traffic transporting the dish to the affair.

Summer is definitely here, and I'm looking forward to all of the other stereotypes California has to offer; sun, fun and easy living.