The Brief

Summer is heating up. Need a way to quench your thirst?

Luckily, L.A. is at the center of a drinks revolution: Everywhere you look, someone is putting a fresh new spin on sips, from new school takes on coffee-based drinks to others that take cues from Indigenous roots. It's a perfect time for those looking to expand their horizons — without alcohol.

So grab your favorite reusable straw and join us!

Boba drinks (and more) at Hey Hey

At Hey Hey, Chris Kwok’s pan-Asian boba and coffee shop, the drinks are as gorgeous as their flavors, with a menu that reflects multiple influences. Starting with Hong Kong, where Kwok’s family is from, there’s the Union ($6.50), a mix of black tea and cold brew coffee. It’s inspired by a classic Hong Kong-style drink called Yuen Yeung and is added to salted black sesame cream and boba.

Then there's a Taiwanese influence, with drink toppings such as boba and other flavored jellies like lychee, and milk and fruit teas, where fresh fruit is mixed in. And Vietnam also gets a nod. Hey Hey was recommended by How To LA host Brian De Los Santos, and his favorite drink is the Cafe Seda ($6), inspired by the traditional Vietnamese iced coffee drink made with sweetened condensed milk.

At Hey Hey in Echo Park, cool off with an L.I.T., their version of the Arnold Palmer made with rose lemonade

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Courtesy of Hey Hey

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The Strike is a Nutella coffee frappe (ice blended) with boba, topped with chocolate drizzle, almonds, and house creme. It's so sweet and creamy that it might inspire you to break into song and dance.

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Courtesy of Hey Hey

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On the bolder side, we tried the Hey Hey ($7), made with black milk tea added to their house cream, warm boba, and… get ready for it… flan. The flan serves as the drink's base, which provides a layer of sweet texture, not to mention depth, making it a standout.

Looking for even more sweetness? Try the Strike ($7). Kwok modeled the drink after Starbucks’ Frappuccino. His version amps the sugar to the nth degree with a combination of a hazelnut cocoa spread (similar to Nutella) mixed with espresso.

After one sip of the thick, sweet drink, I felt I was reliving my version of that scene from The Simpsons where Bart and Milhouse overdose on sugar, prompting them to “Go crazy Broadway style.” While no musical numbers were performed on my day at Hey Hey, I was taken by the sheer creative effort of Strike and the rest of the drinks consumed that day.

Hey Hey in Cantonese means "double happiness," which is exactly what you'll experience at the cafe founded by Chris Kwok on Sunset Boulevard in Echo Park. The cafe specializes in cool and inventive beverages, not to mention exquisite vibes.

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Courtesy of Hey Hey

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Tepache and pulque at Mirate 

Tepache is a fermented beverage popular in Mexico. It is made with the rind of pineapple and piloncillo, an unrefined sugar cane. It's also become popular in the United States, where cans are sold in places like 7-11 and in restaurants such as Mirate.

Tepache’s origins go back to the pre-Columbian-era, during the time of the Aztecs. Its name comes from a word in Nahuatl (Mexico’s Aztec language), meaning “drink made from corn,” as that's what it was originally made from.

The beverage director at Mirate is Max Reis, whom I liken to the mad scientist of L.A.’s beverage world. (I covered Mirate earlier this year when I wrote about the release of their canned cocktail, Tu Compa, their take on the Paloma cocktail.)

The tepache ($6) at Mirate is a zero-waste product made from pineapple rinds fermented with piloncillo and toasted spices, including canela (Mexican cinnamon), star anise, and clove.

Enjoy a glass of pulque at Mirate this summer and toast to the gods.

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Courtesy of Mirate

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Mirate's house-made tepache, crafted from pineapple rinds, piloncillo, and an array of toasted spices

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Gab Chabrán

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LAist

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The tepache-making process at Mirate differs from the way the beverage is typically made in Mexico. But, Ries and his team still aim to honor its traditions. The tepache does carry a trace amount of alcohol. However, it’s very low, around 0.5–2% percentage-wise, similar to another beverage Ries serves at Mirate, pulque ($8).

