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Food + Dining Diversity in LA Open-Air Markets and its Relation to Social Media: A Visual Story

Los Angeles - a city of dreams and diversity. People from all over the world come to this city to search for opportunity and that creates this perfect mixture of cultures, ideas, and creativity that can be seen from any viewpoint, quite literally, looking out onto the city. Los Angeles has always been one of the most diverse cities in the country and although that can be proven true through the variety of people, it’s also apparent through the eclectic, wide-range of dining and culinary experiences that are constantly at-hand, ready to be offered. After creating a survey about “What Defines The Eating Experience” and having 75 of my peers across the nation at various universities participate, majority said that, among other things, Los Angeles is best known of the outdoor erHere in Los Angeles, the sun shines the majority of the year which enables outdoor eating experiences 

One of the most popular food excursions in Los Angeles are food trucks; but, a certain type of food truck. The most popular food trucks in Los Angeles often fuse two genres of food together to create a perfectly Californian mixture. Kogi is a Korean-Mexican fusion food truck that uses social media sites, Instagram and Twitter, to send location alerts out to their Angeleno followers. Some of the most popular items on the Kogi menu include a Korean Kimchi Quesadilla and the Korean Short Rib Burrito. These food trucks are able to thrive in a city like Los Angeles because with this weather, it’s almost feels mandatory to eat outdoors.

Kogi Food Truck is one of the experts that have caught onto the trend of  microblogging early on. Using social media to get the word out about their product and gaining an immense amount of popularity, Angelenos will stand in extensive queues just to get their hands on these Los Angeles based creations.

Another Los Angeles staple that merges food and social media influence into one is the open-air market, Smorgasburg. (A German word that means a mixture of things - perfect for Los Angeles being as though there is a mixture of things all over this city!) Notice the hashtag and the Instagram plug at the bottom right of the market banner. This just goes to show that the producers of Smorgasburg are very much aware of the marketing power that their attendees have when they hashtag or mention the market on their socials. This evolution of social media and its impact on our daily lives is showing more than ever in the food evolution - and how couldn’t it? As the saying goes: Everyone eats with their eyes! Social media thrives on visual content, so the outdoor markets in Los Angeles are seizing the opportunity in order to capitalize on market power through their consumers by offering up food vendors who sell exciting, aesthetically pleasing goods, and then, reminding attendees to post their exciting food finds online with placing their hashtags and socials on the entrance banner. 

Although Smorgasburg understands the importance of having a strong online presence, it still offers wholesome bonding between family, friends, and fellow Angelenos in the traditional, physical sense. The sunny skies make for a nice day out and the picnic table designed tables suggest togetherness and inclusion amongst civilians. The ability Smorgasburg has to keep people connected while being in an environment where many are simultaneously searching for the next Instagram-worhty food stand is strategic and an aspect to why Smorgasburg helps define the modern day food and dining culture of Los Angeles - this conglomeration of the online and offline world. 

Not only do Los Angeles markets like Smorgasburg focus on the aesthetic of their food vendors, but almost 90% of my survey-takers agree that they are also hyper-aware of making the overall venue an environment that is deemed “Insta-Worthy”. Bright seats, contrasting colors, and a feeling of relaxation and leisure is dispersed throughout the design of this event as a whole. 

All of these food vendors first started off as family-owned companies. The idea of “supporting your locals” and the joy of seeing small businesses thrive is just another aspect of the food culture in this particular city of Los Angeles. And because Los Angeles is so inherently diverse, there are is an array of food vendors all stemming from different cultural backgrounds offering diversity in food selection to the attendants of these weekly markets. 

Not only does Los Angeles bring diversity to the dinner table, but it also brings creative minds to a bustling city hub - and food is no exception to the art. Every single food vendor at these famous LA markets has a product that is creative in its own way. Whether it’s the bright colors, the way it’s presented, or how good it tastes, it’s expected that, if the food is at Smorgasburg, it’s probably “pretty enough” for a selfie. 

So much discussion on food, but even the drinks offer creativity and excitement. This Rambutan Butterflypea Oolong Tea was just one example of the type of artistic beverages yo will find at Smorgasburg LA. 

