If you’re anywhere near UCI, make sure to stop and smell the roses. We’re not talking about the landscaping, here – we’re saying that you need to stop by Saffron & Rose. This Persian ice cream spot combines Iranian flavors with American classics for a dessert experience that’s more mind-blowing than brain freeze.

The Best Ice Cream Flavors in Orange County

We’ve written about game-changing Orange County ice cream shops before, but Saffron & Rose offers interesting flavors than even the most avant-garde dessert places can’t compete with. Not only are they different than anything you’ve seen at Baskin Robbins, but they’re also time-tested. Persian chefs have been making sweets with rosewater, pistachio and saffron for much longer than America has been a country, so you know this stuff is delicious.

My Saffron & Rose Menu Recommendations

The breadth of options at Saffron & Rose can be pretty intimidating, so it might be worth checking out their ice cream flavor menu before your visit. If you prefer to wing it, no worries – it’s hard to go wrong here.

On my visit, I opted for a two-scoop sundae. I went with one scoop of white rose and one of pomegranate, and let me tell you – that’s got to be one of the best combos you can come up with. Sweet, tart and immensely flavorful, the pomegranate ice cream is given even more of a boost by the addition of fresh pomegranate arils. It’s rounded out nicely by the creaminess of white rose, and both of them work together perfectly – neither becomes overwhelming.

Several of the flavors have their own mix-ins, not just pomegranate. The dark chocolate flavor is actually closer to a rocky road, and the large amount of walnut chunks swirled into it is absolutely lovely.

It goes perfectly with their strawberry ice cream, too. Instead of using artificial flavors, you can tell by the taste that Saffron & Rose uses real fruit for flavoring.

If that didn’t already prove their commitment to craftsmanship, the saffron and pistachio flavor will. They’re not messing around here. It’s chock-full of nuts, which give it a crunchy texture and saltiness that’s well-balanced by sweet, creamy saffron ice cream. It’s beautiful to look at, even better to eat, and definitely one of my recommended must-tries.

The Showstopper: Faloodeh Ice Cream

Faloodeh, “one of the world’s earliest-known frozen desserts”, is one of Saffron & Rose’s most famous flavors. It’s made out of thin, starchy noodles, rosewater syrup, and a little bit of lemon or lime to add freshness. Back in the day, people in Persia had to keep faloodeh in elaborate structures made of ice and clay (yakhchals), and it was limited to special occasions only. By using this innovative freezing method, they were able to pass down this delicious recipe for thousands of years, and now we get to enjoy the fruits of their labor.

Modern freezers allow us to enjoy this treat anytime we want, so let’s not let their efforts go to waste. Faloodeh ice cream is perfect for the sweltering summer months. The weather’s warming up, so the time to stop by is now. Try this flavor on its own or have it as a crunchy ice cream sandwich. Either way, you can’t go wrong.

Photo by Bret Kavanaugh

Where to Find Saffron & Rose

Irvine’s best Persian ice cream shop is within walking distance of the UCI campus, but not (as you might expect) in University Town Center. To get there, head to the corner of Campus Drive and Berkeley Avenue, making sure to turn into the shopping center when you see a sign for The Habit.

If your GPS doesn’t take you to the right spot, just sniff around for the smell of fresh waffle cones. Each scoop of ice cream is topped with a small waffle cookie, so they’re constantly baking them fresh.

The Orange County Ice Cream Tour

If you’re on a culinary tour of Irvine and you want some other ice cream places to compare to Saffron & Rose, check out a few of our other favorites:

Afters Ice Cream

Creamistry

SomiSomi

Did we miss any of your favorite ice cream shops in and around Irvine? Let us know! Reach out to the Irvine Weekly on our Instagram or Facebook pages and we’ll come visit your favorite dessert place.

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Any dessert enthusiast knows you have to respect the classics. The prime example of that is the humble and forgiving chocolate chip cookie. Invented in the 1930’s by Toll House Inn owner Ruth Graves Wakefield, its stratospheric rise in popularity cemented it as the quintessential American cookie.

Everyone has their own tips and tricks to make a delicious batch of chocolate chip cookies, and it’s easy to make them well. Making the best one, though — now, that’s something else entirely.

Not content to stick with delicious Portuguese egg tarts and Filipino ensaymada, Irvine’s Paderia Bakehouse decided to take on the challenge of making the best chocolate chip cookies. They definitely succeeded.