Pulque is made from the fermented agave plant (also known as a maguey in Mexico), similar to tequila and mezcal, whose roots also extend back to the Mesoamerican period. It's known for its cloudy milk-like color, and is a viscous liquid with a slight amount of foam on top, coming from the sap of the agave plant. Its taste contains notes of yeast and a sour flavoring. At Mirate, Reis started serving his pulque via a nitro draft, similar to cold brew coffee or some stout beers such as Guinness. Reis removes the oxygen via the nitro tap, which slows the shelf life, and accentuates the creaminess, removing some of the viscosity.

Mírate dining room creates the feeling of being inside and outside at the same time

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Matt Egan

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Courtesy of Mírate

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While customers can enjoy tepache and pulque alone, Reis mainly uses them as a base for various cocktails. He also recommends them to diners pre- and post-meal to cleanse the palette and for probiotic qualities to promote gut health and assist with digestion.

The tepache at Mirate offers a rich mouthfeel and almost briny flavoring, even with the toasted spice notes that bring a bright, fresh taste. The pulque has a smoother, lighter consistency with the slightest bit of acidity.

Kava drinks at Kavahana

Heading to the shores of Santa Monica, you’ll discover an oasis that’s a little different from most bars and coffee shops: Kavahana, Los Angeles's first kava nectar bar.

I only recently heard of kava, a beverage made from the kava plant's roots. (This is different from the Spanish sparkling wine known as cava.) The non-alcoholic beverage from the kava plant is only grown in the Pacific Islands, specifically from the volcanic island of Vanuatu. It is cold-pressed and then dried to make a powder, which is later mixed with water and turned into a beverage.

Kava nectar can be bitter in its original form, leaving a tingly taste on your tongue. But it’s known for its kavalactones, advertised to bring about euphoria and relaxation.

Hannah Wilen and partner Neil Bhatia started Kavahana to create an alternative social space that wasn’t dependent on alcohol or caffeine. Willen herself began drinking kava nectar years ago as a way to help her with anxiety and as an alternative to alcohol.

At Kavahana, the Golden Nectar drink is made with kava nectar, turmeric, fresh lemon, ginger, and sparkling water.

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Courtesy of Kavahana

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Kavahana, L.A.'s first Kava nectar bar

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Courtesty of Kavahana

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The Kavahana space features low lighting and a subdued island motif with a Gen Z aesthetic. Customers can also head to the adjoining patio space outback to play board games. Regular weekly programming consists of open mics, stand-up comedy, and karaoke.

The beverage menu is meant to demystify and entice anyone interested in trying kava nectar-based drinks for the first time. Wilen and Bhatia advise ordering a double or triple shot with all the drinks at Kavahana, to experience the full effect of the drinks' relaxing properties.

Patrons relax while sipping Kava nectar-based beverages at Kavahana Bar in Santa Monica.

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Courtesy of Kavahana

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I tried the Beach Nectar ($13), made with kava nectar and blue spirulina (a dietary supplement from blue-green algae), mixed with house coconut foam and vanilla — think creamy cereal milk that leaves a tingle similar to a Sichuan peppercorn. I followed it with the Golden Lemon Nectar ($13), made with kava nectar, turmeric, fresh lemon juice, and sparkling water. It was effervescent and refreshing.

After a few sips, I felt a sense of calmness fall over me, almost as if I were being wrapped up tightly in my favorite blanket.

You may know the sounds of parrots screeching pretty well. They’re now definitely part of L.A.'s soundscape, even though they're not native to Southern California and only started multiplying a few decades ago, thriving in our urban jungle.

Researchers at Occidental College, with the Free Flying Los Angeles Parrot Project, have been studying one species in particular to see how they’re adapting to life in the L.A. basin.

The standout parrot

About nine species of parrots, native to South and Central America, fly around the region, according to John McCormack, who’s the director and curator of the Moore Laboratory of Zoology at Occidental College.

He says it’s not clear how they got here. Urban legends say these birds are descendants of parrots that escaped the pet trade, or broke free from homes and aviaries. Regardless, they’ve stuck around.

One of those species is the nanday parakeet, which are known for their rich green bodies, with blue-tinged tails and wings, and dark heads. They showed up in the 1980s and roost in our native Sycamore trees. McCormack says over the years they’ve acted differently from other species.

Nanday parakeets eat fuzzy Sycamore balls instead of local fruits, like the loquats that other parrots love. They also don’t fly as far as nandays would typically do in their native habitats, which includes Brazil and Argentina, or as far as other parrots do here.

