Lifestyle
'Cats: The Jellicle Ball' gets 10s across the board : It's Been a Minute
!['Cats: The Jellicle Ball' gets 10s across the board : It's Been a Minute 'Cats: The Jellicle Ball' gets 10s across the board : It's Been a Minute](https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2024/07/22/untitled-design-27-_wide-5f878d6e6e61a5af4d22f5e27bd73a2815681fc7.jpg?s=1400&c=100&f=jpeg)
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Lifestyle
Forget Erewhon, this local grocery chain has the best water selection in L.A.
![Forget Erewhon, this local grocery chain has the best water selection in L.A. Forget Erewhon, this local grocery chain has the best water selection in L.A.](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/15753a7/2147483647/strip/true/crop/6000x3150+0+425/resize/1200x630!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F3b%2F57%2F4f3d92d841d4b78f7d19aba6e7ef%2F1451105-wk-jons-water-03-mjc.jpg)
I’ve just discovered a secret oasis in the sparkling water aisle at a local grocery store in Little Armenia. I’ve driven past this location many times but never paid it any notice. By my side is Martin Riese, a certified water sommelier. He’s pointing to bottles from international brands I’ve never heard of. Riese highlights some noteworthy selections: Ararat (from Armenia), Gerolsteiner (from Germany), Jermuk Borjomi (from Georgia) and Tehuacan (from Mexico), which he’s never seen before — a rarity for the H20 obsessive.
![The Big Wet Guide to Water](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/9429aa7/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1800x568+0+15/resize/510x161!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F69%2F12%2Fb66c7fdb4545884a85e4bf082533%2Fh20-infobox-02-blue.png)
In L.A., water rules everything around us. Drink up, cool off and dive into our stories about hydrating and recreating in the city.
No, we are not at Erewhon, Lassen’s or any other upscale, trendy market. Rather, we are standing inside a Jons Fresh Marketplace, a family-owned L.A. grocery chain. According to Riese, it’s the best place to buy rare, affordable drinking water in L.A. In addition to general market waters like Crystal Geyser and Arrowhead, the store offers more than a dozen water brands from at least eight countries.
Riese should know where to buy the best water. He created his first “water menu” in Berlin in 2005 and has been certified as a water sommelier by the German Water Trade Assn. since 2011. His days are spent consulting for beverage brands, educating people about water via his popular TikTok and holding monthly Zoom water tastings that cost $105, which includes the cost of water and participation for up to four people. German-born, he came to the United States in 2011 but didn’t discover Jons until he moved to Van Nuys in 2022 and found one right next to his house.
![A hand holding up a Polar water bottle and pointing to the label.](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/ed3255b/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2071x3106+0+0/resize/800x1200!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ffb%2F1b%2F3b55a3f4408e84cfd7917a7e7b5f%2F1451105-wk-jons-water-20-mjc-1.jpg)
Water sommelier Martin Riese points out the absurdity of “Naturally Calorie-Free” labeling on a bottle of water.
![A closeup of a man drinking out of a small red Solo cup.](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/e5884cc/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2667x4000+0+0/resize/800x1200!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F7e%2Fdc%2F912a36e34cd5a37def1d80cb19f2%2F1451105-wk-jons-water-23-mjc-1.jpg)
Riese tastes a sample of mineral water purchased from Jons.
“I want to bring awareness to people that there’s other options than the regular stuff you can find literally in Pavilions or Ralphs,” Riese says. “They always have the same brands. I walked in [to Jons] and I could not believe you can actually buy this great portfolio in a store.”
Jons was founded in 1977 by John and Jack Berberian, Armenian immigrants, with Los Angeles’ vast foreign population in mind.
“They were committed to helping other recent immigrants adjust to their new lives by making some of the food and ingredients that were familiar to them [available],” says Dave Harriman, the director of retail nonperishable departments. The company has long claimed that Jons was the first L.A. grocery store to offer international foods.
![Bottles of Armenian sparkling water brand Ararat at Jons.](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/6ecde01/2147483647/strip/true/crop/6000x4000+0+0/resize/2000x1333!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F36%2F3e%2Fdbda03484d49a5e9483004a45cf1%2F1451105-wk-jons-water-09-mjc.jpg)
Armenian sparkling water brand Ararat at Jons..
This merchandising approach extends to the water selection, specifically the sparkling aisle. Most “bottled waters” available in American grocery stores are simply filtered tap water, essentially what you could make at home with your Brita, according to Riese. To sommeliers like him, spring or mineral waters are preferable because they come from a natural source; they are rich in calcium, magnesium and sodium. Depending on the water, there are different levels of each, changing not just its taste but its health benefits. Unlike most American waters, European water labels that Jons carries detail each of their product’s exact mineral composition on the bottle.
Riese explains that in Germany, there are more than 60 water brands so packed with minerals that they go beyond simple hydration and are considered a form of medication by the German Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety.
“This is a state-approved medication, but it’s nothing else than bottled water,” he said. “So for example, a Gerolsteiner — which you can find at Jons — has the same amount of calcium as a glass of milk.”
Other highlights among Jons aisles are Borjomi, a Georgian seltzer that’s available in L.A. only at international grocery stores like Jons and Super King. Romano Chobanu, a sales manager for the water brand, calls it a “unique water,” with a “specific taste, which is different than other mineral waters like Italian.” It’s high in sodium and is used as a hangover cure in Eastern Europe: “After you’re having your party or something, you drink Borjomi,” he said. (A strategy Riese endorses.)
