What San Diegans Eat – Local musician Christina Sousa

Christina Sousa is a rising local musician who came to sunny San Diego from Michigan. She has her own original music project that is currently nameless, and she also plays drums in a female tribute band called Sister Venus. Sister Venus can be seen in Oceanside at the Christmas in July Festival on July 11th, and at the Oceanside Farmers Market Fair on August 13th. Christina’s disproportionately large drum kit looks too big for anyone to play all at once, but with her seasoned chops, she’s the rhythmic, controlled female counterpart of that famous Muppet drummer, Animal.

List everything that you consumed in the past 24 hours, including snacks and beverages – you may give an explanation as needed:

Well today was not as healthy as yesterday! ; )

In reverse chronological order:

• Orange Juice (fresh squeezed, yum!)
• About three cups of coffee w/sugar and cream
• Two scrambled eggs & hash browns
• One pancake (well, maybe 1¼ hehe)
• Vegetarian Burrito (beans, rice, cheese, guac, lettuce and French fries) + salsa
• Half a can of clear soda (Sunkist sparkling lemonade yum)
• Veggie sandwich (seven-grain bread, mayo, two pieces of Muenster, sprouts, leaf lettuce, tomato slices, red onion)
• Organic vanilla yogurt
• Melon +Blueberries
• Toffee-nut latte

Your top five restaurants, or favorite meals to cook, or your “rotation:”

Homemade pizza and breakfast burritos are in regular rotation at our house, along with plenty of fresh fruit and yogurt. And I couldn’t live without whole grain cereals. Literally!

In my corporate wining & dining days, favorite restaurants included Soltan Banoo (Persian), Punjabi Tandoor (Indian), Harar (Ethiopian), Mama’s Bakery (Lebanese Deli), and Georgia’s Greek Cuisine.

Mexican restaurants rule! I like Mi Casa and El Zarape, especially.

For Italian food … Filippi’s, Pernicano’s

Your favorite grocery store:

Vons — it’s cheap. Henry’s when I have the cash.

Your favorite meal you’ve eaten in the past month:

Homemade Split Pea Soup … Holy yummy! I didn’t realize it was so easy!

What is one food item you could not bare to live without?

As aforementioned — cereal. It is a strange comfort food and not exactly a succulent meal, but it’s there for me when I need it most.

How long have you been a vegetarian?

Almost two years. There have been a few scattered, but sparing episodes with fish and a lone random red meat craving that ended in misery (laughs). When I go to Michigan, a few broths & pork tidbits usually slip into the diet as well (Grandma’s cooking — can’t expect it to change to adapt to my California lifestyle).

What was the last non – vegetarian meal you remember having and when?

My trip to Michigan in May of this year – the pork! It’s called “Boiled Dinner” and it consists of a ham hock stewed in water, potatoes, celery, cabbage, carrots, onions, and rutabagas. F-in tasty! I went easy on the ham though – just a bite here and there.

What do you want the readers to know about yourself?

When I was growing up, my Brazilian aunt would sit me on the counter while she cooked and baked. She collected volumes upon volumes of recipes — back when there was no internet and what she didn’t find in books she would actually write down line for line from cooking shows. I was always assigned age-appropriate tasks in the cooking process. To me food is a community and life-sharing event, not just something to fill a hungry tummy!