“ The nandays had not spread all over the city,” he said. “They’d remained pretty confined to the canyons around Malibu.”

McCormack says the conditions here are different than back home, so that left them with a question:  If they were able to make that switch to L.A. County, why have they not spread beyond Malibu? Only a small portion of their habitat was impacted by the Palisades Fire.

(Russell Campbell/Courtesy Free-Flying Los Angeles Parrot Project)

Flapping to new frontiers

One of the ideas the team investigated was whether the nanday parakeets stayed put because there weren’t any suitable habitats around.

At the time of their analysis, the team found multiple areas where nandays could potentially thrive but hadn’t been spotted in yet. That included a coastal-facing canyon near Fillmore, next to Thousand Oaks, with sycamores.

John McCormack's lab has multiple parrot study specimens.

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Cato Hernández

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LAist

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Then, during their research, they noticed something had changed in that area.

“Lo and behold, we see on iNaturalist that, in fact, there has been this little persisting block of them in the canyon,” he said.

A small group of nanday parakeets have been there for about six months — the first stable population above the 101. Brenda Ramirez, a  research technician on the project, says the community science observations on iNaturalist is what makes their work possible.

“People always get so excited about these birds, and so it’s really wonderful that they get included in our research,” she said.

It’s not clear how the nandays got to these canyons. There’s a possibility it could be a repeat of the past — the birds may have escaped or been released from somewhere nearby.

Or, it could be a sign of changing behavior. Historically, nandays have been reluctant to cross infrastructure like the 101 Freeway. (Maybe they took a page from L.A.’s departed legend, the mountain lion P-22?)

McCormack says it goes to show that if given enough time in the parrot world, interesting things can happen. Next, his team will look into the birds’ DNA to see if there are other signs parrots are adapting to urban life.

It must have been about 10 years ago when I was running in the L.A. Marathon and had worked my way through the early miles along Sunset Boulevard, through downtown L.A. and up Temple Street.

On crossing the 101 Freeway into historic residential Echo Park, I see them: the hand-painted signs, lined up one after another: “Super Sloppy,” “Chili Cheese Dogz.” Then “BAD IDEA?” … “Maybe, Maybe not!”

Then I hear the music, and cheering from the neighbors who’ve come out to see who will tempt gastric disaster for some spicy, drippy chili and yellow American cheese atop nitrate-laced tube steaks.

Did I grab a chili cheese dog? No. I have never dared to take anything more than photos at the stand, given that I still have, at about Mile 5, 21 more miles to run, and running with the “runs” is not my thing.

But Marvin Suntonvipart did in 2016, he said, because he was undertrained and going at a slow jog. He figured it wouldn’t hurt.

“Digestive speed,” he called it. And the roadside snack? “It was good, highly recommended.”

The chili cheese dogs, free to marathon participants, have been the brainchild of artist and puppeteer Julianna Parr and her friend Alex Kenefick since 2011

“He ran up to me breathlessly and said I have this idea where we serve super sloppy chili cheese dogs to marathon runners. And I said to him 'That's a terrible idea. When do we start?'" Parr said.

This will be their 13th year serving marathoners, having skipped a few during the pandemic.

“It’s a happening,” Parr said, adding that she still gets a kick thinking about the runners’ reactions when they turn the corner off the freeway and see the signs leading them to free chili cheese dogs.

“We know that you're expecting to make choices about how you'll run, how fast you'll run, how slow you'll run, how you're going to pace, you've been doing this maybe for months to train, but we know that you have one choice that you probably did not bank on and that would be whether you're going to eat a super sloppy chili cheese dog,” she said.

The food is prepped outdoors on site starting at 5 a.m. Marathon Sunday using camp stoves and heated chafing dishes to keep everything at a safe temperature. Then, the group waits for the athletes to come through. The race starts at Dodger Stadium before 7 a.m. First to pass their stand are the wheelchair racers, then the pro men and women runners and then amateur elites, who are too fast to try to stop.

Soon, by about 8 a.m., there is a trickle of takers. And then the masses arrive.

David Winslow of Culver City partakes of a free chili cheese dog in the fifth mile of the L.A. Marathon in March 2020.

