Costumed characters tend to disperse once the holidays wrap up, which is truly a sad fact in our book. Does it brighten the day, unexpectedly, to see an elf waving at you from across the street? Fact: It does.
But here in Southern California we've made rather an industry of famous animated people, so much so that we see them even after the yuletide season has bid adieu. Exhibit A: Popeye T. Sailorman -- middle name is "the," of course -- swung by his hometown of Santa Monica on Wednesday, Jan. 2 to launch a healthy eating initiative called Eat Well Week.
By the by, you know Popeye's birthplace is Santa Monica, right? We know, we know, he lives in Sweetwater, but our own ocean-fronting burg is very much tied to the spinach maven's rough-and-tumble beginnings.
If you, too, are a fan of the leafy green, or leafy foods in general, Eat Well Week should promptly go on that new calendar you just got for Christmas. It's happening from Sunday, Jan. 6 through Sunday, Jan. 13 at restaurants around Santa Monica.
The deal? Good-for-you foodstuffs will appear on discounted prix fixe menus during that week. Restaurants in the healthy swing include Dhaba Cuisine of India, The Lobster, and True Food Kitchen.
California Restaurant Month is indeed going on all through January, but we like this particularly positive spin. We all want to eat a little better come the start of the year, and we all have a sweet spot for Popeye, Santa Monica's long-time, muscle-man star.
Better mix some spinach in this week, with a dash of olive oyl. We're just sayin' is all.
