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Mountain View News Saturday, October 24, 2026 FOOD & DRINK & SURVIVING 88 
Mountain View News Saturday, October 24, 2026 FOOD & DRINK & SURVIVING 
90,000 VIEWS AND ONE CHINESE POP-UP: 
WHAT'S COOKING IN EAST PASADENA? 

Just when I think I've seen everything in the restaurant business,
something comes along that catches my attention. This time, it's a 
Chinese food pop-up on Colorado Boulevard in East Pasadena, just 
down the road from Sierra Madre. 

Now, before anybody gets upset, let me make something perfectly clear.
I love Chinese food. I love entrepreneurs. And I love watching someonetake a chance on the American dream. My father, Elmer Dills, taughtme that some of the best meals come from the most unexpectedplaces. You don't need white tablecloths, expensive silverware or afancy address to serve a great meal. But you do need customers, andBy Peter Dills 

apparently, this place has attracted plenty of attention!
Recently, I posted a photograph of the operation on my Facebook page. I figured a few hundred peoplemight take a look. Ninety thousand views later, I realized I'd touched a nerve. Ninety thousand! Some 
people loved the idea. Others weren't so enthusiastic. 
And naturally, a few Facebook experts knewabsolutely everything about the operation withoutever setting foot there. Welcome to social media! 

I've been reviewing restaurants for more than 20years, including writing for this newspaper since thedays of The Mt. Wilson Observer. The names andpublishers may have changed, but my appreciationfor neighborhood restaurants hasn't. And neither 
has my curiosity. 

Let's Talk About the Neighborhood

Sierra Madre, Arcadia and Pasadena have somethingspecial in common. We have wonderful independent 
restaurants, many operated by families who have 
invested their savings, their time and sometimestheir entire lives into feeding us. 

Think about your favorite neighborhood restaurant.
The owner might arrive at seven in the morning andstill be there at nine that evening. He's worried about 
food costs, labor, insurance, electricity, rent andwhether enough customers will walk through thedoor tomorrow. And that's before he sells his first 
cheeseburger, taco or bowl of wonton soup. 

Take Panda Inn, just a few blocks from the pop-up. The Cherng family opened the original Pasadenarestaurant in 1973. That's more than half a century of serving the community. These businesses aren't 
just places to eat. They're the ones sponsoring Little League teams, donating gift certificates to schoolfundraisers and supporting neighborhood events when somebody comes knocking on the door askingfor help. 

I've seen it firsthand. When a local school needs a donation, who gets the call? The neighborhood 
restaurant. When a community organization needs food for an event, who gets the call? The 
neighborhood restaurant. When a family celebrates a birthday, anniversary or graduation, where dothey go? You guessed it. 

Now, About That Chinese Pop-Up

Here's where things get interesting. I've been in and around the restaurant business most of my life. I've 
seen restaurants open with great fanfare and close before the paint was dry. I've watched owners spendhundreds of thousands of dollars on kitchens, dining rooms, equipment and permits, only to discoverthat getting customers through the front door is the hardest part of the business.
And then along comes a Chinese food pop-up on Colorado Boulevard. No fancy dining room. Nohostess asking if you have a reservation. No valet parking. Just food and customers. And apparently,
plenty of opinions! 

Now, I'm not suggesting that this particular business is doing anything wrong. I haven't inspected 
its permits, and frankly, I don't plan to. That's somebody else's job. But I do wonder about the littlerestaurant down the street. The one paying rent, utilities, insurance and payroll. The one that gets a visitfrom the health inspector and spends its Saturday afternoon donating food to the local Little Leaguefundraiser. Doesn't that restaurant deserve a fair shake? I think so. 
And that's really what this conversation is about. Not whether somebody can make a delicious plate ofChinese food on the sidewalk. It's whether we remember to support the neighborhood restaurants thathave been supporting us for years. 

What About the Food? 

Interestingly, the comments on my Facebook post weren't all about permits and regulations. Some 
people said the food was terrific. Others weren't impressed. Welcome to the restaurant business! I'vealways said that if you put ten people around a dinner table, you'll probably get eleven opinions about 
the food. 

