CSUF Students at Laguna Art Museum p.4
Los Angeles Farmers Market p.8
The Prestines Underground p.6
“Rise of Taj” Falls Down
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COVER: “Ground” by Joe Biel, watercolor and graphite on paper sheet, 109 x 80 inches, is one of the many art pieces featured in the OsCene display at the Laguna Art Museum. p.8 Photo by: David Osborne
ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR Kirsten Alto EXECUTIVE EDITOR Julie Anne Ines DIRECTOR OF ADVERTISING Emily Alford BUZZ AD MANAGER Lesley Wu PRODUCTION Kirsten Alto ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Layla Hahka, Kathleen Cisneros, Stefanie Binditt, Sarah Oak, Beth Stirnaman The Daily Titan 714.278.3373 The Buzz Editorial 714.278.5426 thebuzz@dailytitan.com Editorial Fax 714.278.4473 The Buzz Advertising 714.278.3373 ads@dailytitan.com Advertising Fax 714.278.2702 The Buzz , a student publication, is a supplemental insert for the Cal State Fullerton Daily Titan. It is printed every Thursday. The Daily Titan operates independently of Associated Students, College of Communications, CSUF administration and the CSU system. The Daily Titan has functioned as a public forum since inception. Unless implied by the advertising party or otherwise stated, advertising in the Daily Titan is inserted by commercial activities or ventures identified in the advertisements themselves and not by the university. Such printing is not to be construed as written or implied sponsorship, endorsement or investigation of such commercial enterprises. copyright ©2006 Daily Titan
Thursday KIIS Jingle Ball Honda Cent / The Pond of Anaheim
Friday Aquabats El Rey Los Angeles
Saturday The Faint The Glasshouse Pomona
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03 Inside Buzz 04 Laguna Art Show Features CSUF 05 Gibson Ampitheatre Rock Wednesday Buzz Travel: Orlando Buzz Fashion 06 “Rise of Taj” a Dud The Prestines at Undergound Pub 07 CSUF Guitar Orchestra Buzz CD Review: Jay-Z 08 Los Angeles Farmers Market
CONCERT CALENDAR: DECEMBER 08
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Sunday Led Zepagin The Galaxy Santa Ana
Monday Public Enemy House of Blues Anaheim
Editor’s Letter Hi everyone, thanks for reading The Buzz this week. So, this is the last week of real classes until finals! I can’t believe this semester has gone by so quickly. Finals this coming week are going to be a pain for me, so I hope they go alright for all of you. I guess in between your studying, you chose to take a break and read some articles inside The Buzz. This issue we have some interesting stories and fun ideas on what to do if you do have some down time. But you’ll have plenty of that after finals, right? I haven’t had much time to study, so I hope I do OK. This past weekend, I was in Houston with my boyfriend checking out houses. The house pictures in last week’s letter was nice and had a really perfect layout. But, unfortunately, it didn’t have enough brick, the right color of brick, real tile or a fireplace. The house that we did decide on, however, does have a fire place, tile, the right color brick and a lot of extras.