Another market that resides within Los Angeles County is the famous 626 Night Market, traditionally a market that celebrated food vendors of Asian descent due to its origin in a heavily Asian populated area, but has since branched out representing people of other cultures and backgrounds. Similar to Smorgasburg, 626 is outdoors, popular online, and offers food vendors of creative styles and food menus in order to keep the festival visually on-brand. 

The 3-day market that comes to town every month throughout the summer draws an average of 60,000 people with over 200 participating food vendors. What’s just as astounding as the number of people that attend is the number of people that follow their Instagram, capping in at about 7,600 followers and averaging at about 3,000 likes per post. The dreaminess of Los Angeles palm trees swaying in the cool summer breeze as you immerse yourself in a myriad of dining and eating experiences is definitely a position that most people want to find themselves in.

The fantasy land feel that the general public perceive Los Angeles to be extends past the sunsets and dreamy skies serving as the backdrop to a visually diverse cityscape. These open-air markets add magic to the Los Angeles story as they offer up creative, innovative goodies like these Cookie Shot Glasses with all sorts of eclectic, artistic designs. 

This image encapsulates the Los Angeles dining experience. Creative in its presentation, diverse in its origin of heritage, and aware of the importance of online exposure. This dumpling is uniquely bright in color, celebrating a different culture, and alas, has an Instagram handle in case you decide to post it on your profile and act as free marketing. 

All in all, certain eating and dining experiences in Los Angeles are one-of-a-kind due to its visual and social aspects in the form of environment and presentation. The outdoor setting, the diversity of food, the laid-back feel, these are all contributors to the overall visual aesthetic and impression of The City of Angels that is perpetuated and reinforced through social modes such as online social media platforms.

As the vendors begin to clean their stations and head home for the day, the fellow Angeleno heads home as well, looking up at the palm trees back-lit by a cotton candy sunset and possibly even a cotton candy in their hand. 

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Street Art!

Being from Los Angeles, I’ve grown up with graffiti and street art all around me along with all sorts of other exciting, unique visuals through things like billboards, tourist spots, museums, famous streets, etc. From a personal perspective, I have always admired these sights and have felt that it’s definitely added to the culture and vibes of Los Angeles. However, there has always been controversy surrounding the topic of street art. Talking first hand, it’s always so funny to hear my and my sister talk about graffiti or street art when we see it in comparison to my 72 year old dad. We think it’s so dope, whereas my dad has a more “traditional” way of viewing it all. It doesn’t see it as art, but more of a nuisance and destruction of public property. This goes for both graffiti and street art. For me, street art is artwork created in a public space. It’s a way to enhance the aesthetic of a certain location, not a form of destruction or vandalism. The difference with graffiti, to me, is that there’s different intentions behind it. Often times, graffiti is gang related and is in response to claiming territory. Graffiti is usually presented in word form, either scribbled or sprayed on a wall or other surfaces in public spaces. 

With street artists, their visuals tend to have deeper meanings behind them. Banksy creates pieces that have political and societal undertones underneath them. Another street artist that I personally follow is Baron von Fancy, an artist based out of New York who uses his street art to spread fun messages throughout the city in his iconic font. 

Unfortunately, with the rise of street art, the type of art has definitely become a sort-of fad within the art community and many street artists, including Baron von Fancy have since had opportunities to put their work in galleries, studios, and other forms of merchandise. Although some may say these street artists are “sell outs” I think it’s a positive thing that their work has been so highly regarded that they are finally able to make a profit out of their work. Catherine Gudis contends that the work that street artists are doing is an attempt to embrace the ugly and the ordinary (232) and I think that’s an interesting point because, if true, it means that “ordinary” and “ugly” are making their way into the mainstream through the street artists who convert to  more conventional modes of showcasing their art. Being from a big city, I accept the art I see on the streets and I admire it; but, I understand why others from smaller cities may see it as vandalism or inappropriate. Whatever your opinion may be on street art, I think it’s important to realize its differences in comparison to graffiti and also understand that street art is a more artistic way in which we as a society can engage in social-political conversations in an easier way.  

