Ya Rayi Our Rai

Los Angeles Food Scene by Ji-Young Park

I have a job offer for a regular writing gig and enough freelance contacts to spend most of my days exploring and reporting on the food and lifestyle scene in Los Angeles.

I'll post short reports here fairly regularly.

I'll take my handy camcorder out and post some foodcasts here. Maybe interviews with local farmers, vendors and chefs I know. I'm also reviewing restaurants. And, no I won't be reviewing restaurants where I am a friend of the house or chef or known to them. In these cases my reports will clearly state any kind of relationship and will be very different from restaurant reviews. The LA restaurant scene is vast and I am anonymous in the majority of them.

And finally, if things go according to schedule it looks I'll start traveling a lot more next year, mostly in California, New York, the Mediterranean countries and Southeast Asia. A trip to Mexico is also a strong possibility at the moment.

 

Jitlada Southern Thai Menu

Thai Hot Dogs by Ji Young Park

I don't know if the place actually serves Thai Hot Dogs, although it would not surprise me. I've never heard of a hot dog with "Thai flavors" but stranger things have been concocted like pastrami burritos. Most likely they serve casual Thai dishes and the new owners simply did not bother to take down the hot dog on top of the structure. When I have more time I'll take a look at the menu. I took the photo through my car window.

I'm also posting photos of architectural oddities and peculiar juxtapositions here along with photos of where people shop for food in Los Angeles County, everything from produce trucks, farmer's markets, gourmet shops to so-called ethnic markets. Click on the link to see a colorful concrete block building next to a Korean Buddhist Temple next to a craftsman home.

I also started a thread on Filipino groceries and restaurants around the world. I am the LA correspondent for a group of Filipino food bloggers.

I have an Olympus Stylus 800 and a nifty Olympus SLR, both cameras can take high quality photos. All the shots you've seen so far were taken hastily, sometimes while driving! I don't really have the time to do more. But if there is a specific request I will take the time for better quality photographs. My focus is primarily on Korea Town at the moment, but I want to go into different parts of LA County to present a more complete picture of Los Angelenos.

Guelaguetza by Ji-Young Park

Another architectural oddity in Los Angeles. I finally got a digital camera that takes decent photos.

This is not the back entrance to a Chinese restaurant.

A Photo Essay of Los Angeles by Ji-Young Park

The photo is of Chung Gi Wa restaurant on Olympic Blvd at the western edge of Korea town. This type of building is found in suburban areas of South Korea as well.

The title of my post is a bit misleading. Essay implies a wordier or more structured formal project than I intend on embarking on. For the past week or so I've been taking photographs of Korea town, which is quite possibly the center of Los Angeles architectural oddities. I'll post a series of photographs this weekend in an album.

Although my project is not an official one with a grand plan of documenting the landscape of Los Angeles, I do intend on focusing on different neighborhoods and (sub)cultures.