I’ll put a photo of the actual house this week because I know you’re all dying to see it. Writing these editor’s letters every week makes me think back to junior high, when I would write a letter to my friends during every class period and hand it to them during passing period. Every letter would start out with “Hey, what’s up? Nothing much here.” I find that quite amusing. Now, in the age of computers, I don’t think any girls in junior high write letters like that. I think they text message or go on MySpace. com instead. I think I’d prefer a handwritten letter. The problem in writing letters now is that I’m not a boy-crazy 13-year-old, and I have a pretty uneventful life, as unbelievable as that sounds. But, I manage to get some words out every week, so you know a little what’s going on behind each issue. Next issue will be our last, and it’s coming Monday so you have something to enjoy between finals. Well, get back to studying or finishing up that project and, again,
thanks for reading! – Kirsten Alto New house: $177,000
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Tuesday Living End House of Blues Anaheim
WEdnesday Thursday Friday KIIS Jingle Ball Peaches The Dan Band Honda Cent / The House of Blues Avalon Hollywood Pond of Anaheim Anaheim
Inside Lindsay Lohan is reportedly going to Acoholics Anonymous meetings in Los Angeles ... it’s about time. No one cares about Lohan anymore anyhow now that we have Britney Spears flashing
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her vagina all around town ... what happened to her, seriously. We have a correction ... Michael Richards, not Richardson, had a racist rant and is still apologizing on every show he can. Paris Hilton backed out of hosting the Billboard Music Awards ... since when do we want to see someone who put out an album that made $3 host a major music award show anyway. K-Fed is trying to keep famous by having a reality
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CONCERT CALENDAR: DECEMBER
WEdnesday Monday Sunday Saturday Tuesday Hinder Stevie Wonder Guns ‘N’ Roses Senses Fail Ghostface Killah Gibson Amp. Gibson Amp. Chain Reaction House of Blues House of Blues Sunset Strip Anaheim Univsersal City Universal City Anaheim
show based on his life after Britney ... hey, at least he’s not flashing his genitals around town like she is. When Danny Devito gets drunk, he’s the life of the party, as we’ve seen on some talk shows recently ... he’s obviously not a racist because otherwise he’d make remarks he’d have to blame on the alcohol later. George Clooney’s pig, Max, passed away last week ... he was 19 and lived a good life but poor Clooney.
And that’s it for this week, but be sure to check out next week’s Inside Buzz because, it’s going to be a semester wrap-up! That’s right, because if you’re not completely informed on what celebrities were doing what while you were sitting in class all semester, than you can find out what you missed in next week’s addition. And, let’s not forget that for the third straight week in a row, “Happy Feet” is the
No. 1 movie in America, beating “Casino Royale” again.
Photo Courtesy Warner Bros.
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Scaled-down display of “World’s Largest Picture,”done by The Legacy Project, Founded in 2002 in Orange County. Photo by David Osborne
The Art Scene Meets the ‘OsCene’ By david osborne
Daily Titan Staff Photographer thebuzz@dailytitan.com
Occasionally, the naive Orange County-ian may forget the pool of talent in which he or she swims in every day. Some may not be up-todate with the maturing art scene in Southern California that has long been setting the standards in many areas of the art world including clothing, sculpture and visual medias. In an effort to enlighten those uneducated to the brilliant art all around us, the Laguna Art Museum brings its biennial survey, The OsCene 2006: Cotemporary Art and Culture in OC. The OsCene (a combination of the phrases “OC” and “scene,” and pronounced o-seen) features 38 contemporary artists residing right here in the OC, 16 of which include Cal State Fullerton faculty members, alumni and students. In fact, the curator of the show, Jacqueline Bunge, is a current graduate student in the Exhibition Design program at CSUF. Bunge played an instrumental part in sorting through the nearly 300 submissions that were received from OC artists looking to be included in the exhibit. “I wanted there to be a wellrounded mix of all media including kustom kulture, design and clothing. I think the number of graduate students I chose from UCI and CSUF showed a definite sophistication in their works,”
Photo by David Osborne “Homogenized,” a glass sculpture by Jason Charkravarty, who completed is M.F.A at CSUF.
CSUF graduate James Lorigan’s “Fall (Narcissus)”
Bunge said. Upon first entering, the observant CSUF student may notice a short film that looks remarkably familiar. This short film, entitled “Feel Good Doll,” was shot entirely on the CSUF campus. The eight-minute “feel good” video was done by the artist Joanna Grasso, a graduate student from
Photo by David Osborne
CSUF. It features Joanna as she carries a headless, white doll with a black square printed on its chest throughout the campus’ parking structure, TSU, Titan Shops, and other familiar locations. Grasso carries the life-size doll over her shoulder as she questions students and faculty about the possible sexuality of her doll.
