Field Trip to Vietnam in Orange County

This summer we are exploring Asia without leaving Southern California. I know it sounds a little weird but let me explain what I mean. Southern California is home to several different neighborhoods that offer international products, foods and experiences. There is Chinatown in Downtown Los Angeles, Little India in Artesia, Koreatown in Los Angeles and Little Saigon in Westminster OC. We live close to Westminster so on a regular day we visited Little Saigon with friends. Our first stop was the fruit market to experience Jack, Lychee, Rambutan and Dragon fruit.

Little Saigon in Westminster, CA is a neighborhood filled with shops, markets, restaurants and bakeries that bring the Vietnamese culture to Southern California. It is truly amazing that a little piece of Asia is right here in Orange County for all of us to enjoy and experience.

We started our field trip to Little Saigon with the Fruit Market Trai-Cay Ngon located off Bolsa and Magnolia.  The shopping center has an Asian Supermarket, (2) other fruit shops  and other Vietnamese stores.  A friend recommended Trai Cay Ngon Fruit Market because they offer a guarantee on all produce purchased.  The prices are a little high compared to other local markets, however the guarantee keeps regular customers coming back. We experienced long lines and lots of loyal customers shopping for Jack fruit, Lychee, Dragon Fruit and  Rambutan. 

Lychee and Rambutan Fruit was a new experience for us. The texture for both was like nothing we had every seen in nature. Lychee fruit has a leather like appearance. Our first thought on the fruit was will it taste sweet or sour? 

As we peeled the fruit we noticed it looked like a grape with a large seed.  The taste was sweet and very delicious.  Rambutan is sweet, grape like and with a large seed.  It was just as delicious as Lychee.  The kids had fun calling it the hairy fruit and the dinosaur grape.

Jack Fruit is this large giant oval produce. It is one of the largest tree fruits in the world. The inside is yellow with  large seeds. The average cost of Jack fruit is around $30.00 dollars because they are so large. The fruit shop sells pre-cut and ready to eat containers for a lesser price. The texture is like an onion with layers of fruit with a sweet taste. It is an acquired tasted because it is a little stringy and a bit rubbery.

Dragon Fruit tasted like a Kiwi. It was soft, juicy and sweet. The fruit is about 6.00 per pound and it is sold in most markets in Southern California. My family liked this fruit the most out of all the above. The price is a little high for it to be a regular item in our household, but we will eat for special occasions.

The shop was full of tropical produce that we had never seen before or tasted. It was absolutely a learning experience for all of us. We can't wait to return and taste Rose Apples and Asian plums.

The field trip to the Asian fruit market was a great experience for the entire family. It opened our eyes to other delicious healthy food choices as well as educated us about a country on the other side of the world. We experienced hearing a new language, tasting new foods and learning about Vietnamese culture through our visit.

Related links:

Vietnamese Restaurant Brodard.

Korea Town In Los Angeles
Little India Artesia
China Town Los Angeles
Little Saigon

Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post. All thoughts and opinions are all my own.

Crazy for Breakfast Sandwiches 101 Delicious meals. #Giveaway #cookbook

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Get organized for back to school with this informational cookbook, "Crazy for Breakfast Sandwiches." Recipes that help you create delicious meals with your sandwich maker. So dust off your sandwich maker and get cooking breakfast like a chef.

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post.

***Enter for a chance to win this great cookbook. It is a great tool to have in your kitchen.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Places to go with family and friends in Southern California.

Southern California is full of fun things to do. This week my family is visiting from out of town. Naturally, I had to come up with fun places to take them to visit. I have come up with a list of "must do" with family and friends before the summer is over. 

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Knotts Berry Farm and Soak City - Great shows for the entire family and super fun rides for all ages. Camp Snoopy is a favorite of ours as well as Snoopy on Ice performances. The grilled turkey leg is a must for foodies along with the boysenberry punch. Soak City across the street has water fun! Here is a few of my stories about visiting the park.
Knott's Calico ride is better than new.
Best deal in town is an annual pass.  

Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament - Knights, amour, museum and a baby dragon for dinner. Everyone should visit this place at least once in their life. It transports you back to the dark ages. The kids and adults become glued the minute the tournament begins. This is a no fork, spoon and knife foodie place. Find out how we did on our last visit: FieldTripMom

Natural History Museum of Los Angeles - Located inside Exposition Park. The location has a large Rose Garden and several other exciting museums all in one place.  There are (7) seven museums in the park which promise to offer an all day adventure. Wear comfortable shoes and get ready to explore museum row. There is a McDonald's inside the museum. Across the street there is other food places for you to choose from. It is best if you pack a small picnic basket and eat near the Rose Garden to save time and money. Street vendors selling ice cream, corn on the cob and trinkets roam the garden. I recommend not to shop with them, as there are signs posted asking you avoid unlicensed vendors.  

