I recall being thirteen years old when I visited my oldest cousin in college. I couldn’t wait to hear stories about what crazy college life is like. In Portland, Connecticut, where very little changes and everyone is white and middle-class, the prospect of college was the golden opportunity to leave small-town life behind. However, I recall being shocked at how serious my cousin Jillian, a sophomore at Syracuse University, was about homesickness. At the time, I figured that girls were just more sensitive to that kind of stuff than guys.
Fast-forward to being seventeen and applying for colleges. Aiming for a degree in Theatre, I auditioned for four east coast schools that would keep me close to home and one out in the other worldly west – the University of Southern California. I had no intention of actually going to school in Los Angeles but figured that my application would give my family a good scare and give me a good fantasy to get through the last years of high school.
As luck would have it, USC offered me enough financial aid to make rejecting this school impossible. Life got real; I shipped out in August of 2008 to see what LA had to offer.
To call one person the face of Los Angeles would be reductive. With its diverse cultural representations and geographic vastness, it seems disingenuous, if not impossible, to represent this city with a single face. But perhaps, I could suggest a single thing—specifically, a food truck. More specifically, the Kogi truck.
You may not have heard of Roy Choi, but certainly you’ve heard of his food. With vehicles catering the entire city, the Kogi truck is perhaps Choi’s most famous creation. Check the Kogi Twitter account (@kogibbq) for live updates on where they’ll be for the day; sometimes they stop at USC for a brief late-night dinner! With all the other food truck options around USC (and in LA for that matter), you may wonder what makes Kogi so special. Well, for starters, the Kogi truck essentially launched the food truck revolution in Los Angeles, so you have them to thank for the gourmet offerings on Jefferson and McClintock. If that’s not enough to impress you, consider this: Roy Choi’s Kogi truck exemplifies the fusion that IS Los Angeles.
Photo by Vincent Diamante on Flickr
Spanish-speaking and Korean-speaking communities make up a significant portion of Los Angeles, particularly in the areas adjacent to USC. Bustling Koreatown is just a few miles away, and authentic tamales and pupusas are available for sale pretty much everywhere—even on our campus each Wednesday at the McCarthy Quad farmers’ market. Roy Choi was born in South Korea but grew up in Los Angeles, specifically South Central. The food he concocts for his Kogi trucks reflects the city in a bite, a effortless combination of two vastly different cultures. Thanks to Roy Choi, kimchi tacos are as popular as french fries. Well, maybe not quite, but more and more people becoming familiar with the combo and favor it as a go-to treat.
Fusion is a sticky subject among food lovers; it tends to stir up issues of authenticity. Roy Choi did grow up in a community where both authentic Korean and Latin flavors ruled, but does he have the right to repurpose the burrito—a staple of a culture not his own—to highlight Korean ingredients? The thing is, Roy Choi has always credited his creations to his community, emphasizing the role the city’s people have played in his flavor combinations. Though the burrito is not his own to repurpose, he sees his fusion as an expression of gratitude.
About three weeks ago, republican presidential candidate Ben Carson made statements on live television expressing his sincere belief that a Muslim should never become the President of the United States. The backlash was severe, and media outlets – both left and right – called him out on his bigoted remarks. They even brought him in for follow up interviews to give him a chance to clarify his viewpoints. Hey, the man made some uninformed, rash remarks on live television. He probably didn’t mean what he said… Let’s give him a chance to clear the air; to reaffirm that the Constitution protects individuals against this sort of blanket bigotry, and that of course a Muslim can be president! That’s what he said, right?
Nope.
Dr. Carson doubled down on his position. When asked if he believes if Islam is consistent with the constitution, he said no (3:15 of this video). He said he wouldn’t “advocate” having a Muslim in charge of this nation. His reasoning? Dr. Carson doesn’t believe that any Muslim who embraces all “doctrines” of Islam, including all the tenets of Sharia Law, should be considered a candidate for U.S. presidency. However, if a Muslim rejects his/her religion, then perhaps, they can be considered for the job.
But here’s the troubling part, and something that CNN’s Jake Tapper eloquently pointed out to Dr. Carson in their recent interview (video above). When Dr. Carson thinks of a Muslim in America, he immediately thinks of an extremist version of a Muslim that would put his religious values above the Constitution. He doesn’t have this same immediate concern when he thinks of a Christian or Jewish candidate running for president, only Muslims. I think this is the most concerning part.