Another sequence of scenes shows her taking the doll into the oncampus Kinko’s where she proceeds to make photocopies of the six-foot doll. “I’m always on the edge of getting in trouble,” Grasso says with a short laugh while grappling the large white doll’s legs over her shoulders. Jason Chakravarty, who completed his Masters in fine art in art this year at CSUF, is another student whose art has been seen on campus and is also featured in the OsCene. The show features three sculpted pieces by Chakravarty, all of which set the standard of originality in the show. A particular piece labeled “Homogenized” is of six cast-glass milk cartoons in a steel basket that are lit from within by xenon, a white gas like neon. The artist explained that missing children ads on the sides of milk cartons inspired the three glass cast figures. Another artist that is likely to grab attention is James Lorigan,
who received both his bachelor’s and master’s in art at CSUF, and now is chair of the Art Department at College of the Canyons in Santa Clarita. His acrylic piece entitled Fall (Narcissus) features a young boy’s doll-like head fixed atop a twigconstructed cross with two crows perched in the top right corner. The beautiful colors and rendition of a boy’s face give off a pleasant mood to a seemingly dark piece. In addition, many of the artists have and are participating on panel discussions. The next panel discussion, which will happen on Sunday, will be about The Legacy Project’s World Biggest Photograph. This panel discussion, including the six members of The Legacy Project, will discuss the Great Picture Project from July 2006 that involved transforming a former airplane hanger at the El Toro Marine Air Station in Irvine into the world’s largest camera. A display documenting the project is also part
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12.07.06
Regarding Jack Plays Alternative at Becker Amp By kevin cole
Daily Titan Staff Writer thebuzz@Dailytitan.com
Cal State Fullerton graduate and bassist Ali Zakka and the CostaMesa based alternative folk-rock band Regarding Jack rocked a small crowd at Becker Amphitheatre Wednesday.. The band was accompanied by the bass player’s two-year-old niece Ashley Del Valle, who swayed and got her groove on to the delight of those in attendance. Regarding Jack is Andrew Corradini on vocals, guitar, keyboards and harmonica, Jay Atkins on guitar, Ali Zakka on bass and Rich McKee on drums. “Smaller through words,” featured a varied tempo with percussionist McKee, a drum teacher in Yorba Linda, woven through smooth
keyboards and guitar licks. “Hole in my Pocket” had a harpsichord sound and was a tongue in cheek song patterned after The Doors with references to bourbon and women. The band broke down their equipment, chatted with fans and spoke with the Buzz. Buzz: How long has the band been together? Corradini: Ali the bassist and I started writing songs three years ago. We went looking for players two-and-one-half years ago. Buzz: What is the inspiration for your lyrics? Do you write them all? Corradini: We all take credit for all of the songs and we all contribute. Ali is a bassist but he writes lyrics, Jay writes great melodies and Rich sets down the rhythm. We all connect. Inspirations for lyrics include personal experiences, some are fun
role playing songs that are fictitious. We get into cycles in terms of topics when we write that keeps it really fresh. Buzz: What would you like people to take away from hearing you play? Corradini: I would like them to appreciate our diversity and our different backgrounds of folk, country, with a little bit of hip hop rhythms. My voice is the one thing that will always come across the same with the various sounds around it. It all ties back to a Regarding Jack sound. We can put a foot in this one and a foot in that one and see if we can diversify but we always have that one foot in the Regarding Jack sound. Buzz: What are the plans for the band? Corradini: We have a six-song self-titled EP and also have a full
length CD that will be released in late spring or early summer. We have some shows coming up in the next couple of weeks in Hermosa Beach and Anaheim. We are also
Photo by Kevin Cole
going to a benefit in San Diego If you missed Regarding Jack on Wednesday, the band next appears at Chain Reaction in Anaheim on Jan. 17.
