I recently moved from Los Angeles, a city once described in its namesake magazine as a great food town (amazing produce, Korean and Mexican food), if not a great restaurant town. I’m now getting my bearings in Mountain View, in the Silicon Valley south of San Francisco. Initial assessment: nice farmers market for a suburban town; a surprising number of Korean restaurants; good selection of Indian restaurants and markets; and a Little Saigon that’s conveniently close, in San Jose.

I’m half black, half Korean, and all American; my home cooking style zooms from one continent to another, depending on my mood. I love to travel, especially to eat. I recently visited Montreal and Peru, and am planning trips to India and Provence, so expect all of that to influence my cooking. In real life, I write headlines for the L.A. Times and pithily sum up the opinions of others for Chowhound.com.

Cast of recurring characters (to be updated as needed):

Wes: My husband loves good food, but hates fighting traffic to get there. Born in Seoul, raised in L.A., he knows K-town like the back of his hand but has no idea what any of his favorite restaurants are called. He adores all the “bougie foods,” as he calls them - foie gras, caviar, prime rib - yet I can’t break him of his KFC habit. Also: can’t cook.

Daveena: A college friend whom I consider my alpha chowhound; she introduced me to the site before it went corporate, and epitomizes its high-low culinary aesthetic. Her palate is as discerning as a bloodhound’s (hey, taste is 75% smell) and she has a knack for le mot juste for describing flavors. She’s my (wo)man in Oakland.

Adriana: We’ve traveled (and eaten) together on three continents, memorably in Salvador (Bahia) and Miami. A Brazilian native, Adriana went to high school in China and is the only person I know who’s actually been to Kazakhstan … on horseback, at that. She has a fatal weakness for paella crust, tarte Tatin, Portuguese pastries and little fried things.

Ling: A buddy from j-school, Ling divides her time between L.A. and Shanghai, and although she seems to hit all the high-end restaurants wherever she goes, she expects to get as much quality for her money as in the Chinese restaurants of San Gabriel Valley – and most of those posh places come up short.

As for Frimfram Sauce, it’s the title of a song about an imaginary delicious food that the singer craves. On this blog, I’m holding out hope of finding it.