Guelaguetza Restaurante: A Piece of the City Mosaic
(This week's adventure fulfill's requirements:
2. A car trip
5. A visit to a location I have never visited before)
2. A car trip
5. A visit to a location I have never visited before)
Last Friday evening, my roommates and I went to Guelaguetza
Restaurant in Korea Town. Guelaguetza serves traditional Oaxacan cuisine,
but is much more an enclave of Oaxacan culture within West Los Angeles.
My roommate Verenice's parents are both from Oaxaca, and she visited the
restaurant with them years before coming to UCLA.
We arrived at the restaurant around 9:00 pm on
Friday evening. A band playing traditional and popular Mexican music
was playing on a slightly raised stage close to the entrance. The hostess asked us if we wanted to sit near
the band, to which my roommate responded with an enthusiastic
yes. As we walked to our table, the flute player gave us a friendly
wink and my roommate told me that he always asks girls up to dance when they’ve
finished eating.
The
large restaurant was definitely not full to capacity, but there were still a
handful of table full. All of the remaining patrons were sitting in
the area at the front of the restaurant, close to the band. A
few tables had couples or groups of two or three friends, but most of the
remaining dinner parties took occupied large tables. These bigger
groups of families or friends weren’t eating anymore and seemed to have been at
their tables for a while, enjoying the company, the band, and the ambiance of
the restaurant.
Our waiter brought us chips covered in a sweet mole and sprinkled
with queso fresco. I’d only had mole a couple times before, and not
for a long time, so I was a little skeptical of the dark, textured sauce with
its plethora of ingredients, which includes chiles, nuts, seeds, spices, and
Oaxacan chocolate, according to the menu (and to Verenice). We
ordered fresh guacamole and chicken enchiladas smothered in a different type of
mole. The food was one of the best meals I have had in Los Angeles
and the atmosphere and company in the restaurant did make me feel satisfied and
reenergized.
staff, and band) were Hispanic. The menu described the restaurant’s dishes first in Spanish with smaller descriptions in English underneath. Our waiter addressed us in English, but when we had a question about the check, Verenice spoke to him in Spanish.
Even though it was fairly late, there were still quite a few children in the restaurant with their families. A baby sat at a table near us with her family and her elementary school aged sisters walked around the restaurant. A long table next to us was taken up by the birthday celebration of a middle aged Mexican woman. At one point, a group of the staff brought a cake to the table and
the band led the restaurant in a traditional Mexican birthday song while the waiters (and nearby tables) sang and clapped along. The band spoke and sang in Spanish, and took requests from the restaurant patrons. From the restaurant’s website, I learned that the band is Latin Wood, “ a 6 piece band that rocks out with our customers every time they play in our stage. A lead singer, drummer, violinist, bass, and a percussionist. These guys play cumbias, rock en español and everything in between.” Almost the whole time we were in the restaurant, a little girl was on stage with the band singing and clapping along while her parents watched her from their table. As the night went on, a few couples got up to dance salsa in front of the stage. The little girls from the table next to us danced around the stage area too.
According to Guelaguetza’s website ilovemole.com, the restaurant
is owned and run by the Lopez family. The “About Us” section
reads:
While working on this post, I became curios about a seemingly obvious question: the meaning of the word “Guelaguetza”According to The Oaxaca Hotel Group's website, Guelaguetza is a uniquely Oaxacan festival—“Oaxaca’s very own festival”. The site defines the festival as:
Benito Juarez, served as Mexico’s president for five terms from 1858-1872. Juarez was from Oaxaca and born of Zapotec origin. The festival’s date being directly related to the death (and life) of this man who represents a blend of cultural traditions, and the blending of cultures in festival itself, makes Guelaguetza a festival of the hybridization of cultures. Its decisive origin and relation to Oaxaca makes it more so a very local tradition. The restaurant’s existence, and even its name, in the middle of the ethnic hotspot of Koreatown within Los Angeles, adds to the uniqueness of this local Oaxacan tradition made of a blending of cultures, and now brought to a new place and culture.
The Oaxaca Hotel Group also describes the mentality and less “definable” aspects of the festival:
This understanding as the Guelaguetza as a “commitment to sharing and the practice of contributing for the betterment of the community” holds true with my experience at the restaurant Guelaguetza. In a small (but not insignificant way) I feel as though my meal and my time at the Koreatown restaurant let me take part in the sharing of Oaxacan culture and tradition. I think the existence of the restaurant and its welcoming atmosphere and own community adds positively to the larger municipalities and communities of Koreatown and the greater Los Angeles area. The scale of the restaurant and the choice to enter its establishment and spot of culture make this sharing and this community betterment on the level of the individual, even if not in the exact same way as the Guelaguetza festival brings improvement to the community on an individual scale. I think this is what the restaurant’s owners intended when they say that at their restaurant “you are transported into what Oaxaca means to us...a true Guelaguetza”.