Buzz Travel
Fashion Much More than Disney World Buzz The CSUF Dos and Don’ts Photo by Sheena Desai
By sheena desai
Daily Titan Staff Writer thebuzz@Dailytitan.com
Orlando, Fla. is known for its popular attractions such as Walt Disney World, The Epcot Center, and Universal Studios Florida. Walt Disney World is just a bigger version of Disneyland, so for those of us that are familiar with the Magic Kingdom in Anaheim, it won’t be anything too unique. Mickey and Donald are the same size there too. The Epcot Center is more for adults and is an exceptional experience because there is nothing like it anywhere ... at least not in America. It’s a must-see park that displays mesmerizing cultures and numerous wonders of the world. The World Showcase is half of the park that is sectioned into various countries such as China, Morocco, Canada, Italy, Mexico and many more. Anytime you enter the areas of one of these countries, you will feel as though you left America behind and stepped foot somewhere else, due to the music and the aroma of delecate cuisines filling the air. The rest of the park exhibits attractions such as Mission Space,
which gives the visitor an experience of another galaxy, Imagination Land, which does exactly what its name suggests, and a Test Track, where you become a daring test car driver on a complicated track. Orlando is also a major player in America’s retail market. With nine malls and three major outlet centers covering approximately 52 million square feet, there is space for several retail biggies such as Bloomingdales, Saks Fifth Avenue and Nordstrom. Downtown Orlando serves a diverse mix of martini bars, sports bars, comedy clubs, dance clubs and even stylish lounges, which makes up its scintillating nightlife. If you are into stage shows, then
make time for the theater venues, philharmonic orchestras, the opera ballet and famous Broadway musicals, which are performed on a weekly basis. Aside from these big attractions that Orlando is known for, not many people know how spectacularly scenic this city truly is. Glittering lakes and tall green trees make up a large portion of the city, and help build the region’s beauty. So the next time you’re in Orlando, make sure to check out the Epcot Center, blow some bucks at the malls and soak up all the natural beauty that the city has to offer.
By Kirsten Alto
Daily Titan Buzz Editor thebuzz@dailytitan.com
DON’T be iffy with your hair. Either mohawk or don’t mohawk, but don’t fauxhawk.
DO wear Faux-fur this season. The animals are safe and you are kept warm. It’s a win-win situation.
DO wear flats with animal print or other cute patterns. Whether they come from Payless or cost $500, they look cute and keep your feet covered for winter.
DON’T forget that razors have been invented ... for awhile now. Beards are OK, but trimming is a must.
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Rise of Taj Falls Fast at Box Office By daralyn schoenewald Daily Titan Staff Writer thebuzz@dailytitan.com
“Van Wilder 2: The Rise of Taj” hit theaters Friday and quickly sank, grossing omly $2.38 million is first weekend. In this sequel to the 2002 movie, Kal Penn reprised his role as the sexobsessed Taj Mahal Badalandabad. Taj leaves Coolidge College behind to become a graduate teaching assistant at the prestigious English university Camford. Taj’s first stop is the home of the Fox and Hounds, an elitist fraternity. Pipp Everrett, Earl of Grey and head of the Fox and Hounds, informs Taj that his letter of acceptance contained a “typographical error” and should actually have read that he was not accepted. Taj is told that while he hasn’t been accepted to the Fox and Hounds, he can be the resident adviser to a group of students who live in the “barn.” Of course the students turn
out to be misfits — there’s one angry Irishman, one promiscuous Cockney, one geek, and one who never talks but seems to be naked a lot. Taj tries to restore their selfesteem by making the barn into something a little cooler. Taj discovers that the Fox and Hounds had also prohibited the misfits from joining their group by using the same acceptance letter trick and vows to stop them by winning the Hastings Cup — a prize the Fox and Hounds win every year. He forms his misfit group into a new group — one he names Cock and Bulls. Taj also sets out to change the curriculum of the school by having his students throw their old textbooks out of the window, creating tension with Charlotte Higginson, Pipp Everrett’s girlfriend and Taj’s supervisor. Throughout the movie, the Cock and Bulls compete against the Fox and Hounds for the Hastings Cup. As per the first Van Wilder movie, the rich guy — Everett —
Photo by: Courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, Inc. Kal Penn stars at Taj Mahal Badalandabad in National Lampoon’s Van Wilder 2: The Rise of Taj.
feels threatened and makes petty attempts to sabotage the Cock and Bulls, nearly succeeding in having Taj expelled. The plot is flat and the antics that
were amusing in the first Van Wilder somehow come across as grotesque and sexist. The plot was extremely predictable and never came close to
being funny. It is safe to say that if you enjoy movies liberally laced with sexual references and breasts, you will also enjoy this movie.