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Your Food Has More Instagram Followers Than You

In this day and age where society is learning to rely on apps more and more, I feel like visuals are becoming increasingly more prevalent in our society. With apps like Instagram and Snapchat, the idea of visual-heavy content is replacing more text-heavy platforms like newspapers and books. We see this shift effecting almost every single industry and food and dining is no exception. At least in my group of friends and the peers that I’ve had conversations with, it’s more popular than ever to look for places like Instagram and Yelp to see what food looks the best or the coolest rather than reading a news article in the food column. Business savvy food spots are taking this into consideration and realize that the heightened importance of social media within the foodie community can be used to the businesses advantage as well in form of marketing and social interaction. Many dining spots in Los Angeles are popular due mostly to the visual appeal of their products that motivate people to post a picture of the product on social media thus creating free marketing for the business, and in turn, getting more and more people in the door. In “Will Tweet for Food: Microblogging Mobile Food Trucks -- Online, Offline, and in Line” in Taking Food Public: Redefining Foodways in a Changing World, author Alison Caldwell talks about the microblogging craze the food trucks took over a fews years ago in New York. Caldwell contends that the use of social media on apps like Twitter , alongside “microblogging” is a “powerful tool” that enabled food vendors to customers of those vendors to establish a certain brand and brand identity for their company and consumption (Caldwell). 

A couple of examples that come to mind when thinking of eateries in Los Angeles who excel on social media platforms include Donut Friend and Shrimp Daddy. Both companies do a great job at content consistency and keeping their presence on social media alive and bountiful. Shrimp Daddy’s instagram page @eatshrimpdaddy  has over 26k followers on Instagram and Donut Friend (@donutfriend here on Tumblr) has over 75k Instagram followers. Both accounts have high engagement levels averaging at about 250 comments per post and thousands of likes on each post. Speaking from personal experience, I heard about these two food companies through social media by my friends posting their meals and other food items onto their social media pages. I think one of the main reason people feel the need to post their food online is because it’s both aesthetically pleasing and also culturally relevant. It’s fun to show your friends the news places around LA and all the fun food creations that Los Angeles eateries have to offer. Both Donut Friend and Shrimp Daddy use a lot of re-posts on their own accounts which is another reason why social media online marketing is so advantageous: they use their follower’s images for free, but the follower doesn’t mind because it’s exposure for their personal account as well. Both eateries have such a high following and fan base on social media and that has helped them become a trendy place to dine for many young millenials who are among the first to be so inherently tech-savvy and conscious.  

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Feminism Commodification

In 2017, we are seeing a new wave of feminism really come more into the mainstream world. In the past, to proclaim yourself as a “feminist” meant to a lot of people that you were a man-hater and purely pro-woman thus giving the term a tainted, more negative connotation. The feminists of today have since done a good job of explaining that to be a feminist means to be an advocate to equal rights of both women and men and the ability to make choices and decisions for one’s self. 

As we see this movement shift into’s its new era, the mainstream is picking up on just how popular this message of feminism is with the help of celebrity influence and active dialogue. One of the celebrities who has received criticism over her portrayal of feminism is Kim Kardashian in relation to her naked selfie that went viral which we also discussed in our class discussion. Kardashian responded to the backlash of her selfie saying that she posted it in order to promote women liberation and clap back at slut-shaming (Phelan, 2016). However, the Elle article we read in class argues that it’s evident that Kim understands the monetary value and attention she will garner from posting the sexual image with a feminist undertone (Phelan, 2016). This is just one example of how a celebrity may use aspects of feminism to be self-serving and profitable. Another example of a celebrity who has been accused of using feminism as a way to market to the public and sell product is Beyonce in her “Beyonce” tour of 2015. Not only did her song “Flawless” feature a short anecdote on the meaning of feminism, but one of the most notable stage designs featured on her tour depicted a darkly lit stage with the word “Feminist” panned across the stage in bright, pink lettering. Although she’s received criticism, Beyonce has a long list of philanthropic endeavors that can back up her self-proclaimed feminist title. 

