In its recent issue, “California: The Endangered...

In its recent issue, “California: The Endangered Dream,” Time magazine lobbed in a lifestyle poll designed to illustrate the daffiness and self-absorption of the state’s residents.

The survey, with a margin of error given as “plus or minus 3.2%,” contained mostly unverifiable statistics--except in one category. Time said that 14% of adult Californians have vanity license plates.

Interesting, inasmuch as the 1990 census says there are a bit more than 22 million adults in the state and the Department of Motor Vehicles says there are about 1.4 million personalized plates. That works out to about 6.4% of the total, meaning Time’s margin of error in that category was actually more than 50%.

Makes you wonder about some of the mag’s other surprising findings, such as the percentage of California adults who own an exercise machine (34%), a surfboard/boogie board (19%) or a cellular car phone (14%).

Give or take 50%.

“California: The Endangered Dream”: Part II.

We also found it interesting that the Time package, which enumerated such California woes as smog, crime, gang problems, the drought and unrestrained growth, also included a story titled: “Spicy Blend of East and West . . . Pacific Rim cooking is the latest gourmet buzz.”

Another example of the “endangered dream?” Apparently not, judging from the approving tone of the article.

Noa Noa, “a post-Polynesian circus” of an eatery in Beverly Hills, was singled out for its “mashed potatoes with chicken in Asian whole-grain mustard sauce.”

Time forgot to tell us that 38% of the state’s residents dine there regularly.

While we’re at it, remember Atlantic Rim dining, the gourmet buzz of Pilgrim times? It still prevails on at least one day of the year. And the plaster calf mascot of Long Beach Fire Station No. 2 is appropriately decked out.

It must be the onset of the holiday season, but we can’t stop talking about eating. Martin Elkort, author of “The Secret Life of Food,” writes to take issue with the publicists for Cardini’s Original Caesar Salad Dressing, who say that the famous salad was invented by one-time L.A. restaurateur Caesar Cardini.

“According to my research (it) was invented in 1927 by Alex Cardini, not Caesar, his brother,” writes Elkort. “It was . . . rechristened by Alex in honor of his brother.”

A noble gesture, if true. Also, possibly, an admission that “Alex Salad” lacked a certain flair.

miscelLAny:

When 80 residents of San Francisco gathered in City Hall in 1847 to celebrate their first Thanksgiving in California, according to author Diana Applebaum, the sensation of the bash was a California wine known as “Don Luis.” It was made in that well-known wine region, Los Angeles.