Sister Act had an Axe to Grind Underground Photo by Kevin Cole
By Kevin Cole
Daily Titan Staff Writer thebuzz@dailytitan.com
Former Cal State Fullerton student Daisy Salas led the twopiece Whittier-based punk rock sister act The Pristines with a string of power chords in front of a small crowd at the Underground Pub last Thursday. Few listeners looked away from the frantic pace of the 12-song set with lyrics laced with curse words and sexually explicit content. “I don’t beat around the bush and make all of these metaphorical lines. I am just straight up, and this is how it is,” Daisy Salas, vocals and guitar, said. Daisy Salas, a student at Long Beach Community College, played an old-school rhythm style on her blue guitar. The older half of the duo was the percussionist Jamie Salas, a student at Cerritos College. Older sister Salas said mishaps at shows have become the norm. Blown amps, broken strings and dead microphones sit atop the list of the more common problems. Starting over has defined the
group that began as the band Cashmere, then Ladies First, before settling into what has been a twoand-a-half year project known as The Pristines. The Pristines thrilled the Pub crowd with tight riffs and a frenzied tempo from start to finish.
When finished with their set the sisters mixed with their fans and visited with the Buzz. Buzz: What was the most unusual occurrence at a show? Jamie: The most unusual occurrence was when they played at Queer Ball at Sol Art in
Santa Ana. Queer Ball was an event to give awareness about the queer, transgender, bisexual community. I think on Daisy’s behalf it was kind of odd because a drag queen got her on stage and started dancing with her. It was really funny. Buzz: Have you ever had to
censor out the expletives? Daisy: We have had to censor ourselves from people asking us to censor our songs. We did a show at Cerritos a couple of weeks ago where they asked my sister to not say the Fword, say bitch, say whore and to not say gay. Buzz: What kinds of music do you like to listen to? Daisy: I like Sonic Youth, Bikini Kill, Brat Mobile and SleaterKinney. They are different, but they are basically about my life. I take little bits and pieces here and there. Buzz: Have you considered enlarging the band? Daisy: We have talked about it and we want to see how far we can get with just the two of us and see the pros and cons of adding someone else. Two people can do so much you just have to put yourself out there and do it. Buzz: Are you planning on touring? Daisy: Sheila Girl is speaking with our manager about doing a small West Coast tour and playing with them again at Warped Tour.
........................................... p.7 12.07.06 Guitar Orchestra Tomorrow at Meng By kevin cole
Daily Titan Staff Writer thebuzz@dailytitan.com
The Fullerton Guitar Orchestra will perform at the new state-of-theart Meng Concert hall on Friday at 8 p.m. The proceeds will benefit the music department. The guitar orchestra is comprised of Cal State Fullerton students of the Guitar Studies program and is directed by Professor David Grimes of the music department. The concert will be held at the performing arts complex that opened in January 2006. The 800-seat hall can be tuned by moving the acoustic canopy up and down in addition to the curtains on the side, said Marc Dickey, chair of the music department. The acoustics are designed to have the hall sound the same no matter how many seats are filled. Among the pieces that the students will play include two written for guitar orchestra by the British composer Stephen Dodgson, Grimes said. “One of them includes a soprano soloist pitted against a guitar orchestra which makes for a very interesting texture,” Grimes said.
Photos Courtesy of the Fullerton Guitar Orchestra The Cal State Fullerton Guitar Orchestra at a performance last spring.