What’s on the Menu at Paderia Bakehouse

The cookies at Paderia are as thick as a fist, with chewy edges and a warm, gooey center. They combine the best qualities of cookie dough with the warmth and texture of a well-baked treat, and the flavor — indescribable.

Photo credit: Max Milla (@mxmilla)

There are a few different options on the cookie menu at Paderia:

• Classic chocolate chip. You’ll taste the high-quality chocolate in this cookie as you bite into its scrumptious center.
• Chocolate walnut. The soft inner layer of this cookie is interrupted by crunchy little morsels of walnut for a unique and delicious texture.
• Peanut butter chocolate. Salty, creamy peanut butter morsels liven up the classic chocolate chip cookie.
• Triple chocolate. This is for the true brownie lover. Made with imported Belgian chocolate (milk and dark combined), it’s incredibly rich and satisfying.
• Blueberry coconut pecan. This is a blueberry pie captured in the form of a cookie. The nutty, chewy addition of coconut flakes and pecans adds volume, body, and flavor. If you love fruit pies, you’ll love this.

While each is amazing in its own right, I have to be honest: the sheer goodness of the classic chocolate chip cookie kept me from trying the rest for a long time. Why mess with perfection? When I did, I realized my folly — I thought their cookies couldn’t get any better, but I was wrong. Instead of picking just one favorite, I would urge you to try them all. Seriously, get all of the cookies from Paderia. You won’t regret it.

Photo credit: Max Milla (@mxmilla)

Delicious Drinks at Paderia Bakehouse

Forget Starbucks — it’s all about the drink menu at this Irvine bakery. From fruit-sweetened tea to strong Central American coffee, Paderia has a wide variety of beverages available.

Tea lovers: try the strawberry jamaica (made with heart-healthy hibiscus petals), the minty citrus refresher, or the not-too-sweet pineapple tea. They’ll refresh your palate and take the edge off of their indulgent pastries.

If you need a little bit more caffeine than that, try the South American cold brew coffee or the Vietnamese iced coffee (sweetened condensed milk mixed with highly concentrated coffee).

Paderia Bakehouse also has a full menu of horchata, including:

• Classic horchata. This drink is a blend of rice, sweet vanilla, crème, and cinnamon.
• Matcha horchata. Trendy matcha goes well with this famous Mexican drink.
• Strawberry horchata. Strawberries and cream are the perfect combo, and this drink takes it to another level.
• Dulce de leche horchata. Caramel and velvety crème perfectly accentuate rich rice and cinnamon flavors.

Paderia Bakehouse’s Irvine Hours

Great news for pastry lovers! Paderia Bakehouse has extended the hours at its Irvine location. It’s now open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on the weekends. These new hours offer plenty of time to fit a cookie break into your schedule, so you can go multiple times a day if you want to. This reviewer definitely does!

Where to Find Paderia Bakehouse

The Irvine location of Paderia Bakehouse is located right off the 55 and 405 in The Square at Skypark Circle. If you’re surrounded by office buildings, you’ll know that you’re in the right place. If you’re lost, just look for the airport. It’s only two blocks down.

The shopping center that Paderia is in has plenty of parking available at both the back and front lots, so don’t worry about getting the timing just right. The location does get packed during the lunch rush, but you’ll still be able to find a spot.

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I walked into Eureka! last Friday and sat down with my bag, pulling out my laptop to draft up some articles for work. I began writing, and after a while, I began wondering why no one had taken my order yet.

I got up to use the bathroom, and a man sitting at a nearby table let me know that, in fact, the restaurant wasn’t open yet. Oops. My bad.

Even though I had very rudely, albeit accidentally, showed up 20 minutes before Eureka opens for the day, he let me know that I was welcome to stay and that he could take my drink order, which I of course very much appreciated. Even though it was 100 percent my mistake, they did me a favor and let me stay, which is more than I would have asked for.

I’ve gone to Eureka for beers before, and have even had a cocktail or two there. The options are endless, and everything I’ve tried there is great, but 10:40 a.m. is a little too early to start hitting the bottle, in my opinion. I decided to go with something alcohol-free.

I ended up ordering the “signature” lavender lemonade, which I highly recommend for those who love strong botanical liquors like gin. Instead of serving up an overwhelming, syrupy drink like I had feared, Eureka delivers a slightly bitter drink. It resembles a good cocktail, visually and taste-wise.

After the kitchen opened, I had my lunch order taken by Yessenia, who was also extremely gracious about me being there before the restaurant actually opened. 