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Courtesy David Winslow

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“We just get mobbed,” she said. “People will try to grab them out of the hot vat. And I go, ‘Back, back!’ Like that's when they get wild, and they don't have common sense anymore and that's [just] at Mile 5."

The stunt costs about $700 each year to put together, which Parr and friends have footed. But this year, for the first time, she has put up a website to sell merch, including stickers, hats, tote bags and mugs. I think it will be a very “locals only” statement to be walking around with a Super Sloppy Chili Cheese Dog tote bag.

Runner Diana Kitching said she picks up a free dog almost every year when she passes by. In fact, in 2024, as a breastfeeding mom whose marathon pace was slowed with a few breaks to pump, she had two!

Unsurprisingly, the chili cheese dogs are most attractive to runners on a more relaxed and fun pace, those who are not taking their marathon times too seriously.

That was the case for David Winslow one year, when he was running with a group of cancer survivors and living kidney and liver organ donors.

“Each time you see the chili guys it’s like, ‘Who would be that crazy and stupid?’ You see guys grab them and go for it, and you shake your head," Winslow said.

But in 2019 and 2020, as he and his survivor and donor friends rounded the turn over the freeway, something changed.

“We just said, ‘Hey, we HAVE to do this!’ And I do not regret it. One of the craziest things to do during a race," Winslow said.

Playwright and performance artist Kristina Wong has eaten bagel and lox and baklava while taking on the L.A. Marathon, but she draws the line at a chili cheese dog.

“These hot dog portions look downright diarrhea-sized,” Wong said.

And runner O. Gary Pealer said he’d eat one at Mile 5 if they also served beer to wash it down.

But in my experience, the people pouring free beer are usually at Mile 20.

Jubilations to the sky! Have you heard the news? Costco is now selling Heinz baked beans. Thank you Costco! And not just that… the British kind!

(Ask any Brit you know who has tried American baked beans. They just taste .... different. Much too sweet. We don’t tend to show much emotion generally but a disappointment like that is not easily gotten over. I’ve seen weeping in the streets.)

And if there are now easily accessed British baked beans in L.A., that means there will be beans on toast at my house. I know that Americans generally don’t get it. As someone once said to me, "you can have beans. You can have toast. But why would you put the beans on the toast?" Because, dear American, you did not grow up in a country where you can put pretty much anything on toast.

Baked beans are now being sold at Costco!

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Suzanne Levy

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LAist

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You see, we got used to putting things on toast during World War II — rationing and making do and all that. Bread was cheap and available, so why not make it the base of some delicious dishes? Mashed banana on toast? Yummy. Sardines? With a bit of vinegar, lovely. And how about spaghetti hoops? That one really blows American minds. "Wait, you put pasta on toast? Carb on carb?" Yes sir, and it tastes heavenly. The tomato sauce slowly seeps into the toast below, making for a wonderfully gooey texture. It is a work of art.

(There’s also cheese on toast, also known as Welsh rabbit, which I always thought was odd given we were not in Wales and there was no long-eared animal involved, but apparently it’s a corruption of the word rarebit. In case you were wondering).

Like mac and cheese

Beaked beans on toast. Yum

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Suzanne Levy

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LAist

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But for us beans on toast is the most loved option. We all grow up on it, an affordable go-to for weary mums. In many ways, beans on toast is our mac and cheese. Bland yet tasty, the perfect comfort food. For years as an adult, when I went back home for a visit from America, I’d ask my mum to have beans on toast waiting for me when I walked in.

I’m happy to say I’ve got my daughter into baked beans on toast. She resisted at first but now loves it. My American husband has never really developed a taste but understands its centrality in my life. Early on when we were dating, I asked him for egg, beans and toast. As in scrambled eggs, baked beans and toast, a classic breakfast combo.

When he’d made it he walked in and asked if it should be toast, egg and then the beans on top, or toast, beans and then the egg. I almost sputtered. Of course the beans have to go on top of the egg! What are we, peasants? The heavy egg would squash the beans and unbalance the whole precarious structure! He’s never made that mistake again. And has become an expert in making a lovely cup of tea.

So if you see me, feel free to join me in celebrating this major baked bean news. I may have baked beans on toast every night for dinner this week. Just because! It brings a little bit of Britain to my home. There is a New Yorker cartoon which has a man asking a waiter for baked beans on toast. “I’m not British,” he says. “I’m just crazy.” That cartoon is now on my wall.