Dodgson wrote these for a large guitar festival in Hungary, he said. “We are also doing exciting works in the Latin vein, Tangomania and El Vito,” Grimes said. El Vito is a traditional Spanish song that was arranged for the guitar orchestra by a faculty member of the music department Mark Garrabrant, Grimes said. Also on the program is “Trois Mouvements Dynamiques” by Olivier Bensa. “This is a very vivid, vigorous set of pieces that take advantage of the
different textures that you can have with many guitars playing,” Grimes said. Some of the pieces are in four parts and one of them, the slow movement, is in ten parts with all of the guitars playing different things, he said. On the first half of the program the performance will include chamber ensembles, duets and trios playing music from the baroque period to the modern and ending with a couple of characteristic dances by a Spanish composer Joaquin Turina,
Grimes said. In the second half the full guitar orchestra will perform, said Dmitry Koudymov, senior in classical guitar program, originally from Saint Petersburg, Russia. There are different sections just as in a typical orchestra. An orchestra would contain first violins, second violins and cellos. In the guitar orchestra the same result is obtained with guitars, Koudymov said. The guitar orchestra has different ranges, including an actual six-string bass guitar that extends the range of the guitar orchestra. The guitar orchestra size fluctuates from year to year based on the enrollment in the program at the time, said Petar Chekardzhikov, graduate student in Classical Guitar Studies and member of the Fullerton Guitar Orchestra. The guitar orchestra currently has 16 guitar players. Most guitar players don’t have a lot of chamber music experience because it is a solo instrument, Koudymov said. Violinists and oboe players have always played in orchestras, but classical guitarists usually don’t have this opportunity. This is an opportunity for guitarists who are used to playing
Photos Courtesy David Grimes Director of the Orchestra and CSUF Professor in the Music Department
by themselves to play with other guitarists. This interaction gives the guitarist listening skills, he said. It teaches the guitarist how to be an active listener. That is probably the most important skill in a guitar orchestra. The guitar orchestra toured Oahu, Hawaii, in 2006 and Northern California last semester, Koudymov said. He has been a member of the guitar orchestra for four years and will play in a guitar trio as well as a guitar duo in the first half of the concert. Tickets for the Friday night performance are still available at the performing arts box office.
Jay-Z Rushed out Decent Comeback Album By james thompson
Daily Titan Staff Writer thebuzz@dailytitan.com
His return to the rap game could be seen from miles away and was as obvious as a K-Fed/ Britney Spears break-up, but it was great marketing move nonetheless. In what may have been the worst retirement in history, the self-proclaimed “God MC” has returned from what seems like more of a three-year sabbatical than a retirement to give fans a so-so effort with “Kingdom Come.” The intro to the album has JayZ reminiscing about his days as a hustling drug dealer over an Isaac Hayes-like ‘70s horn sample. He also recruits that same voice from his early albums to kick it off. The “king of the double entendres” states why he needs a new hustle besides rap and he’s more of a business man. This a decent track to start the album with, and if you had to
judge the album off the first song, you would think you might have another Jay-Z classic. The title track of the album explains that he has come back to save hip-hop over a slowed down sample of Rick James’ “Super freak.” He drops a lot of super hero references in this one implying that hip-hop has been in the clutches of an evil force. He goes from Superman to Flash Gordon of recording, climbing the charts like Peter Parker to being the Bruce Wayne of the game. If you’ve seen the Budweiser commercial you’ve heard “Show me What you Got,” his party single. Once again he tells people he’s the “Mike Jordan of recording.” There are some cute lines in here about being a baller and coaxing women to remove articles of clothing. You know you’ve made it if you got Danica Patrick and Dale Earnhardt Jr. in your music video. On “Lost One” Jay-Z recruited hip-hop super producer Dr. Dre for
this simple piano laced track about lost friendships with former running mate and hustler Dame Dash. He also touches on his relationship with R&B songstress Beyonce’ Knowles of Destiny’s Child fame and a lost nephew. This is a stand-out track in which Jay sheds the baller status and gets personal. Label mate Kanye West lends his production hand on the track “Do you Wanna Ride?” and brings R&B crooner John Legend along for the ride on this song about having an incarcerated friend and letting him
know what to expect when he gets out. “I made it” is an ode to wanting his mother to be proud of him, in which he apologizes to his mother for embarrassing her because he was a drug dealer. “Anything” is definitely a track the album could’ve done without. The Neptune-produced track features Usher singing the hook. It’s about going to the strip club and making it “rain,” a feat in which people throw money in the air so it looks as if it’s raining money. A stupid unnecessary track Jay should’ve definitely left off. “Minority Report” is one of the best songs on the album in which Jay addresses the Katrina fiasco on how the government and the president responded and gets in depth about how he felt about his donation to the Katrina fund. The opening of the song contains sound bites from different news casts explaining the government’s role and how the victims feel. These are some of the
most poignant lyrics of the entire disc. “Beach Chair” is another one of the best songs on the cd in which Jay-Z gets deep again talking about his karma and what he needs to do to make sure the life of his unborn child will be set forever. He recruits Chris Martin of Cold Play for this insightful track who uses his angelic falsetto compliment the song exceptionally well. Jay-Z has long ago cemented his place in hip-hop history, which might be the problem with this album. He’s set the bar so high that he might’ve pulled a hammy trying to get over it. The album seems rushed and the songs predictable save for “Beach Chair,” “Minority Report” and “Hollywood.” All in all a decent album, but not his best by far.