It was a difficult choice to make. The deviled eggs on their appetizer menu are one of the best bar snacks I’ve ever had — creamy, mustardy, and topped with smoky pancetta. I’ve eaten them many times, and I don’t think I could possibly get tired of them, but I wanted to try something new.

It was a hard choice between the salads and the tacos. Each dish is filled with bold complementary flavors, and they all sounded interesting. Ultimately, I decided to go for California’s greatest food tradition and get the blackened fish tacos.

They were wonderful, with spicy charred whitefish smothered in a zingy mango slaw and served on corn tortillas. Despite the smattering of diced mango, the tacos are well-balanced and not overly sweet. They aren’t painfully spicy, but they do have a pleasant kick.

The tacos come with a side of tortilla chips and salsa. The salsa container is much smaller than I had hoped, but I ate every last drop. It’s a pretty mild fire-roasted sauce, dark-colored with bits of char and tomatillo throughout. I could probably have eaten three containers of it.

After I finished munching on my chips and went back to working on my laptop, Yessenia came by to see if I needed anything else, then let me know that she wasn’t going to rush me, which I appreciated. I ended up paying and scramming to get to an interview I had for another article, but I liked that I had the option to stay if I chose to.

I was considering going back to Eureka for drinks later. Seriously, their beer selection alone is too tempting to pass up, not to mention the array of mixed drinks on the menu. Unfortunately, rain started pouring down. Drivers in Irvine aren’t always the most attentive, I assume due to them mostly being too used to using Tesla Autopilot — and there are always more crashes when it’s raining. 

Eureka! (Bret Kavanaugh)

I ended skipping my Eureka revisit that night, but I did go back the next morning with a group for their famous brunch. Our waitress suggested we try the cold brew coffee they had on hand, and I’m glad we did. The coffee was made by ThunderKing Brewing Co. and came in a slick black-and-gold labeled brown bottle, like a fancy craft beer. It didn’t just resemble one visually — the smooth taste indicated that the same amount of care as a small-batch IPA is put into ThunderKing’s coffee.

I ordered the chilaquiles with a fried egg over-hard, which was fine. I wasn’t a huge fan of the sauce-to-dish ratio, by which I mean that the bottom half of the dish becomes a sauce-and-tortilla slurry pretty quickly. Regardless, I got pretty full off the top half — the portion sizes are great here. I wouldn’t order it again, but it was still a good breakfast.

The main highlight of the breakfast menu seems to be the cheap mimosas and bellinis, but their French dip sandwich is also a winner. The meat quality is noticeably high, which is a welcome change from your typical diner-style dip. It’s juicy on its own, but the salty, flavorful jus served on the side is still a fantastic addition. 

By default, the French dip comes with fries and a few dipping, which I tried and can also vouch for. They’re crispy, salty and nicely seasoned. There’s nothing gimmicky about them, they’re just good.

Eureka! (Bret Kavanaugh)

Overall, I’d have to recommend Eureka to anyone who finds themselves near the UCI campus, especially if they’re a fan of interesting beers. The back of the restaurant features a long row of taps — the longest I’ve ever seen — and a floor-to-ceiling blackboard with more beers listed on it than I can count. 

It’s a great rest stop to enjoy a creamy ale or a bright, bitter IPA — just make sure you wait until they’ve opened to grab yourself a seat. I’d recommend them for any day when you feel like being cozy, especially if you’re feeling snackish. Like I said earlier, it’s not my first time around the block, and it’s always nice to pair an alcoholic beverage with their appetizers. I love gin, but I’m not much of a liquor fan besides that; however, the word on the street is that their selection of small-batch whiskeys is also worth checking out.

Whatever you choose to order, it’s going to turn out fine. The service is fantastic, friendly and quick, and almost everything on their menu is pure gold. 

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You have to go to Everyday Eatery.

Yeah, I know — I love every restaurant I review. Sue me, Irvine has great food.

I was going to love Everyday Eatery no matter what. But this Kiwi-owned brunch café is on another level. It’s picturesque, of course — millennial-pink walls, cute little succulents and preciously garnished foodstuffs are definitely part of the experience — but there’s real substance to it.

A friendly, wan employee encouraged me to take photos for Instagram so I would get the word out about this place. A good suggestion — it made my food-reviewer photography seem a little less obnoxious. I was also not the only person in the place who was spending long amounts of time taking photos of her food from every angle — in fact, there were several tables of people doing the same exact thing.

