INTRODUCTION Most of my essays about Los Angeles begin similarly. A question is asked, an answer is hard to find or is deemed inadequate, and then I head straight down a rabbit hole. This one began when a friend asked a question that involved Altadena and a street there with a Japanese name. She then … Continue reading Pan-Asian Metropolis — Pasadena’s Lost Chinatown
Category: Pan-Asian Metropolis
Pan-Asian Metropolis — Indian Los Angeles
INTRODUCTION Despite its historic and cultural importance, there seems to be surprisingly little out there about Metro Los Angelesโs sizable Indian community. Los Angeles is, after all, known for its unparalleled ethnic diversity โ especially of Asian communities โ and India is the most populous nation (Asian or otherwise) on Earth. But, for whatever reason, searching … Continue reading Pan-Asian Metropolis — Indian Los Angeles
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Pan Asian Metropolis — Cambodian Los Angeles
INTRODUCTION According to the Pew Research Center, there were, in 2019, about 339,000 Americans of Cambodian ancestry. More than one-in-three lived in just one state, California. Cambodians in California can be found in large numbers in cities including Fresno, Long Beach, Los Angeles, Oakland, Richmond, San Francisco, and Stockton. Yesterday, for Songkran, I posted an … Continue reading Pan Asian Metropolis — Cambodian Los Angeles
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Pan-Asian Metropolis — 220-ish Asian Angeleno Artists
It's Asian Pacific American Heritage Month and so I thought it might be nice to shine a spotlight on some of Metro Los Angeles's many Asian American artists, the subject of this week's post. It was a bit of an undertaking for many reasons. There are and have been many Asian American artists who've at … Continue reading Pan-Asian Metropolis — 220-ish Asian Angeleno Artists
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Swinging Doors — Los Angeles Sake History & Culture
Los Angeles has a long and rich history of alcoholic beverage production and consumption. Wine was introduced by the Spanish as an integral aspect of their mission project. Los Angeles was, in fact, historically the largest wine-producing region in the US. Beer arrived later, its popularity largely dependent on immigrants from Central and Eastern Europe … Continue reading Swinging Doors — Los Angeles Sake History & Culture
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Pan-Asian Metropolis — Vietnamese Cabarets of North Orange County
INTRODUCTION I've been aware of the Vietnamese American music scene based in North Orange County since at least the early 2000s. I had no idea just how big it was, though, until I stumbled across singer Thiรชn Phรบ's blog, VietCeleb, which has profiles of about 400 Vietnamese artists, with a large percentage of them associated … Continue reading Pan-Asian Metropolis — Vietnamese Cabarets of North Orange County
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Pan-Asian Metropolis — Q&A with filmmaker Elizabeth Ai about her latest project, NEW WAVE
If you're American and you recognize names like "Bad Boys Blue," "C.C. Catch," "Sandra," or "Modern Talking," there's a good chance that you, or someone close to you, is Vietnamese. For the uninitiated non-Viet Americans, those are the names of three German (and one German-Dutch) pop bands whose songs have been compiled, covered, and claimed … Continue reading Pan-Asian Metropolis — Q&A with filmmaker Elizabeth Ai about her latest project, NEW WAVE
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Pan-Asian Metropolis — Korean Los Angeles
INTRODUCTION Los Angeles is home to the largest Korean community anywhere outside of Korea -- a distinction it has held since at least 1979. Metro Los Angeles is home to the enclaves of Koreatown (the world's first), Little Seoul, and Buena Park Koreatown -- as well as the communities with large Korean populations like Windsor … Continue reading Pan-Asian Metropolis — Korean Los Angeles
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No Enclave — Hongkonger Los Angeles
INTRODUCTION Hong Kong has long been one of those globally prominent places up there with London, Paris, Rome, and Tokyo -- and yet surprisingly little has been written about the Hongkonger diaspora. There's next-to-nothing specifically about Hong Kong emigration to Los Angeles -- despite the fact that nearly as many Hongkongers live in the US … Continue reading No Enclave — Hongkonger Los Angeles
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Pan-Asian Metropolis — Thai Los Angeles
Los Angeles is widely recognized for its ethnic diversity. There are several communities -- including those of Armenians, Guatemalans, Mexicans, and Salvadorans -- which are larger in Los Angeles than in anywhere else outside of their respective homelands. The same is true of numerous Asian peoples, including Cambodians, Filipinos, Koreans, Persians, Taiwanese, Thai, and Vietnamese which … Continue reading Pan-Asian Metropolis — Thai Los Angeles
Eric Brightwell 