![An overhead view of a shopping cart, holding products including butter, veggies and bottles of Coca-Cola and Jermuk water.](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/5838128/2147483647/strip/true/crop/6000x4000+0+0/resize/2000x1333!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F06%2F6a%2F849a89404a17b6af832dff56e2e9%2F1451105-wk-jons-water-10-mjc.jpg)
A Jons customer said he drank Jermuk mineral water in Armenia.
![A man pouring water into tiny red Solo cups in the parking lot of a grocery store.](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/949b875/2147483647/strip/true/crop/6000x4000+0+0/resize/2000x1333!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ff8%2Fa3%2Fe84a95db4d29b4676d089c1a759e%2F1451105-wk-jons-water-22-mjc.jpg)
Water sommelier Martin Riese sets up a water taste comparison of several brands of mineral water available at Jons.
For a little over $10, Martin and I purchase five waters for an impromptu taste tasting on an electrical box out front, using tiny red Solo cups typically used for shots of alcohol. Riese arranges them from lowest mineral content to highest, starting with Poland Springs, then Ararat, followed by Gerolsteiner, Borjomi and Jermuk (also from Armenia). As we move from right to left, the tasting notes grow more complex, and the saltiness intensifies. As I connect with my own inner water sommelier, I identify Borjomi, the aforementioned hangover aide, as my favorite, and find Poland Springs to taste revolting in comparison to the others.
Riese comments colorfully, as a wine sommelier would detail the notes of a Pinot Grigio, suggesting certain waters pair best with certain foods. “Your food will taste differently just based on the water,” he says, offering that Saratoga (from New York), also available at Jons, pairs great with sushi because of its low mineral content.
The best part is, all of this was far more affordable than a wine tasting — or even what you’d find at other high-end grocery stores.
“I feel sometimes that Americans love to get fooled,” Riese says, with the caveat that he loves America. “I don’t know what it is. But they love thinking always when something is more expensive, it’s immediately a better product. And that is absolutely not true. Especially when it comes to water.”
Lifestyle
Hey SNL, we're ready for Maya's Kamala
![Hey SNL, we're ready for Maya's Kamala Hey SNL, we're ready for Maya's Kamala](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/3000x1688+0+0/resize/1400/quality/100/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F36%2Faa%2Fe427ae5d410b8b6867df5ef0816c%2Fap24204642892973.jpg)
Social media is crying out for comedian Maya Rudolph (right) to bring her Kamala Harris impression back to SNL.
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Voters might be having a variety of feelings about Kamala Harris, presidential candidate. But comedy lovers are unequivocal.
“Upside? Maya Rudolph,” as Amy Sedaris succinctly puts it on Instagram.
YouTube
Social media is crying out with excitement over the prospect of Rudolph bringing back her uncanny impression of Harris. Her seductive, cocktail-sipping, “I’m America’s cool aunt,” Kamala Harris was a huge hit when she debuted it back in October 2019 when California Sen. Harris was running for president. The episode in which she played Harris hosting a “Unity Seder” won an Emmy.
YouTube
During the episode in which she debated Vice President Mike Pence, Rudolph gave us a hint at the images that informed her Harris impression. “I’m going to smile at him like I’m in a T.J. Maxx and a white lady asked me if I work here,” and, “I’m going to switch to more of a Clair Huxtable side-eye.”
So far, representatives for Rudolph and SNL have not replied to NPR’s request for comment. But the pressure is on.
“Hope Maya Rudolph has cleared her schedule,”writes Yashar Ali on X.
Comedian H. Alan Scott is already counting on her return: “WAIT! I just realized Kamala Harris being the nominee means more Maya Rudolph on Saturday Night Live. For this I am grateful,” he writes on Instagram.
YouTube
Vice President Harris herself might welcome Rudolph’s return. She seems to have been tickled by the comedian’s impersonation of her.
![Maya Rudolph Once Struggled With Identity And Belonging. Now It's Her Inspiration](https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/08/16/gettyimages-463532224_sq-a98bdf2f16755d148a158c76a528d57ec57c497f.jpg?s=100&c=100&f=jpeg)
Lifestyle
Keanu Reeves Says He Thinks About Death 'All the Time'
![Keanu Reeves Says He Thinks About Death 'All the Time' Keanu Reeves Says He Thinks About Death 'All the Time'](https://imagez.tmz.com/image/32/16by9/2024/07/23/32687cc9eb57415c995adff1febe93b0_xl.jpg)
BBC
Keanu Reeves is sharing his candid thoughts on mortality, and the fact is … “the end” is something that’s top of mind for him right now.
The actor joined author China Miéville on the BBC to promote their new novel, “The Book of Elsewhere,” which follows an immortal character who is eager to die — which explains why the morbid topic was brought up in the first place.
As Keanu put it … at 59 years old, he’s “thinking about death all the time,” especially since he described himself as “young-old.”
For those concerned about his fixation on death, KR defended his mindfulness about mortality as actually being a good thing.
Here’s his most positive spin on his death obsession … “Hopefully it sensitizes [us] to an appreciation of the breath we have, and the relationships that we have the potential to have.”
Keanu’s confessions didn’t stop there, as the actor later admitted in the interview that he did not write “The Book of Elsewhere,” and gave full credit to China.
However, as the new novel is based on Keanu’s “BRZRKR” comic book series, CM said the A-lister deserved more credit than he’s willing to take. China added, “It wouldn’t exist in the form without a lot of very thoughtful and careful work with Keanu.”
This might be one of Keanu’s more eccentric interviews, and the headlines about him and death will certainly be jarring. Rest easy, fans … he’s totally healthy.
He’s just Keanu, which means he thinks deeper than most.
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