 Exposition Park

• California African American Museum
• California Science Center
• Expo Center Swim Stadium
• Imax Theater at California Science Center
• Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
• Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena
• Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County
• Rose Garden

Discovery Science Center - Centrally located in Orange County. It is a fun educational museum that will make you explore science. My favorite exhibit is located on the second floor "Take the Eco Challenge".  It offers kids and adults to shop, discuss and see what Eco-friendly means. I enjoy my kids love to grocery shop together while they learn Eco-friendly choices. Here is a list of on-going exhibits. Read about our last adventure at the DSC here: FTM

• Dino Quest
• Take the Eco Challenge
• Planetary Research Station
• Rocket Lab
• Science of Hockey
• Interactive Exhibits 

South Coast Plaza - It is a shopping mall with many names like Burberry, Christian Louboutin, Disney, Sears and the Microsoft store. For the younger crowd there is the See's Candy store next to the Carousel ride. The mall has over 250 stores and 30 restaurants with two other shopping centers nearby. It is the mecca of shopping. The Plaza offers fun learning opportunities as well. Just visit the money exchange center and learn about the current money rates. The Microsoft store inside the plaza offers free play on ipads and other electronic devices. Plan your visit and they will help you host a small party for FREE! Here is the link for the free party information:

http://content.microsoftstore.com/en-us/events

The Shops at Mission Viejo - Offers an enormous amount of shopping opportunities and food experiences as well as some unexpected surprises. Located in South Orange County and near San Diego, it is the perfect shopping destination for travelers wanting to experience Orange County under one roof. Park your car and find the latest fashions at the shops. Looking for a car then head on over to the Tesla store. The Tesla Motors store has a car on display for you to touch and feel. Kids love to see the automobile store, grown-ups just smile.  Capistrano Unified School District has an office in the shopping center for those who want to take independent studies. The shops is full of adventure and great deals. Did I forget to tell you Old Navy and Forever 21 are super stores at this location? Super Store means lots of selections and more discounts. They also have the Microsoft Store with the free events just like South Coast Plaza (read above).

Artisan and collectibles - Want to find collectibles, artisan items then visit OC swap-meets. This is for serious collectors and bargain shoppers who don't mind getting up before dawn. Find locations and more on this subject:

Swap-meet List

Orange County Market Place - Address 88 Fair Drive, Costa Mesa, CA 92626

Coupons and discounts - Traveling is fun and exciting. It's more exciting when  you can stretch your budget. I look for bargain tickets, coupons and buy one get one free offers. I have found that most visitor centers post their discounts online for the public to use. Go to Anaheim/Orange County Visitors Center to find great deals.  The state of California deal website is Visit California.  Another place to find promo codes and discounts is your local fast food restaurants like Mcdonald's, Wendy's, Wahoos, Del Taco and Burger King. Look for these dollar saving coupons. Read my post on how to get LEGOLAND  and SeaWorld tickets and more at a discounted prices.

Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post. All thoughts and opinions are all my own. 

Tamales Tamales

Saturday, located at 22511 Auburn Dale Lake Forest CA, the Field Trip Mom family are selling Pork and Chicken Tamales at one of the largest Orange County community garage sales.  Profits go toward bring our readers more fun and original content supporting great family trips as well as additional giveaways and promotions funded directly by Field Trip Mom.

We are selling them also by the dozen after the sale by email request for a limited time.  Come on over and help support our fundraising event or email us for more information. 

P.S. We strive to provide very little sponsored posts.  Through selling handmade crafts and artisan food sells we are able to maintain this blog. Thank you for your support.

 

Disney Planes Fire and Rescue

Disney's Planes, Dusty Crophopper, is back for a second installment with Planes Fire and Rescue.  With many of the original movies characters and several new friends, Dusty takes in a whole new road to success.  Disclaimer, this is a sponsored post.  We were provided tickets to view the movie in exchange for this review.  All thoughts and opinions are our own.

