Lunch with Mom: 2011 Apr 07 - L and L Hawaiian Barbecue

2011 Apr 07 - L and L Hawaiian Barbecue
Stockton, CA

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Mom has moved to her own studio apartment in a Senior Independent Living facility about one mile east of where she was before moving. At 89 it was in her best interest to have someone else do the cleaning and cooking for her. She has been living at Atria Bayside Landing since Sunday, March 27, 2011 so less than two weeks.

Here is the introduction at their web site:

At Atria Bayside Landing, residents will enjoy elegant independent living with the security of constantly available caregivers. Keep fit at the on-site wellness center and physical therapy studio, and relish frequent outings to theaters, museums and parks that enhance retirement living. Atria Bayside Landing is conveniently located in the beautiful Brookside development, a safe and desirable location in Stockton, California, surrounded by several lakes, a championship golf course, and miles of wide, tree-lined walking paths.

With a maximum of 76 residents it is not too big. Plus their food is tasty I had dinner last Thursday night with Mom at Bayside Landing.

The entrance just south of March Lane

Today would have been Mom's 68th wedding anniversary. Mom and Dad celebrated 64 anniversaries before Dad passed away in August of 2007 at the age of 94. So we took some flowers to the cemetery before going to lunch.

L&L Hawaiian BBQ is a fast food chain with close to 200 restaurants in Hawaii, California, Washington, Nevada, Arizona, Colorado, Oregon, Utah, Texas, New York, American Samoa, New Zealand and Japan.

The front of the restaurant

The menu is on the wall. The plate lunch comes with two scoops of rice and a scoop of macaroni salad and a meat entree.

We get there before the lunch crowd

Since this particular L&L is located between UOP and Delta College there is a lot of collegiate stuff on the walls.

Mom waiting for her order

Mom has the traditional Japanese dish of Spam Saimin. Actually:

The favorite local fast food of the Hawaiian islands (also considered the national dish of Hawaii) is Saimin, an inexpensive noodle and broth soup. It is considered the supreme comfort food of the Islands, eaten at any time of day. You can find this soup at snack bars, coffee shops, and even on the McDonald's menu (in Hawaii only). Saimin is basically the same thing as ramen, a Japanese noodle soup.

Grilled spam in the noodle soup. Mom knows the owner pretty well and I think her order has more Spam than normal.

The owner also adds the side of sunomono or cucumber salad.

Mom only finished half of the bowl and took the rest with her

My lunch is a Mini, which has a little less meat, one scoop of rice and I took the green salad over the scoop of macaroni salad.

My BBQ Chicken Mini lunch plate with the complimentary sunomono

Mom is waiting for the soup to cool down some

Mom eating her lunch

Mom is still drinking her green tea and is carrying it with her.

Back at Bayside Landing we will have to sign Mom back in. Residents can come and go at will, but the staff needs to know their whereabouts if someone should inquire or there is an emergency. So there is a sign out/in book.