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Meet Me at 3rd and Fairfax in L.A. The Los Angeles Farmers Market is a scene a bit different from the Orange County swap meet By paul saiedi
Daily Titan Staff Writer thebuzz@Dailytitan.com
The sweet smell of fresh yeast doughnuts mixes with the aroma of hot-roasted nuts, spears of beef rotate over open flames and an array of rainbow-colored fruit sits stacked in symmetric towers. Basking under the warm Los Angeles sun an elderly couple eats steaming bowls of matzo-ball soup and warm plates of brisket. At a table, 5 feet to the left, two tattooed teenagers play scrabble and munch on spicy hummus with marinated olives. Bustling crowds of people devouring tasty treats intermix with those shopping the tiny nick-knack stores. On the corner of 3rd Street and Fairfax is The Original Los Angeles Farmers Market offering international cuisine, fine meats, poultry, seafood, produce and an array flowers. For 80 years enthusiastic visitors from all walks of life have flocked to the Farmers Market. Greeting customers with a smile and sample of their world-famous toffee, Chris Larson, 50, a resident
of Westwood, stands behind the towering display-case at Littlejohn’s Candy filled with confections of every shape and size. The Farmers Market is a great place to come for breakfast on a weekday or weekend, Larson said. “I know all of my customers. I love meeting all the people who travel here from all over the world. People should come check it out,” Larson said. The sound of wet crunching can be heard as butchers and fishmongers toss buckets of crushed ice into empty refrigerated cases constructing a chilled home for
meats and seafood. Old green and white metal and wooden chairs are full with a never-ending supply of occupants eager to sit and devour plates of slow roasted sirloin or “just-like-grandma used to make,” apple pie. Like a garden labyrinth from England, visiting guests navigate around tight corners discovering stores like Light My Fire, a shop dedicated to the sale of hot sauce, or Three Dog Bakery, specializing in tasty tidbits for customers of the feline and canine persuasion. The Farmers Market is home to 70 shops and attracts 3 million visitors every year, according to the owners and operators of the Farmers Market. Grey-haired Bob Tusquellas, 64, owner of Tusquellas Seafood and resident of Los Angeles, leans over the shinny metal counter of his seafood stand, the case filled with bright red crabs and thick cuts of tuna and trout. On an average day, Tusquellas Fish & Oyster Bar sells 3,000 shrimp, Tusquellas said. More than 90 percent of the Farmers Market shops and stalls are owner operated. The market is a place where families can come and enjoy a relaxing day in the sun, Tusquellas said. Sitting behind an enormous red paisley-covered purse Louise Myers, an 85-year-old resident of Westwood, sips black coffee and nibbled warm raspberry rugalough while she enjoyed a conversation with friends. “Things change, places change,
Photo Courtesy Los Angeles Famers Market
but I have to say this place is just like I remember it when I was a kid,” Myers said. To-go orders are shouted by name and sounds of people laughing and clanking the spring doors of green metal trash bins rumble through the international aroma of Korean barbeque and Chinese stir-fry. Sounds of crowds at the market echo a past that the Farmers Market played as a venue in the ‘30s and ‘40s for such varied enterprises as boxing, rodeos, wrestling, swimming and even a home to the first professional football team in Los Angeles, the Bulldogs. The land that the Farmers Market occupies started as a 256-acre ranch acquired by Arthur Fremont
Gilmore. Serendipity lent a hand when Gilmore struck oil on the ranch and soon after created both the Gilmore Oil Company and Gilmore Stadium Today the Farmers Market hosts popular annual events like its Mardi Gras Festival, the Gilmore Heritage Auto Show, The Salvation Army Kettle Kick-Off celebration and a free summer music festival. “We are one big family here,” Tusquellas said. “We all want to create something special here.” “You haven’t seen nothing ‘til you’ve seen this,” Myers said. Visitors to the market can park in one of three parking lots or use the eight-story Grove parking structure.
