Eureka
This is the state motto of California ("Eureka"), maybe because of the gold rush that fueled the expansion west, maybe because this land was the promised lost island of the Spanish novel "Las Sergas de Esplandián" or maybe because we find good water from the Colorado river to enable the great crops of the state. I don't know, but what I know is that this state has great food and food culture.
Being the closer spot in North America for those coming across the Pacific and a place that accepted many of the Chinese from the end of the Railroad expansion to the west this place is the home of a new breed of cuisine that inherits so much from Asian culture.
If you ever visit San Francisco, do not miss a chance to go eat in Chinatown, it is a must.