Planes Fire and Rescue starts with Dusty practicing his racing near his home airport.  The brave little plane is pushing himself to the limits and redlining his engine.  Dusty performs an extreme maneuver by using his speed to race to one of the highest altitudes he has ever seen when he suddenly experiences engine trouble and stalls.  Dusty starts falling out of the sky, he lands but needs help.  After visiting the doctor, Dusty is told that he can no longer race and must keep his engine RPMs under the redline.

Dusty is depressed and scared because if he races, his engine could seize and the type of engine he has is discontinued.  After crashing and wrecking several buildings at his airport, Federal officials shut down his airport because his fire engine friend is old and the airport has no backup fire fighter.  Dusty decides he needs to become fire fighter trained as the backup and takes off for training.

After days of fierce training and trying to prove himself to the Chief Trainer, Dusty finds himself in the middle of a major forest fire.  Dusty and his new fire fighting friends need every ounce of help to avoid the destruction of a National Forest and a newly built Luxury Inn.  During the fierce battle, the fire fighting crew all find themselves in grave danger and ill prepared for a fire of this magnitude.  Can Dusty and team help save the National Forest, the Inn and all of the tourists in the park?  Can Dusty successfully finish his fire training certification and help get his airport reopen?  Go see Planes Fire and Rescue to find out!

The Field Trip Mom family was invited to a prescreening of Planes Fire and Rescue.  This movie was a great sequel to the original with completely new spin to Dusty's adventures.  Excellent new characters, great one liners and a heart warming story make this movie a great summer must see.  Now open in theaters, go out this weekend to see this excellent new Disney movie!  We know you and your family will enjoy it as much as we did.

Knott's Berry Farm Camp Snoopy Parody.

We recently visited Knott's Berry Farm with friends and family. The day was full of fun moments and comfort food. It truly was a fun day. There were so many silly moments that it reminded me of our favorite book, "If You Give A Mouse A Cookie." One of Southern California’s best amusement parks and the most popular book make for a fun post that will make you smile and laugh. I hope you enjoy the parody. My intent is to make you fall in love with two of my favorite things. Disclaimer: FTM received complimentary tickets to the park. No compensation of cash was received. All thoughts and opinions are all my own.

When you go to visit Knott’s Berry Farm chances are that you will want to go to Camp Snoopy. There, you will go on (3) new rides, Charlie Brown’s Kite, Linus Launcher and Pig Pen Mud Buggies.  As you get off Charlie Brown’s ride, you will notice your stomach is hungry, so you will walk over to the fruit stand.  There you will buy a pickle and a drink.

This will remind you that you purchased a dining plan for $29.99 and you can eat all day at Knott’s.  So, you will check your pocket to make sure you still have your voucher.  Just then, your friend will tap you on the shoulder.  That will remind you that you were supposed to meet him and others on the other side of the park.  

You rush to the Churro Factory with him to find your friends.  Standing there, you will smell the freshly made churros.  Your friend will buy one for himself; this will make you hungry for one.  As a good friend, you will buy churros for all of your friends.  Your friends will arrive and all of you will enjoy boysenberry churros together.  Standing there, someone will scream "Let’s go to the Snoopy Unleashed Show."  Everyone will rush over to the theatre to watch Snoopy. 

After the show, you and your friends will want to get some lunch.  You will go over to Sutter’s Fine Fare for some cheeseburgers and fries.  Finishing up your cheeseburger, you will notice it’s time to go to the Big Foot Rapids.  So you will put your cellphone in a safe waterproof container and put your poncho on to avoid getting wet.  Your friends will think you are nuts but get on with you. 

On the way to the ride, you will see the Calico Mine Ride and decided to go there first.  Standing in line, you will want to take a selfie.  So you will remove your cellphone out of the waterproof container to take the picture.  Chances are that if you take a selfie then your friends will want to take one too.  Inside the Calico Mine ride the flames will scare you but the thought of finding gold in the mine will make you curious.  As the ride comes to an end, you will wonder more about finding gold.

Just then, you will remember that the park has a Geode Store that sells rocks, gems and minerals.  This will make you want to take in one last ride and head for the store.  You look across the walkway and see the Timber Mountain Log Ride.  So you will grab your friends and run to get in line.  Standing there you will remember to put your cellphone back in the waterproof plastic to keep it from getting wet.  Before you put your cellphone away, you take a selfie. Chances are if you take a selfie your friends will want to take one too.