I haven't personally sampled this particular pop-up, so I'm not going to pretend to give it a restaurant 
review. That wouldn't be fair to the operator or my readers. But the conversation surrounding it is worth 
having, and it's a conversation that extends well beyond Pasadena. 

Whether you live in Sierra Madre, Arcadia, Monrovia or Hastings Ranch, you've probably noticedhow the dining landscape is changing. Food trucks, sidewalk vendors, home-based food businessesand temporary pop-ups are becoming part of the equation. Some will succeed. Some won't. That's 
capitalism. 

Here's Where I Stand 

I don't want to see anybody's dream crushed. If someone makes wonderful dumplings, noodles orfried rice and wants to build a business, I say congratulations. But I also want to protect the restaurantsthat have supported our communities for decades. Those businesses have earned our respect, and theydeserve a fair opportunity to compete. 

My father had a saying: "Feed the masses and you'll eat with the classes." He believed that good food ata fair price was the foundation of a successful restaurant. I still believe that. But I also believe that when 
we talk about supporting local businesses, we need to remember the people who have been supportingus all these years. 

That's one reason I've started my Eat Local campaign. Not to tell you where you must eat, but to remindyou that the neighborhood restaurant you take for granted today might not be there tomorrow. 

So, the next time you're deciding where to have lunch or dinner, consider the restaurant down the street.
The one that sponsors your kid's baseball team, donates to your school's fundraiser and remembers 
your name. 

As for that Chinese pop-up on Colorado Boulevard? I'm still scratching my head. And judging by those 
90,000 Facebook views, apparently I'm not alone. 
Want to see what all the fuss is about? Follow Peter Dills on Facebook for restaurant discoveries, diningdebates and stories from around the San Gabriel Valley.
Peter Dills is a restaurant critic, host of Dining with Dills and founder of the Eat Local campaign,
supporting neighborhood restaurants throughout the San Gabriel Valley. 


THE TASTING ROOM 

WINES FROM THE SIERRA 
MADRE WINE WALK ON 
SALE! 

I’m Gustavo Lira, Tasting Room Manager and WineBuyer at The Bottle Shop in Sierra Madre withanother wine and spirits selection. 

In my last article a couple of weeks ago, I told youthat the Sierra Madre Wine Walk was back. It was 
a huge hit! Almost 400 people attended and wereintroduced to outstanding wines and introduced toall the great shops and businesses that we have herein Sierra Madre. A big shout out to the Wine WalkCommittee who did a superb job putting the Wine Walk together. 


If you made it to the Wine Walk and were interested in purchasing some of the wines,
here’s what is available at The Bottle Shop. If you missed out on the Wine Walk, here’s yourchance to buy some incredibly delicious wines that you won’t see at your local grocery 
store. 

Masia Bou Cava $17.99 – An outstanding sparkling wine from Spain. I’d drink this overVeuve Clicquot any time any day. Crisp, clean, zesty, mouthwatering and simply delicious! 

Tablas Creek Patelin De Tablas Blanc 2025 $27.99 – Spectacular white blend of 40% 
Grenache Blanc, 23% Viognier, 13% Vermentino, 12% Roussanne, 6% Marsanne, and 6%
Picpoul Blanc. Organically farmed. This wine will show you how white wines from PasoRobles are rocking! 

Desire Lines Red Wine, Evangelho Vineyard Contra Costa County 2024 $29.99 – I heardthat this wine was well received by the public. I couldn’t agree more. This is one of thebest blends you will ever taste, and the price is out of this world. From one of the oldestvineyards in California that is organically farmed, this is a blend of 90% Carignan and10% Mourvèdre. 

Akana Viognier, Spanish Springs Vineyard SLO Coast 2025 $39.99 – From one of myfavorite winemakers in America – Aaron Jackson. This viognier has subdued aromatics ofwhite floral notes. On the palate, it displays citrus, stone fruit, and grapefruit. Wonderfulacidity and a long finish. This would be a superb Thanksgiving wine. Tired of Chardonnayand Sauvignon Blanc? Try this gorgeous wine instead! 

Campo Hermoso Vino Tinto, Vino De Espana 2025 $14.99 - Mostly Mencía withTempranillo and Garnacha blended in. It is sourced from Organically farmed vineyardsin the La Manch region of Spain. It is fermented and aged in stainless steel to preservefreshness. Serve this at room temp or slightly chilled. Pair this with Jamon Iberico, pizza,
pasta, and charcuterie. Juicy, bright, fruity but not sweet, and lips smacking good! 

