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Cheap (And Really Good) Mexican Food
If you want to know how far north you are in California, stop in a taqueria. Are the beans delicious (cooked in lard)? Is there a salsa bar (with homemade habanero salsa as an option)? Do they sell a California burrito?
While Mexican food is better in California than (arguably) any other state, the farther south you go, the better.
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See's Candies
Remember the days when every boss in the world thought a box of chocolates was the perfect Christmas gift for employees? Well, there are probably still bosses in California who abide by this, and fortunately for them, the See’s Candies headquarters is nestled in South San Francisco, with storefront locations in just about every mall in the state for chocolate-consuming convenience.
Over the years, See's has also expanded into a number of other US states.
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Redwood Tree Growing Kit
California is the only state where you can wander through a forest full of 300-foot, 1,000-year-old redwood trees, and then suddenly stumble upon bluffs overlooking the coastline.
And when it’s all said and done, you can purchase a little grow-your-own redwood kit to try and spread some love and oxygen into your own yard.
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Does "animal style" mean anything to you? If not, you’re probably not from California. From the biblical references on the paper goods to the secret menu, Golden State natives have grown to love this fast-food chain as a late-night drive-thru stop or a post-beach snack.
And while In-N-Out has sprawled its way into other US states, its roots are and always will be in California.
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Farm-Fresh Produce
Avocados, oranges, plums, grapes, apples, tomatoes, artichokes... it’d be tough to argue that California isn't the most superior state when it comes to fresh produce. Heck, 80% of the state's water goes to farm irrigation (you're welcome).
With health-conscious, hemp-wearing hipsters all the way from Hillcrest to Humboldt, farmers' markets are just as common as Walmarts in some parts around here.
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A Day At Disneyland!
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Disneyland rose from the orange and walnut orchards of Anaheim, CA, in 1955, followed by Walt Disney World in Orlando, FL, in 1971. For decades, Florida was the closest competition when it came to finding The Happiest Place on Earth, but in 2001, Disneyland added the California Adventure Park. Since then, the threat dwindled.
At Disneyland, the only case of “highs and lows” you’ll experience will be plummeting from the top of the five-story drop of Splash Mountain. Hope you brought a poncho!
The best? May we introduce Fallbrook, CA - the Avocado Capital of the World! Sure, in other states, you can get avocados from your local supermarket, but they probably cost $2.50 a pop, and they’re probably pumped with GMOs and pesticides.
In California, you can drive along highways and bump into signs slinging these little pockets of gold at four for $1.
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Cactus Cooler
We can confidently say that Cactus Cooler is one of the best sodas ever. This pineapple-orange drink is a staple of every Southern Californian middle schooler’s diet and was created because Fred Flintstone convinced us that this fictional refreshment was delicious enough to produce (it was his favorite beverage on The Flintstones before it was actually manufactured).
It’s hard to come by these bad boys north of Santa Barbara, so if you find one, drink it! You won’t regret it.
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Garlic (Like, Real Garlic, From Gilroy)
If you’ve ever driven through Gilroy - nicknamed the Garlic Capital of the World - you know what that ubiquitous bulb really smells like. And if you've attended the infamous Gilroy Garlic Festival, you've probably also gobbled fresh garlic fries, and maybe even tried garlic ice cream (and couldn’t decide if you loved it or hated it).
At least no one in this city has to worry about vampires!
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Earthquake Survival Kit
You may have basements and crawl spaces in other parts of the US, but in California, we learn how to stand under door frames and "duck and cover" beneath our desks (while holding on to the legs, of course). Most of us also have survival kits designated to withstand the aftermath of an earthquake of 6.0 or higher on the Richter scale.
The American Red Cross has a section on its website that offers useful tips on kit-building, a preparedness quiz, and common survival products available for purchase.
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Tapatio Packets
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Situated right next to the mini salt and pepper packets, rubbing elbows with the ketchup and mustard squeezers, you will find one of the most beautiful sauces ever to be wrapped in plastic - Tapatio.
This Mexican-American condiment is a necessary enabler of Californians’ habit to douse breakfast, lunch, and dinner with hot sauce.
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Roscoe's House Of Chicken 'N Waffles
Is it fair to say that if you haven’t eaten at Roscoe’s House of Chicken 'N Waffles, you haven’t really lived? You’ll probably start off as a skeptic (chicken and... waffles?), but as soon as you lather those breakfast pastries in syrup and douse your fried chicken in hot sauce, you’ll be a believer - we promise.
Roscoe's also serves up chicken with mashed potatoes and gravy, chicken livers, chicken salad, chicken omelets, and chicken burgers.
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Taco Works Chips
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Made in San Luis Obispo, Taco Works tortilla chips have just the right amount of crunch and salt. If eating tortilla chips without salsa weren’t a universal sin, these crunchers might be the exception.
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Tickets To A Sublime Cover Band Show
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There are parts of California, to this day, where “Garden Grove,” “Santeria,” and “Summertime” play on the radio as frequently as the latest hits by Adele, Ed Sheeran, or Taylor Swift. Cover bands boasting Bradley Nowell's reggae/punk/hip-hop vibes can be found in bars all over Southern California.
If it isn’t a live band or something on the radio, Sublime's music can also be heard blaring out of jukeboxes and karaoke microphones.
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