While I was at the restaurant and as I reflected on my time there over this past week, I thought again of Robert E. Park’s words which guide this blog:
The Los Angeles Times website has a app called "Mapping LA" that gives geographic and demographic information (from the U.S. Census Bureau) for the city's several neighborhoods and municipalities. I had always assumed that Koreatown had a dominant Korean population, so I was surprised at the prominence of Mexican culture in the neighborhood. I used the Mapping LA app to find information about Koreatown. I was initially surprised that Koreatown has Latino majority. Even though Los Angeles has such a large Latino population, Koreatown's percentage of Latinos is high compared to the rest of the city, as is Koreatown's Asian population. Not as surprising, the highest ancestries of these "Latinos" and "Asians" are more specifically Mexican and Korean. Korean's do make up the highest percentage of immigrants in Koreatown, followed by Mexicans.
In addition to high populations of non-white individuals, especially groups which are typically seen as disadvantaged or undeserved ethnicities in urban areas, Koreatown has a high percentage of individuals with less than a high school education, a significant number of households headed by a single parent, and a high number of low-income households. According to William Julius Wilson, these demographics is particular among the characteristics of who he refers to as "the underclass" and "the truly disadvantaged". Visiting Koreatown by day when more people are around on the streets and especially spending more time outside of Guelaguetza would provide more insight as to if the residents of this "underclass" demographic embody and experience inner-city poverty. The ambiance and clientele within the restaurant though, is a family-oriented, safe, vibrant spot of culture and cultural and individual sharing and learning. This is not to say that there is not poverty, racism, crime, and inequality in Koreatown, but Guelaguetza Restaurante proves that ethnic minorities and differences in socioeconomic status and family structure can provide welcoming, safe, and valuable spaces and experiences of culture and learning.
References:
Our family was born in Oaxaca and migrated to the US in 1994. Ever since then, our goal has been to showcase not only our family recipes, but also the hard work and dedication that goes into each of them. Each year, we travel to Oaxaca, and hand pick our ingredients, and carefully select the people we partner with.
Guelaguetza is a restaurant, boutique market, and advocates for Oaxacan culture located in the heart of Korea-town in Los Angeles.
Our motivation behind our products is simple: uncompromising quality. The products found in our store have taken years of development, and we hope that when taking your first taste of our Mole, or your first sip of our Michelada, you are transported into what Oaxaca means to us...a true Guelaguetza.
While working on this post, I became curios about a seemingly obvious question: the meaning of the word “Guelaguetza”According to The Oaxaca Hotel Group's website, Guelaguetza is a uniquely Oaxacan festival—“Oaxaca’s very own festival”. The site defines the festival as:
Guelaguetza! or “Lunes del Cerro”, (Monday on the Hill) traditionally held on the last 2 Mondays of July, after the deathday of Benito Juárez (July 18). Beginning in 1932, when Oaxaca celebrated its 400th anniversary, groups from many regions of the state have performed their wonderful native dances in all their varieties of costume. The original event, of pre-Hispanic origin, enacted reciprocal gift-giving and ceremonies in honor of the Corn Goddess. Reservations for the program must be made months in advance as it is one of the most well-attended events of the year. In 2009, the festival will be on July 19th and 26th.
*When Benito Juarez's deathday (July 18th) falls on a Monday, the Guelaguetza takes place on the following two Mondays.
Benito Juarez, served as Mexico’s president for five terms from 1858-1872. Juarez was from Oaxaca and born of Zapotec origin. The festival’s date being directly related to the death (and life) of this man who represents a blend of cultural traditions, and the blending of cultures in festival itself, makes Guelaguetza a festival of the hybridization of cultures. Its decisive origin and relation to Oaxaca makes it more so a very local tradition. The restaurant’s existence, and even its name, in the middle of the ethnic hotspot of Koreatown within Los Angeles, adds to the uniqueness of this local Oaxacan tradition made of a blending of cultures, and now brought to a new place and culture.
