History of Chinese food (or lack thereof) on the Westside

[J_L]

[Bookwich]

The Westside is where the Big Blue Bus or Big Green Bus take you.

If you have to take the MTA to get there (other than Venice Beach), then you’re not on the Westside anymore.

[Kalivs]

I find the Indian food on the Westside uninspiring

[robert]

“Big Green Bus”?

[Bookwich]

[robert]

Culver CityBus will take you around the Westside.

[owang]

A small note about L.A. neighborhoods:

Where the “westside” is has long been a moving target if you look at how the area has been identified and described throughout the history of the area. Remember: Western Ave. - in current day Koreatown - was called Western because it marked the western border of Los Angeles, back in the 19th century. Likewise, Central Ave. was, well, the center of the then-city.

The idea that the westside only begins ~the 405 is a relatively modern. David, if you lived in/around Crenshaw, then you may have run into older JA neighbors who referred to that neighborhoods as “Seinan” aka “Southwest.” I’ve been interviewed older JA folks for a research project (not related to food) and every time they refer to “the westside” they’re referring to parts of town that, today, we’d consider “mid-city.”

In any case, I get that people have strong feelings around neighborhood identities. As someone who grew up in the SGV, I refuse to accept that Los Feliz or Echo Park = the eastside, for example.

[JThur01]

@owang

In any case, I get that people have strong feelings around neighborhood identities. As someone who grew up in the SGV, I refuse to accept that Los Feliz or Echo Park = the eastside, for example.

I’m reluctant to mention it, since folks seem to get tetchy about it (which is something I don’t get), but historically westside meant west of downtown and eastside meant east of downtown.

[owang]

Or using the LA River as the line of demarcation between the two. By both standards, the Los Feliz/SIlverlake/Echo Park 'hoods aren’t eastside but shrug

[frommtron]

Good stuff. There isn’t a clear authority of record that has determined broad neighborhood boundaries such as “westside,” “eastside,” or “mid-city.” There are so many competing stakeholders. Residents, residents of adjacent areas, real estate agents . . .
That said, I tend to use the LA Times neighborhood map (which hasn’t been updated in some time). If someone insists on another definition for the neighborhood they call home, I just accept that as a way of looking at the city.

[chandavkl]

Don’t forget Eastern Ave.

[paranoidgarliclover]

@owang

As someone who grew up in the SGV, I refuse to accept that Los Feliz or Echo Park = the eastside, for example

What a great post.

I grew up in the SGV, and I consider Los Feliz or Echo Park to be in the “eastern portion” of Los Angeles, although I consider “East LA” to refer to Boyle Heights, El Sereno, and the parts that are adjacent to Montebello. Do you consider Los Feliz and Echo Park to be central?

It makes sense that what is consider east, west, and central will change as the population density continues to change (and expand).

@ipsedixit and @robert: feel free to move this conversation to off-topic…

[robert]

Officially (per the US Census), East LA is the unincorporated part of LA county between Boyle Heights and Montebello.

[catholiver]

You do know, don’t you, that this is unique to LA? SF certainly has it and Manhattan does also. And as mentioned, residents and real estate agents likely have something to do with it

[catholiver]

Oops, this ISN’T unique to LA!

[secretasianman]

@chandavkl

a lot of Chinese expect their food to be cheap. Indeed a lot of them are proud of it. It also explains why Chinese food continues to be economical, not just in Americanized Chinese restaurants, but also in Chinese communities like the San Gabriel Valley.

i was amused that eater recently announced the opening of a chinese fast food restaurant in boyle heights. but doing my due diligence, i checked the yelp page for the place, and was drawn in by a pic of what looked like shui jian bao. turns out the pic was part of what yelp categorized as a fake review, but before i discovered that, i read a review by someone with a non-asian surname which included the following:

I’ve lived in Boyle Heights for 16 years and have yet to find a what we would have called back in the day cheap Chinese.

the point being that it’s not just the chinese who expect chinese food to be cheap, in boyle heights, anyway. that and the fact that eater thought it worthy to publicize the opening of a chinese fast food restaurant in boyle heights. then again, 3 items for $7.99 including fried rice and noodles…

[WireMonkey]

@secretasianman

i checked the yelp page for the place, and was drawn in by a pic of what looked like shui jian bao

Hah, I actually went and got lunch there after being curious about that picture, too. They definitely didn’t have that (or any dumplings) that I noticed.

[secretasianman]

how funny! i saved myself a trip by looking at pics of the menu, and identifying the pic as being posted by a guy posting a fake review. yelp can be your friend if you know how to use it.

[WireMonkey]

Yeah, I was kind of committed to trying it even in the likely case that photo was fraudulent. It wasn’t bad in that very Americanized steam table kind of way. Hard to argue with the price and the three items I got seemed recently replenished.

[secretasianman]

well, if i’m in boyle heights and would rather not try any of the good mexican places in the neighborhood, jin dragon now becomes an option…if certain meteorological conditions prevail in the infernal regions…