The Timber Mountain Log Ride is wild, fast, fun and exciting.  So much excitement will remind you that you are hungry for Mrs. Knott’s Chicken Dinner.  Walking over to the restaurant you will see the Geode Store and stop in to see the beautiful rocks.  Just then, the shop clerk starts to cut a geode in half that he just sold to another customer.  Looking at all the rocks and minerals in the store will remind you that you have room for one more geode on your shelf. So you buy one right on the spot and ask the clerk to cut it in half for you. 

As you and your friends head to Mrs. Knott’s restaurant, you will remember that you forgot to go on the Big Foot Rapids, the Hat Dance and so many other rides.  This will remind you to buy an annual pass so you can come back and ride all the other rides you might have missed.  If you buy an annual pass, chances are that your friends will want to join you and buy and annual pass too.  

If you buy an annual pass, chance are that you will come back to visit Camp Snoopy with your friends.

Disclaimer: FTM received complimentary tickets to the park. No compensation of cash was received. All thoughts and opinions are all my own.

Knott's Berry Farm is located at 8039 Beach Blvd, Buena Park, CA 90620. Laura Numeroff is an award winning and New York best-selling author, who lives in Los Angeles, CA. You can find her through her publisher HarperCollins.

GigaSavvy and Wahoo's Taco Truck "Eat and Greet" Field Trip.

Friday July 11, 2014, we attended an Eat and Greet at GigaSavvy.  They are a local digital marketing & PR company who opened it is doors to meet their community.  They invited the Wahoo’s Taco Truck to sell lunch to the public, adding to the fun.  They offered two lunch combos including one taco with rice and beans for only $5.00 and a two taco plate with rice, beans, chips and salsa for $7.00.  Both combos were delicious and freshly made on site.  After lunch, Lala Castro surprised us with a tour of GigaSavvy headquarters.  Lunch, meeting great new people and a tour of an amazing company made it a great way for our next field trip adventure. 

GigaSavvy is located in Irvine, CA near the Irvine Spectrum shopping center. They partner with local companies as well as large well-known brands for all digital marketing and public relations campaigns.  True to their core family values, they offer great opportunities to come and visit with staff, learn and become part of something greater in life.

The Wahoo’s taco truck was a great idea to fuel our hungry bodies.  My kids and I enjoyed the food and talking to new friends during this special luncheon. One new friend we made was a cute little dog named Henry.  This 13 year old doggie joined in our lunch event from one of the neighboring businesses.  His owner worked nearby and stopped to buy some tacos for lunch.  The bonus was that my kids spoiled Henry by feeding him grilled chicken from their plates.  Both boys made a pal in no time with Henry.  They enjoyed sharing their lunch and playing with him.  Henry was a little shy at first but soon thereafter, he refused to leave our side.  With a little love and a lot more food, he eventually walked back to his own office next door.  We then walked into the GigaSavvy doors to mingle with more people making more friends.

We then had the opportunity to sit with Alyson Ben-Yehuda and Lala Castro to discuss social media.  After a brief talk, we were invited to see the rest of the GigaSavvy inner workings.  We started with the Orange Room and the boys had a small mock interview, receiving feedback on their interview skills for the future.  Before we entered the room; Sarah, one of the staff members, handed us each an ice cream cone for dessert.  This made the kids happy beyond belief.  We sat down with ice cream cones in hand while Ms. Lala shared her company’s motto and explained digital marketing to us.  She tied in the importance of having a well-rounded education for holding a job in digital marketing and PR.  

She then walked us through the office introducing us to their staff.  Each introduction included a little information about their assignment and job duties.  The entire staff was very friendly and welcoming providing lots of information about digital marketing.  As we were on our way out, the kids were introduced to Corey Mangold, a principal of the company.  He engaged the kids with questions about their future.  One such question was “Do you want to own your business someday?”  What a great question for my kids.  It opened a window into a world of possibilities.  Finally, we said our good-byes and thanked Ms. Lala and her staff for being so generous with their time.

Overall, the day started as a lunch date and quickly turned into a fun field trip for all of us thanks to the warm hearts of the GigaSavvy team.  On the way home, we discussed what we learned about the day.  According to our boys, here are the (7) things they learned from the day:

1. GigaSavvy employees are very friendly and creative.
2. Digital Marketing is a fun profession.
3. An Eat and Greet is a great way to meet the community.
4. Treat everyone like family. 
5. Toys in the work place promote fun and creativity.
6. Ice Cream Fridays are a must for the office. 
7. The Orange room is the interview room. 

We had such a great experience visiting and learning that we want to say thank you to everyone at GigaSavvy for opening your doors to us!

Disclaimer: Not a sponsored post. All thoughts and opinions are all my own.