The Oaxaca Hotel Group also describes the mentality and less “definable” aspects of the festival:
The Guelaguetza is a commitment to sharing and the practice of contributing for the betterment of the community – though it is done between individuals. The mason may build a brick oven for the baker with the understanding that the baker will provide cakes for the weddings of the mason’s three daughters (though at the time of the building they may be ages 8, 10 and 14). The town upholsterer might re-do the undertaker's furniture, thereby guaranteeing that his funeral will be take[n] care of. The community might also come together to see that people in unfortunate circumstances are looked after.
This understanding as the Guelaguetza as a “commitment to sharing and the practice of contributing for the betterment of the community” holds true with my experience at the restaurant Guelaguetza. In a small (but not insignificant way) I feel as though my meal and my time at the Koreatown restaurant let me take part in the sharing of Oaxacan culture and tradition. I think the existence of the restaurant and its welcoming atmosphere and own community adds positively to the larger municipalities and communities of Koreatown and the greater Los Angeles area. The scale of the restaurant and the choice to enter its establishment and spot of culture make this sharing and this community betterment on the level of the individual, even if not in the exact same way as the Guelaguetza festival brings improvement to the community on an individual scale. I think this is what the restaurant’s owners intended when they say that at their restaurant “you are transported into what Oaxaca means to us...a true Guelaguetza”.
While I was at the restaurant and as I reflected on my time there over this past week, I thought again of Robert E. Park’s words which guide this blog:
“The City is a mosaic of little worlds which touch but do not interpenetrate.”Guelaguetza Restaurant definitely represents one of these so-called worlds that make up the city mosaic. Its orange exterior and neon sign illuminate the night street, but the walls still contain the vibrant haven of culture that is the restaurant’s staff, costumers, band, and cuisine. From the hours of 9:00-11:00 pm on a Friday night at least, Guelaguetza is indeed a little world which touches but does not interpenetrate the worlds around it. Instead of carrying on in content isolation though, Guelaguetza is inviting and welcoming to those who stumble into the restaurant and its world.
The Los Angeles Times website has a app called "Mapping LA" that gives geographic and demographic information (from the U.S. Census Bureau) for the city's several neighborhoods and municipalities. I had always assumed that Koreatown had a dominant Korean population, so I was surprised at the prominence of Mexican culture in the neighborhood. I used the Mapping LA app to find information about Koreatown. I was initially surprised that Koreatown has Latino majority. Even though Los Angeles has such a large Latino population, Koreatown's percentage of Latinos is high compared to the rest of the city, as is Koreatown's Asian population. Not as surprising, the highest ancestries of these "Latinos" and "Asians" are more specifically Mexican and Korean. Korean's do make up the highest percentage of immigrants in Koreatown, followed by Mexicans.
In addition to high populations of non-white individuals, especially groups which are typically seen as disadvantaged or undeserved ethnicities in urban areas, Koreatown has a high percentage of individuals with less than a high school education, a significant number of households headed by a single parent, and a high number of low-income households. According to William Julius Wilson, these demographics is particular among the characteristics of who he refers to as "the underclass" and "the truly disadvantaged". Visiting Koreatown by day when more people are around on the streets and especially spending more time outside of Guelaguetza would provide more insight as to if the residents of this "underclass" demographic embody and experience inner-city poverty. The ambiance and clientele within the restaurant though, is a family-oriented, safe, vibrant spot of culture and cultural and individual sharing and learning. This is not to say that there is not poverty, racism, crime, and inequality in Koreatown, but Guelaguetza Restaurante proves that ethnic minorities and differences in socioeconomic status and family structure can provide welcoming, safe, and valuable spaces and experiences of culture and learning.
References:
"Guelaguetza Restaurant." Guelaguetza Restaurant. N.p., 2012. Web. 20 Nov. 2012. <http://www.ilovemole.com/>.
"Koreatown." Mapping L.A. Los Angels Times, n.d. Web. 21 Nov. 2012. <http://projects.latimes.com/mapping-la/neighborhoods/neighborhood/koreatown/?q=Koreatown%2C+Los+Angeles%2C+CA%2C+USA&lat=34.0708598&lng=-118.2935891&g=Geocodify>.
"Oaxaca's Very Own Holiday: Guelaguetza Festival in July." OAXACAinfo.com. Oaxaca Hotel Groups, n.d. Web. 20 Nov. 2012. <http://www.oaxacainfo.com/guelaguetza.htm>.
Wilson, William Julius. "The Truly Disadvantaged: The Inner City, the Underclass, and Public Policy." The Blackwell City Reader. Ed. Gary Bridge and Sophie Watson. 2nd ed. Malden, Mass: Wiley-Blackwell, 2010. 186-92. Print.
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