Everyday Eatery (Bret Kavanaugh)

I couldn’t go with Ryan, so I dragged my boyfriend along. Despite a few food restrictions, he’s usually pretty game for anything. This also looked like the sort of place that would have an enlightened hipster menu with plenty of milk substitutes — which it did. 

We settled into a corner booth by the window where we got a good view of the outside. Like most restaurants in Irvine, it borders the parking lot, but we did get to people-watch. Everyday Eatery is fast-casual, so it’s best to grab your favorite seat and let the other person go up to order. It was my turn to pay for the date, so I told him to go ham (figuratively) and order whatever he wanted. We got the housemade granola bowl, kale and sweet potato macro bowl, kombucha, and hibiscus iced tea.

The hibiscus iced tea was great and very refreshing — flavorful, with no added sweetness needed.(Its dark pink color also looks great in photos.) The pale pink kombucha (the flavor was “Bloom”, from  brewer Fermensch) is a credit to its category — better than the stuff I make at home. It’s flavored with blueberries, lavender and chamomile, but no one flavor overwhelms. 

While we were waiting for our bowls, we spent more time admiring the décor — the pastel pink espresso machine, the fuzzy throw pillows, the plants — and chatted with Nasim, the owner. She’s a New Zealander who moved here with her half-Kiwi husband, and in the great tradition of those from “down undah”, she decided to open the best breakfast place on the block.

Everyday Eatery (Bret Kavanaugh)

(Side note: Between the Australian folks who run Outpost Kitchen and that really good tiny pie place, and Nasim here at Everyday Eatery, this is becoming a real trend. Should we be worried?)

She’s friendly, chipper and funny, and I certainly hope her business succeeds. Everyday Eatery is brand new, and still has a sign up that says “SOFT OPENING.” That new. However, if it weren’t for the sign, I truly wouldn’t have guessed. The service is great, and everything ran smoothly and looked delicious.

It tasted delicious, too. Our food arrived relatively quickly, and we were captivated from the moment we saw it. Once I took a few dozen pictures of everything, it was time to dig in … and the world stopped at that first bite of granola.

Firm, sweet bananas. Strawberries so ripe they were dripping with juice. Almond milk. Delicious Everyday Eatery granola that was mercifully free of cinnamon and full of black sesame seeds. Please, just get the granola bowl. You’ll see what I mean.

Everyday Eatery (Bret Kavanaugh)

Really. I don’t mean to be the type of person who waxes poetic about granola, but I guess I’ve become that. This breakfast bowl will make you do the same thing. Order at your own risk.

The macro bowl was just as good. With some sort of creamy, unidentifiable green salad dressing, black lentils, quinoa, kale, sweet potatoes and little wisps of sprouted vegetation, this one is a culinary winner. It was warming, homey and perfect for winter, without being heavy. I was full and satisfied, but didn’t feel overfed. The portions were generous without being excessive.

While my boyfriend and I scraped the last remnants out of the bowl, we got a text from a friend: Did we want to get lunch? Everyday Eatery is open until 4 p.m., so we sent him the address and told him to run over. I figured it might take an hour or so, but Nasim and her employees weren’t rushing us, and I had a good book I wanted to finish, so I figured I would just stick around.

I scanned the menu for an item or two I could snack on while trying to finish Jon Ronson’s So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed (which I also highly recommend). There was a small section with wellness drinks, and after a chat with the guy at the counter I felt tempted to order two. I wouldn’t typically do that, but hey, food reviewing is work. I felt like I could justify the expense.

On his recommendation, I ordered the matcha green tea latte and the turmeric rose latte.

Everyday Eatery (Bret Kavanaugh)

My friends, trust me when I say this — that turmeric latte is a must-get. I don’t actually like turmeric, and I only ever eat it because it’s a powerful anti-inflammatory. I did not expect to love this drink, but I did. The rose syrup and milk completely cancelled out the turmeric’s bitterness, resulting in one of the best drinks I have ever tasted. As much as I love Coffee Tomo (and I really, really do), this drink tops their offerings. It’s a close race, but this is a superlative drink.

I’m sure that, at this point, you’re clear on what I think of Everyday Eatery. Please go. Bring your friends. Bring your family when they’re visiting from out of town — trust me, they’ll be suitably impressed. Bring someone here for your first date. Bring someone here for hangover brunch. Nasim has built an extraordinary restaurant, and I want to see it prosper.