On the other hand, there’s Taylor Swift. Also known for being a self-proclaimed feminist celebrity, many have pointed out all the ways in which she’s simply defining herself as that to appeal to the public who buy her product. Some proof of her feminist failures that have been pointed out by The Washington Post editor Kadeen Griffiths include: not criticizing President Trump, not publicly supporting organizations like Planned Parenthood and not attending the Women’s March (Yoder, 2017). In summation, it’s assumed by some that Swift uses the social movement of equal rights for women as a marketing mechanism towards some demographics of her fan base, and stays silent on the issue to not upset the other half of her fans. I’ve attached a video clip from the daytime show The View where they discuss this topic of Taylor Swift being a “bad feminist”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HqXF4V0b5EQ. 

As far as directly “selling feminism”, so many retail stores have gone onto this “femme bandwagon” and have released apparel with feminist phrases plastered across the garments. Some may argue that this is an issue because these retail stores are profiting off of these messages while perhaps not always aligning their company values to the message themselves. Fast-fashion companies like Forever 21 or H&M have released these “women empowerment” shirts, and yet, are paying girls and women across the world unlivable wages and putting them in unsanitary, work environments. I’ve attached images of some of these shirts below. 

(Source: Forever 21) 

(Source: H&M)

More and more we are seeing the message of feminism creep into mainstream advertisements and brands thus raising the question as to whether or not social movements and social justice belong in the buying market of mainstream popular culture. 

Sources: 

Hayley Phelan (2016). “Is the Naked Selfie Good for Feminism?: Let’s Take a Closer Look” in Elle (March 17). 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/posteverything/wp/2017/11/09/feminist-attacks-on-taylor-swift-reveal-something-very-ugly-about-the-movement/?utm_term=.5c31c1390d24 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HqXF4V0b5EQ

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Compton as a Spectacle:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UziocaSimyc

Having watched the documentary on Compton in class this past week, a lot was left on my mind. Based off of our class discussion and hearing from what my peers had to say, it’s evident that certain people within the media, arts, and entertainment have excelled at branding the city of Compton in a certain light through various.

I’ve lived in Los Angeles my entire 21 years on this planet, and have become utterly aware of all the perceptions people have of certain parts of my hometown. You have Beverly Hills, the place where “all the rich people live”. You have “The Valley” - an area of LA that many frown upon just because it’s cool to. There’s Hollywood - a landmark city (that actually isn’t even officially a city) that holds a certain type of glamorous reputation around the world. 

Among these cities includes Compton - a town that has long been portrayed in the media as a socio-economically underdeveloped landmark where anything goes as far as crime, drug use, gang-related activity and the misguided youth. This type of attitude and behavior connected to Compton is what many artists, influencers, filmmakers, etc. profit most from. 

As Sides notes in his writing, the city of Compton has been branded and associated with a certain type of culture and “behavior”. I want to examine certain examples in which Compton is used to push forward certain messages within the arts and media. 

When you ask people to name famous celebrities who are from Compton, most will answer with “Kendrick Lamar”. An influential rap artist, Lamar’s entire musical career is based primarily on his experiences growing up in Compton. He takes pride in his hometown and in his music videos as he often displays the characteristics that many people familiarize with the city of Compton. Lamar’s major-label debut, good kid, m.A.A.d city, tells the story of an inner-city kid trying to make sense - on his own - of the turmoil, temptations and deprivations surrounding him (Rolling Stone). The album traces a single day in Lamar’s life asa Compton teen. This album went on to sell a quarter-million copies in its first week and established Lamar as one of hip-hop’s most “sensitive, idiosyncratic young voices” (Rolling Stone).

Another recent work that based its overall message around the city of Compton and its influence was the 2015 film Straight Outta Compton, a movie that followed the lives of N.W.A. members and their experiences as black men in Compton. In the scene attached below, you see Eazy in a dope house filled with guns, empty bottles of alcohol, and drugs. The scene is set with low lighting, loud sound effects, and an unsanitary feel thus perpetuating this set type of feel that Compton has been branded with - rogue and raw. The film turned extreme profit making more than $200 million worldwide (Billboard, 2015).