California community college districts are spending millions of dollars on artificial intelligence-powered chatbots intended to help students navigate admissions, financial aid and campus services.

However, they struggle to consistently provide clear and accurate answers, leaving students frustrated and seeking help from others on unofficial social media channels.

In testing by CalMatters, they often answered general questions correctly but struggled with more specific ones. East Los Angeles College's bot couldn't even correctly name its own president.

Contracts for these chatbots can be pricey and last for years. Three community college districts that responded to a CalMatters survey reported annual costs ranging from about $151,000 to nearly half a million dollars. At the Los Angeles Community College District, the state's largest community college system, contracts and amendments approved since 2021 total about $3.8 million through 2029, according to district board documents.

Community college districts that responded to CalMatters have contracted with chatbot platforms such as Gravyty and Gecko, which district officials say handle thousands of conversations each month, many outside regular office hours, helping to reduce calls and save students unnecessary trips to campus.

Some of these chatbot platforms rely on manually maintained libraries of frequently asked questions and campus websites to answer questions, which can lead to errors when information is outdated or questions fall outside the system's database.

However, officials are working to improve them. Districts like the Santa Monica Community College District have moved to ChatGPT-integrated AI systems that scrape the college's website to generate answers, which officials say seem more reliable. In the Los Angeles district, officials say they plan to transition to a new AI chatbot platform as early as late spring.

Looking for answers

Improvements to the chatbot couldn't come soon enough for students like Pablo Aguirre, a computer science major at East Los Angeles College and an information technology intern at the Los Angeles college district office.

Aguirre mostly avoids the chatbot himself because, he said, it might provide unreliable or outdated information. He recalled using the bot to find financial aid information, but said he gave up after it kept asking him questions instead of giving him a clear answer.

"I just didn't find it as useful," Aguirre said. He usually turns to Google, social media platforms like Reddit and the college's website when looking for answers.

"Online, some pages don't work," Aguirre said, recalling a 404 error message on the college's website. Even when pages load, he said, it can be difficult to find the right one, such as when he was trying to figure out where to sign up for Extended Opportunity Programs and Services, a state-funded program that supports disadvantaged students. "That's where I just jump on Reddit," he said.

Students walk through the Fresno State campus on Feb. 9, 2022.

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Larry Valenzuela

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CalMatters

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Aguirre's experience isn't unique. Reanna Carlson, a commercial music major at Fresno City College and student government vice president, said her college's chatbot, dubbed Sam the Ram after its mascot, repeatedly gave her unclear or incorrect answers to basic questions about campus services. Her district, the State Center Community College District, has a nearly $870,000, three-year contract for Gravyty, formerly Ocelot, through June 20, 2026, according to district board documents. Officials pointed out that the contract comes with other services, including tools that let staff engage in live chats or send text messages to students.

"I think the chatbot is outdated and can't navigate the services we provide on campus effectively," Carlson said. "I don't think it's the most beneficial option when it comes to asking questions."

Oddly, Carlson got accurate information on the availability of free food at her campus' Ram Pantry only when accidentally adding a typo to her query. Repeated CalMatters testing confirmed the same outcome, though the bot sometimes lists links that include the food pantry after clicking an adjacent "sources" button.

"If it weren't for the amazing staff on campus that constantly remind students of our services, I'd be lost," Carlson said.

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Screenshots via Fresno City College website

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Testing chatbots

When CalMatters tested community college chatbots, they generally returned quick, accurate responses to common questions but were less consistent with more specific ones.

For example, when asked, "Who is the current president of ELAC?" East Los Angeles College's chatbot incorrectly named Alberto Román, who left the position last year to become the district's chancellor. In another test, when asked, "What is the financial aid office's current schedule?" the bot provided incorrect hours and dates.

East Los Angeles College in Monterey Park on March 14, 2024. Photo by Jules Hotz for CalMatters

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Jules Hotz

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CalMatters

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East Los Angeles College in Monterey Park on March 14, 2024. Photo by Jules Hotz for CalMatters East Los Angeles College's chatbot claims to support several languages, including English, Spanish, Chinese and Vietnamese. But CalMatters found inconsistencies when asking it in Spanish, "Do I need a Social Security number to enroll?" Instead of answering the question, the system directed users to visit the registrar's office to update their Social Security number. When asked the same question in English, the bot pivoted to discussing financial aid.