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As a coffee snob, I feel confident in saying that Coffee Tomo is one of the best coffee shops in Orange County. We went to Coffee Tomo on a bright Saturday in the early afternoon, grabbed an outside table, and perused the menu for something refreshing and caffeinated.

Photo by Bret Kavanaugh

I went with the Thunderstorm, and my coworker, Minnie, opted for the frozen hot chocolate. The Thunderstorm (a drink I had never previously heard of) is espresso poured over ice and filled to the brim with seltzer water. I was concerned that the drink might be bitter, but the remarkable smoothness of Coffee Tomo’s beans made it very drinkable. The seltzer water makes this novel version of an iced Americano absolutely perfect for a hot day, and it guarded me against the weather … along with the umbrella on our table.

Minnie’s frozen hot chocolate was a sight to behold – a frosty drink with the consistency of a milkshake, topped with two fat scoops of French vanilla ice cream and a pile of whipped cream as big as a kitten. I begged to try it, and I have to say, it is obvious at a sip that the drink uses high-quality ingredients. I’m not sure what type of chocolate is used, but I can tell you for certain that it’s not Hershey’s. If I had to compare this drink to anything I’ve previously tried, I’d point to the (very pricey) Belgian chocolate milk from Whole Foods.

To cut the sweetness of her drink, Minnie ordered a plain, salted pretzel. Now, this is no ordinary pretzel. Coffee Tomo’s plain pretzels are the platonic ideal of their type – chewy, buttery and fresh out of the oven. I ordered one of the filled pretzels, and while I enjoyed it, I found it a bit too rich. Minnie, who ended up finishing it, said it was one of the best cafe snacks she’s ever had. I will concede (and she agreed) that the ratio of filling to pretzel was perfect.

Since I went with the sweet potato and cheese pretzel on my first visit, I decided to go with something more aggressively savory on the second. After an agonizing internal debate, I chose the jalapeño- and cheese-filled pretzel, which was served promptly by two cheery employees (whose names I did not get). The pickled jalapeños stood up well to the salty cheese, and the pretzel managed, somehow, to hold all that flavor without bursting.

As full as I was from the pretzel, I wanted to try a few items from Tomo’s menu that I was less familiar with. I was tempted to try the non-frozen hot chocolate – that is to say, hot chocolate – but the weather was too good for that. June gloom had fled for the day, and I would, alas, have to save the hot drinks for another day.

I instead ordered the “G9,” a nutty blended drink made of different seeds and grains ground together and blended with milk. It tasted like an almond milk-and-pumpkin-seed milkshake – fatty, creamy and delicious. I’ve never had anything like this before, but I’m glad I took a chance on it. If the pretzel hadn’t already convinced me to make Coffee Tomo my new regular spot, the G9 would have done it.

I can consume dairy without a problem, but I did notice how plentiful – and how good – the dairy-free options are. Unlike many cafes, Tomo doesn’t add an extra charge for non-dairy milk substitutes, and many of its most compelling drinks are dairy-free by default. Some drinks, like the Tomo Latte (which contains condensed milk) cannot be made without dairy, but there’s really no shortage of other options.

Photo by Bret Kavanaugh

As impressive as its coffee, pretzels and novel menu items are, Coffee Tomo has much more going for it. Because it’s located in a large shopping center, parking is plentiful, and it’s easy to get a spot in front of the cafe itself. It’s also a great place to study, with well-shaded outdoor tables and a quiet, clean interior. The employees are helpful, make great recommendations, and don’t rush customers into leaving. There’s also free wifi – helpful if, like me, you rely on the use of online tools for your job. There are always customers around, but not too many people for anyone to easily snag a table.

In addition to practical matters, this cafe also has a top-tier playlist – I noticed songs by the Decembersists and Thao & the Get Down Stay Down, which are two of my favorite bands. If you’re into mid-2000s Stereogum-popularized indie music, you’ll love the song list. I’m not sure who the DJ is, but I’m pretty sure our Spotify histories have a lot in common.

Coffee Tomo is slightly more expensive than a typical boba cafe, but lines up price-wise with most cafes I’ve been to. As a customer, expect to pay $10-15 during your visit. Given the quality of everything I had here, I thought that was more than fair – especially since they had a “10% off” deal posted on Yelp when I went.

I firmly believe that this is one of the best cafes in Orange County – frankly, in the whole L.A. metropolitan area – and I’ve been telling everyone as much since my visit. I would recommend every single item I tried, though with the caveat that the sweet potato- and cheese-filled pretzel is best for someone with a serious sweet tooth.