Until next time – Salud! 

CHRISTOPHER Nyerges 

[Nyerges is author of “How to Survive Anywhere” and other books. He teaches classes onsurvival skills at Pasadena City College and on-line. He can be reached at www.SchoolofSelfReliance.
com.] 

CONSIDER CREATING A BACKYARD "SURVIVAL CAMP" 

These days, there are a lot of good reasons to increase your personal survival quotient. 

And there are several distinct benefits to creating a “survival camp” right in your 
own backyard. 

For example, once you create a backyard camp, you can use it to teach your children survival skillswithout having to take all the extra time of travel that actually going to a remote camp might require.
And in the comfort of your own backyard, you can teach your children all the essential skills that willhelp them lifelong – and let them have a great time learning it all. 

WHAT’S A BACKYARD SURVIVAL CAMP 

First, what exactly should be in a backyard survival camp?
Think of it this way. Your home was just ravaged by an earthquake, and it’s unlivable. There’s no power, 
and the gas is out. There is no where to go, immediately, so you’re now going to be living in the backyardcamp that you had set up so long ago. 

You’re going to need everything that you’d have in camp in the woods, and it all needs to be self-sustaining. 

You’ll need a shelter, a toilet, a way to cook, a way to wash, and somewhere nearby, a supply of water, food,
and basic hygiene gear and probably some tools. 

If you’re any sort of camper or prepper, you probably already have all the elements of this camp here andthere in your garage, and closets, and storage areas. But now we’re going to set it all up so you can “camp”
in your backyard, alone, or with family and friends, for a short while, or overnight and longer. 

Let’s look at each part of the camp. 

THE SHELTER 

For most of you, this can just be a pop-up tent that you purchased at a backpacking store. Even if you 
don’t plan to keep it up all the time, find a spot that is level, and maybe shaded. 

COOKING 

Cooking outdoors is easy on just a grill set on rocks, and you also need to have a supply of firewood to 
burn. Firewood is easy to come by, and it needn’t be large. Small twigs start easier, and if you’re justheating a small meal, a handful is usually enough to heat coffee or soup. Keep your firewood up off the 
ground somehow, and covered from the rain. 

But cooking with an open fire can get old. You might consider having an old barbeque handy, as well asan hibachi. Both of these are easy to cook on, easy to store, and require minimal fuel for cooking. 

Maybe you want something more like your kitchen stove. I’d suggest a Coleman camping stove, which 
typically has two burners and requires a can of fuel. These are durable, long-lasting, and easy to operate. 

CLEANLINESS 

Another necessity is a shower. In the past, we’ve heated water in a can, and then taken a “shower” with a 
half-gallon of hot water and a wash-rag. However, these days solar showers are sold everywhere, and they 
are highly recommended. I would not leave home for a camping trip without one, and I always keep oneat home for possible backyard use. These are heavy-duty plastic bags which you fill with water, lay in thesun for a few hours til hot, and then hang up to take your shower. They come in various sizes, and I thinkthe 2.5 gallon is the ideal size in terms of weight and time it takes to heat the water. 

TOILET 

There are several possibilities for a toilet in your survival camp. 

The easiest, of course, is just a hole in the ground, that you cover with some soil after each use. 

A bucket with a toilet seat cover is a bit better, and this allows you to move it about as needed, and thento bury the contents as needed. 

These days, backpacking stores and camping stores sell a variety of camping and “emergency” toiletswhich are useful for car-camping, or camping in the backyard. These are worth considering. Don’t forget 
to stock up on a little extra toilet paper. 

OTHER 

A backyard survival camp has a lot of benefits. It allows you the luxury of testing your gear and yourskills, and you might actually have to use it in a real emergency. 

You might make something very temporary, or more permanent, depending on your particular situationin terms of yard size, visibility to neighbors, and other factors. 

Mountain Views News 80 W Sierra Madre Blvd. No. 327 Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Office: 626.355.2737 Fax: 626.609.3285 Email: editor@mtnviewsnews.com Website: www.mtnviewsnews.com