Fresno City College's chatbot, powered by the same AI provider as East Los Angeles College's system, Gravyty, showed similar problems when asked whether a Social Security number is required to enroll. It also often failed to direct students to the correct offices and, in some cases, listed incorrect locations and hours.

Concerns with chatbots have surfaced elsewhere. In New York City, reporting by The Markup and THE CITY found that a city-run AI chatbot provided guidance that could lead to illegal behavior, prompting Mayor Zohran Mamdani to terminate it in February.

'Good answers with fewer errors'

Santa Monica College's chatbot, powered by Gecko, was more successful in answering most questions. The single-college district uses a ChatGPT-integrated chatbot that scans the college's website, which staff regularly update and monitor. The district has contracted with Gecko since 2019 and renewed its annual contract for the tool late last year for $57,000, according to district board documents. It initially showed a major hiccup: when asked about mental health counseling, the bot did not mention the campus' Center for Wellness and Wellbeing. It does now.

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Screenshots via Santa Monica College website

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District officials say chatbots' problems stem from how the tools are configured and the information they draw from, rather than the technology itself.

The Los Angeles district originally adopted its chatbot through Ocelot, which later merged with Gravyty The same chatbot platform is also used on the California Student Aid Commission website.

Betsy Regalado, one of the district's associate vice chancellors, said the current system relies on a manually maintained library of frequently asked questions that staff at each of the district's nine colleges help maintain and review at least once or twice a year for accuracy. She added that chatbots are primarily geared for the public rather than enrolled students, who can access more detailed personal information through their campus portal.

"The current chatbot that we have uses a library of questions. If you don't have that question in that library, then those poor people don't get an answer or they won't get an accurate answer," Regalado said.

She said the district plans to transition all nine colleges to Gravyty's platform as early as late spring at no additional cost under its existing contract, which runs through 2029. The new system will use AI to scrape college and external websites to generate responses.

"We're ready for the modernization of (the chatbot) and the change to generative AI. That is the new world out there," Regalado said.

Santa Monica College is one of 116 campuses in the California community college system.

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Courtesy Santa Monica College

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Santa Monica College's chatbot similarly initially relied on a manually loaded library of common questions and answers before transitioning to its fully AI system, according to Esau Tovar, the college's dean of enrollment services. In an email, he said the bot "was never designed to address all aspects of the student journey," but to answer general questions from students.

Tovar said the bot draws responses from the college's website, meaning accuracy depends on how current and complete that information is. As a result, the college prioritizes keeping its website up to date so the bot provides "good answers with fewer errors" rather than "great answers with potentially more errors."

Widely used, cautiously trusted

Acknowledging limitations, community college districts justify the costs by pointing to heavy student use, which would cost significantly more if performed by call center staff around the clock.

Regalado said the Los Angeles district colleges average 5,000 to 7,000 interactions per month. Other districts reported similar monthly use, including 5,000 interactions at the State Center Community College District, which includes campuses in Fresno and nearby counties, and 4,000 conversations at Santa Monica College. Regalado said that as long as the chatbot remains heavily used, her district would continue to support it.

Tovar said the chatbot provides 24-hour support regardless of time zone or location, which he said is helpful for international students when they are out of the country. He said that answering the tens of thousands of questions the chatbots receive around the clock would cost significantly more if handled by staff.

"Every technology has a cost. We would simply not be able to assist all students if they could only reach us using traditional methods," Tovar said.

But high usage and expanded access do not always translate into trust, especially when students need precise answers to delicate topics.

Bryan Hartanto, a civil engineering major at Santa Monica College from Indonesia, said the college's newer chatbot system is smoother and can be a useful starting point, especially for students more comfortable communicating in languages other than English. But as an international student he worries that following inaccurate guidance could jeopardize his visa status.

"Maintaining status as an international student right now is very, very sensitive," Hartanto said. "I would still rely on human or email communication."

Martin Romero is a contributor with the College Journalism Network, a collaboration between CalMatters and student journalists from across California. CalMatters higher education coverage is supported by a grant from the College Futures Foundation.

This article was originally published on CalMatters and was republished under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives license.