While I didn’t yet have the opportunity to try some of the other adventurous options, I’m looking forward to dragging myself and my friends over to pick a few new things off the menu. Between the library-like interior and the sunny hang-out tables in front, this cafe has everything a patron could ask for. I think I’ll be trying some of the jelly drinks next.

Coffee Tomo
Culver Plaza Shopping Center
15333 Culver Dr. #450
Irvine, CA  92604
www.coffeetomoirvine.com

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I had assumed that this year would be like the fledgling version — a good enough time, but sparsely attended and with few activities. I was, I’m happy to say, mistaken. OC Pride 2019 had multiple stages, and I caught some excellent performances from drag queen Xotica Erotica and Torrey Mercer. The corporate sponsors barely fit on a person-sized poster, and the whole event was a maze of tents. There were food trucks, photo ops and more drag queens dressed like nuns than I’d previously seen in my entire life. 

(Bret Kavanaugh)

I took some fabulous shots of Sister Burna Cross and Sister Electra Complex from the Los Angeles Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, and then headed for the nonprofit tents. I caught up with a few people representing LGBTQ+-focused nonprofits to talk about OC Pride and how they were helping the community. Priya Shah, who works with the Orange County Equality Coalition (OCEC), told me about the organization and what it’s focusing on today.

I learned that the OCEC, which was founded during the fight against Proposition 8 (which abolished gay marriage after it had been legalized in California), is fighting for LGBTQ youth in grades K-12. They’re also working with Youth First California to put forth an LGBTQ+ Students’ Bill of Rights. While she conceded that the organization has faced some challenges here in Orange County, Priya sounded optimistic about the future. 

Felicity Figueroa, another volunteer at OCEC, offered to read me one of the children’s books that the OCEC had stocked up for their mini-“Alternative Book Fair.” Makhana Johnson, age 6 (and a half), sat attentively for the reading, while William Etheridge-Chang, age 6, played nearby. 

After a soothing rendition of “It’s Ramadan, Curious George,” Felicity and I got to talking about her involvement with other nonprofits, including the Newport-Mesa Interfaith Council. As an Irvine resident, she values any opportunity to educate people (young or old) about the different types of diversity they may encounter. Felicity told me a little more about the OCEC children’s book fair (held annually), which promotes books about diverse characters that are sometimes controversial. “We thought we would do alternative books, too,” she told me. “But not only for LGBT.”

Refreshed, and with hope for the future, I roamed around until I heard a barbershop quartet on the main stage. After enjoying some delightful rendition of barbershop songs and doo-wop classics, I approached the group offstage. Bass singer Will Kohlschreiber ran me through the group’s history. #TheAccidentals (yes, hashtag included) began five years ago in New York City with Dave Albulario and Robert Rice. Their producer had been asked to furnish a barbershop quartet for an event, and they were the hapless (or happy) able volunteers. After some local success, they headed west and picked up Will and Josh Munnell, and, well, “that’s how it happens” (in Will’s words).  

(Bret Kavanaugh)

Bolstered by Will’s enthusiasm, I bounced around the festival to take photos of revelers and talk to them about their LGBTQ pride. Ajay Parihar, a young celebrant dressed in a flag cape and a homemade Anubis-style mask, told me that Pride is about “being free, and being who you are.” 

I popped over to the Latin Stage, where an exuberant drag queen was riling up the crowd and inviting a pair of good-looking young men in booty shorts onstage. The crowd was thinner over on this side of the festival, but the vibe was more intimate, and the queen was working the audience like an expert. If you speak Spanish — or even if you don’t — the Latin stage is the place to be. 

After that, I headed to the LGBT Center of Orange County’s tent to speak to volunteer Kade Morgan. He started volunteering in February in order to give back — as he told me, he’s “not rich,” but he certainly can volunteer his time, and he wanted to give what he could. “If everyone took some time out of their week to help their community,” he elaborated, “we could make that much more of a difference.” 

After talking to Kade and learning more about the LGBT Center of Orange County, I roamed around the festival collecting freebies — flyers, product samples and stickers from companies like Blizzard and Nothing Bundt Cakes. There were a few tents providing community services, including a Pokemon-themed one with free STD tests (because “you don’t want to catch them all!”).