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PnjkPSAncPc ] 

This two examples perfectly encapsulate the notion that Compton is becoming more than just a city, but rather, an attitude - perhaps even a way of life. Not only is the branding of Compton constantly growing, but it’s proving to sell within the entertainment industry. An aspect that could potentially help to solidify the labeling of this part of Los Angeles, a city full of history and stories. 

Sources: 

Josh Sides (2004). "Straight Into Compton: American Dreams, Urban Nightmares, and the Metamorphosis of a Black Suburb" in American Studies 56(3), pp. 583-605.

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/kendrick-lamar-new-kid-on-the-block-20130227

https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/6752823/straight-outta-compton-box-office-worldwide

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VISUAL STORYTELLING: HARVEY WEINSTEIN

On October 5th, 2017, an investigation led by New York Times’ journalists Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey exposed sexual harassment allegations against Hollywood exec Harvey Weinstein dating all the way back to the year 1990. Weinstein is considered to be one of the most powerful, domineering, men in Hollywood so the news that broke shook up the entire film and television industry (New York Times). 

A bit of background on Weinstein: Once considered one of the most influential men in Hollywood, Weinstein was the co-founder for Hollywood powerhouse companies, Miramax and The Weinstein Company. These production-and-distribution houses have produced critically acclaimed films such as Pulp Fiction, Django Unchained, Scream, and Kill Bill (Ranker). Since the news publicly broke of Weinstein’s sexual assaults, his name is no longer attached to these projects, but rather, a distasteful representation of an epidemic that is apparently quite evident amongst the television and film industry (New York Times). 

The public downfall of Weinstein ignited a fire within Hollywood. Since his sexual assault allegations went public, a number of other women, famous or not, have come out against various powerful actors and execs within Hollywood. Some of the most notable names that are now under scrutiny include actor Kevin Spacey, comedian Louis C.K, and Roy Price (New York Times). This wave of coming out stories from victims have also influenced the political world calling out people such as Joe Biden and Jeff Sessions. The New York Times has an active list of all the accused men in Hollywood, and the list continues to grow. 

Kevin Spacey’s case sparked controversy in a different way because once the news broke that he had inappropriate sexual advances towards adolescent boys, he thought he could lessen the public outcry by admitting he is gay and will now be “living his true life” (New York Times). The public felt as though it was not an appropriate time to come out with that news, especially because it seemed as though he was trying to put the spotlight on that news rather than his heinous acts. 

Another shocking aspect of the Kevin Spacey case is that people within the industry have known about his sexuality and misbehavior for quite some time. In 2005, Seth MacFarlane made a risqué joke about Spacey on his hit show, Family Guy. In the episode, Stewie Griffin runs through a crowded mall wearing only a diaper shouting “Help, I’ve escaped from Kevin Spacey’s basement! Help me!” (Collective-Evolution). MacFarlane has yet to make a public statement about the scene since it’s resurfacing amongst these new, public revelations against Spacey. 

Although the more important issue at hand is the abuse of power from so many powerful Hollywood men and the mistreatment and inequality that so many people have encountered, careers aren’t the only things that are getting killed by Hollywood’s biggest sexual assault issue (New York Times).

The following shows are also effected by these developing stories and will no longer be produced: Gore, House of Cards, an untitled Elvis biopic, and Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock, a project that would’ve been Channing Tatum’s directorial debut but was pulled because it was a project backed by The Weinstein Company (New York Times).

Since the news officially broke on October 5, there have many stories and events that have occurred since then involving Harvey Weinstein, other accused men, as well as a wide outreach of other influential people within Hollywood for many various reasons; so, with all that’s going on it may be quite hard for many people to understand where we are now amongst this entire scandal. To put it simply, Weinstein has been publicly shunned by Hollywood, fired from many organizations, and expelled from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Many other men have either been fired for resigned from their higher-up positions, and other celebrities and popular culture influencers have come out revealing that they’ve known about Weinstein’s alleged misconduct toward women for years (BBC News). 

As every major production house in Hollywood severs ties to Weinstein and those like him, the conversation is now switching over to the prevalence of this issue and how it isn’t a new dilemma in any regard. The abuse of power and misconduct towards vulnerable people has been apparent in the industry for quite some time and so many women in the industry are trying to make that clear to the media and those who are following this “scandal”.