(Bret Kavanaugh)

Having enjoyed what I was seeing, I dragged an old friend I ran into over to the main stage to watch Torrey Mercer’s excellent performance. Her music was catchy, upbeat and the crowd was enjoying it plenty — especially the girl she pulled onstage. I ran into a few more people I knew in the front row of the show — the openly queer community in Orange County is growing, but it’s still a small world — and we danced to the beat for a while. Despite the heat, everybody seemed to be grooving.

I had prejudged what OC Pride would be, and I was shocked, I admit, to find a sprawling festival all over the streets of downtown Santa Ana. OC Pride has grown hugely since its inception, and I look forward to it becoming the hip new Pride festival in Southern California. Long Beach Pride, you’ll have to step to the side. Gone are the days of commuting to another county in order to have a good time, see some great drag, and enjoy some queer pop music or doo-wop — we’ve got it all right here. 

Thanks to the assistance of Orange County’s business (and nonprofit) community and the heroic efforts of the OC Pride organizers, what began as a small celebration has turned into a fairly large and full-fledged festival. I look forward to attending OC Pride for many years to come, and it’s amazing to see how far we’ve come. 

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An unseen hand tucks a water bottle behind a rock, with something inside. A picture is posted to Instagram, and then all of a sudden a crowd comes running. The owner of the bottle is nowhere to be found.

A figure in all black sits down at a table on the UC Irvine campus. He looks like a shadow, a silhouette, but upon further examination you see that he’s wearing a morphsuit. On top of his head sits a bright red beanie. Around his waist is a black fanny pack.

Photo courtesy of Petr the Anteatr

It’s Petr the Anteatr.

No, that’s not a typo. The owner of the unseen hand tells me later that “Petr” is pronounced “Pet-urr,” in ironic homage to the UCI mascot, Peter the Anteater.

Petr opens the fanny pack and pulls out sticker after sticker after sticker, and on every single one is a little doodle well-known to the Irvine community: A bow-legged anteater with a big snout and a triangle on his chest. He stands on two legs, has crossed eyes and looks constantly bewildered.

Once Petr is spotted, his location is broadcast on Instagram, Reddit, Snapchat and, presumably, over text. The line begins to form and then snakes outwards, each person queuing up to get a sticker from his fanny pack and then leave. They compare “Petr”s later. Some received holiday-themed stickers from this shadow benefactor, while others bring home cowboy- or Pokemon-themed ones.

Who is Petr the Anteatr? I had seen his work all over the /r/UCI subreddit, but was unclear on exactly what was going on here. There seemed to be several people posting original versions of the sticker online, and it was impossible to tell who was behind the sticker craze, or even to figure out how many people were doing it.

As it turns out, there are two Petrs on campus: The original artist, and an even more secretive individual. I got in touch with both, though only was able to get a sit-down chat with the latter.

For clarity, both individuals are being referred to as “he.” I’ll be referring to the original artist as Petr the Anteatr (Original Petr). He is the one who is frequently seen around campus. The one I sat down with in person I’ll refer to as “Cardio Petr” (CP). He is never seen; he runs the stickers all over campus. He explained the situation.

Photo courtesy of Petr the Anteatr

So, I asked them both, who is Petr the Anteatr? Who is Cardio Petr?

As Cardio Petr helpfully explained, he himself is only one thing — a UCI student with a passion for building culture on campus and making people aware that there’s more to Irvine than beige buildings and great public schools.

As for what Petr is, that’s more complicated — he’s a person, an ironic character and a community asset. Petr the Anteatr is a stressed-out UCI student who’s cautious about being identified. He’s a guerrilla artist, a funny little anteater on two legs, a new tradition.

As it turns out, Cardio Petr is less a guerrilla artist and more a guerrilla … organizer? Distributor? In his own words:

“If you want to refer to me, you can refer to me as The Community Petr. That’s what I really am. People will submit their own designs of Peter, and I’ll hold a competition, and the community (in my particular case, people on Reddit and on Instagram) will vote for what design they want to win. That’s the design that’s printed and then distributed.”

Petr had become a sort of cultural touchstone on campus, from what I could tell off the UCI forums, and I asked both of them about that. Why the anteater, specifically? Was there something inherently funny about it, or something about the UCI student body that would naturally endear them to Petr the Anteatr?

“If you look at our meme accounts, et cetera, that’s where most of our culture comes from,” Cardio Petr pointed out. Original Petr said that it was always his intention for Petr to become such a widespread and well-known symbol of campus culture, and both seemed to agree on that:

“So, back to the origins of Petr.” Cardio Petr was prepared to explain from top to bottom how the whole movement started. “It popped up on reddit as a design and the whole pretext was, we want to bring something to UCI culture.”

He complimented the student body’s event planning, but noted that some students are not as interested in social events, and he feels very positively about helping them experience college in their own way. Petr, compared to events like Shocktoberfest or Freshman Orientation, “is a lot more spontaneous. It pops in and out. Somebody will show up and be like, alright I’m here for like two hours. I have a bunch of stickers, come swarm me and I will give you all the stickers … it’s a lot more spontaneous, and it’s a lot more sarcastic.” Original Petr seemed to be in agreement, adding that he wanted to add to the culture in any way he could.

Photo courtesy of Petr the Anteatr

“Sarcastic?” I asked. He clarified. “I mean, [the anteater] is just a funny looking icon. [Petr the Anteatr] is a community interpretation of what our mascot really is.” The community interpretations haven’t just stopped at the anteater himself, as both Petrs pointed out.

“About my Petrs,” Original Petr texted. “I love them all so much, but it’s also within my creative mindset, so they don’t excite me the way other people’s renditions do.”

And what was your favorite version? I asked.

“I once got a Peter of me,” he responded. “It had my beanie, gloves, and the whole get up. It was holding a Petr sticker as well!” There had been other interpretations, too, more unusual ones — engineering projects, rave totems, photo mosaics and Cardio Petr’s personal favorite: A rendition of the goofy little anteater with a tear running down his face, clutching a midterm bearing a red “C-”.

When asked about what’s in store for the two most famous, secretive Petr-sticker vendors on campus, both had big answers. Original Petr kept it vague, saying that he has much in store both Petr-wise and “not directly Petr-related.” Cardio Petr alluded to a larger citywide version of his notorious online scavenger hunt.

You can follow Original Petr for updates on Instagram at @petr_the_anteatr, and contact Cardio Petr at his email address, communitypetr@gmail.com. Both Petrs can also be tracked easily with the #petr tag on Twitter, Snapchat, Facebook and Instagram.

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Always True. Mostly True. Sometimes True. Mostly False. Always False.

Pick one.

I am not affected by stress.

Always True. Mostly True. Sometimes True. Mostly False. Always False.

Pick one.

I am well-regarded by my peers.

Always True.

I sleep well at night.

Sometimes True?

It is acceptable to lie if it means getting out of trouble.

Always False. Definitely Always False. Right?

I am capable of love.

Always… wait. What? That’s a real question?

It is a real question, and anyone applying for a job in the 21st century is probably familiar with this process. You find a job online, you put your resume in, then manually re-enter all the information that’s on your resume into the company’s proprietary application system. You write a cover letter that drools over the company’s ego, you wait for a response, and …

There it is, two minutes out. It’s an automated email with a link to an assessment test. It’s an hour and a half long, it could double as an intake form for a mental hospital, and if you don’t do it, they won’t even consider you for the job. Realistically, they won’t consider you anyway, but you have no choice but to do it.

So you do. You carve out that long stretch of time from your day, and you give them all your answers. Stress habits? Check. Management style? Personal goals? Your relationship with your family? Your life satisfaction level?

Well, you can’t be that satisfied with your life if you’ll willingly sit through this process in a futile hope to change at least a part of it. But that’s fine, it’s easy enough to lie on these assessments. Nobody will know that you’re a real human with complicated emotions. If they knew that, they’d never hire you.

So you’re Businessman Ken or Businesswoman Barbie, made of plastic, absolutely perfect, with no rough edges or jagged points. You’re hireable, right? Right?

Maybe. But you’ll never know, because that company that you just jumped through hoops for will never email you back. Were you overqualified? Underqualified? Adequately qualified, but the department instituted a hiring freeze? It’s your best guess, buddy.

So you do it again. And again, and again, and again. And one of those times, the company you’ve applied to won’t make you take the Myers-Briggs to prove you can do data entry. They won’t make you take a 400-question psychology screen to be a waitress at Cheesecake Factory. They’ll just treat you like a normal person who’s looking for a job, and they’ll tell you when and why they decided not to hire you. If you’re lucky, they’ll end up offering you a job. It’s a long shot, but it could happen.

Someday, companies may realize that this doesn’t work – that you can’t quantify someone being a good fit for the company with a multiple choice questionnaire, even if you make the test three hours long. But I won’t hold my breath.

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