good morning.the Monday, October 30th. I’m Helen Lee, a reporter for the Times. Here’s what you need to know to start your day.
- Korean and Latinx communities connect through acupuncture at LA’s Santee Alley
- Actor Matthew Perry dies at 54
- Blink-182’s Travis Barker talks survival, fatherhood, and music
- And today’s electronic newspaper is here
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Finding a common culture among acupuncture clinics
Two blocks near East Pico and Santee Alley are home to dozens of small stores filled with the latest fake Gucci and Prada bags, Inter Miami Messi jerseys, and bejeweled sunglasses. There are many ATMs. Cash is best. “ZZT!” The sound of a Taser echoes through the air as the store owners try to get their attention.
In the middle of it is an open-air acupuncture clinic. When I looked inside, I saw a row of beds with patients lying face down.
“Look! Masaje?” Joy Kim called out to potential customers. She is an acupuncturist and herbalist and has been working at Santee Alley for the past three years.
When I first arrived in Los Angeles and discovered Santee Alley, I felt at home. The sight reminded me of my time in a country where street bazaar stalls and an informal economy bring communities together, rather than the brick-and-mortar stores common in America.
My colleague Astrid Kayembe shops for knockoffs at Los Callejones de los Ángeles (commonly known as Santee Alley) with her mother and sells boxes to relatives in Belize. I grew up sending .
“It’s always felt like a cultural crossroads. If I were a consumer of color, that’s where I wanted to be,” she told me. “You can find everything.”
What intrigued me most was how this alley spotlights LA’s diversity at the intersection of cultures and how immigrants from different backgrounds interact and form a rich and unique community. I was wondering if you were guessing. This blend was most obvious to me at an acupuncture clinic with Korean roots, a large Latinx clientele, and a shared medical practice.
My colleague Jeong Park and I spent a recent afternoon learning about the community with the shop’s staff and customers.
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This is one of the four stores in the alley, and customers come from far away to receive treatment. A manager at the store, who declined to be named, said 90% of the customers are Hispanic, and many tourists come by word of mouth.
That was part of the reason we brought Laura Aguilera and Eddie Aguilera to the clinic. Eddie had pain in his left shoulder from lifting heavy boxes at his job and often passed by the store. His $60, hour-long cupping and acupuncture treatment there provided immediate relief. He told Laura that after researching acupuncture online, she decided to try it to treat her infertility. Signs on the wall also advertise treatments for common body aches such as headaches, back pain, and knee pain.
“It’s all in circulation,” Laura told me. “There’s no harm in trying.”
But it’s not just the treatment that appeals to her. She also appreciates that Joy prays with her after her treatment.
Many Korean American families I found a community with the church.and majority latino I identify as a Christian in the city.
Shoppers stroll Santee Alley on weekends.
(Helen Lee)
This spiritual bridge also extends to alternative medicine. The shop owner said the practice of cupping (applying heated suction cups to the skin to stimulate blood flow) is similar to traditional practices. curanderismo “Fire cupping” is practiced in Latin America.
Kim said she often communicates with customers in Spanish, which she learned in high school.It is advertised in alleys and shops. Ventosus — Cupping in Spanish.
You can get 30 minutes of cupping for $40 or acupuncture for $60. Not all shops have insurance, but some do.
“Acupuncture is not just for Koreans,” Kim told Chung and me.
Affordable peace of mind
Whether a store survives depends on how the community that visits it changes in the future.
The history of Korean immigration to Los Angeles dates back to the 1970s. One of the first industries that immigrants fostered was downtown clothing districtan area that includes Santee Alley.
Edward Chang, a professor of ethnic studies at the University of California, Riverside, said that in the 1970s and 1980s, it was common for Korean immigrant women to work in garment districts, and places like Koreatown were primarily populated by Korean immigrants. He said that it was an ethnic enclave for many Korean immigrants. . Today, many of the people working in the clothing industry are immigrants from Latin America.
“Many businesses, including barbecues, restaurants and bakeries, now cater to multi-ethnic customers,” Chan said.
A store manager said one of the acupuncture shops in the alley closed during the pandemic. He also noticed that the crowds were thin and people were walking around empty-handed. He often looked at a lot of shopping bags.
“We provide treatment anyway, so people come regardless of whether they have money or not, but sales at other clothing stores have decreased considerably,” he said in Korean.
Chan said the store serves a practical role for the Korean and Latin American communities.
“Western medicine is very expensive and out of reach for many immigrants, but traditional acupuncture is more affordable,” Chan said. “And if you believe in that, you’ll find that it’s a very effective way to deal with pain and other problems.”
But it’s also a space that highlights just how interconnected these communities are in LA.
“The relationship between Korean immigrants and Latin American immigrants is more complicated,” he says. “Not only do they share a common space, a worker-employer relationship, they are neighbors. And they share a common immigration ideology.”
Today’s top news
Matthew Perry speaks about his recent memoir at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books in Los Angeles in April.
(Dania Maxwell/Los Angeles Times)
In memory of Matthew Perry
shooting in maine
war in the middle east
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great reading today
(Tom Jamison/For the Times)
Travis Barker wants to be a “superhuman.” A catastrophe would make humans do that. Barker, 47, appears to have been karmically rewarded for his perseverance. Blink-182 is back with his new album and is preparing to become a father again with his wife Kourtney and his Kardashian. In his latest “For Real With Amy Kaufman” column, Barker gets candid about his situation at this stage in his life.
How can we make this newsletter even more useful? Send your comments to essentialcalifornia@latimes.com.
for your downtime
Ann ofrenda The late Los Angeles County Supervisor Gloria Molina was honored Saturday at the 12th annual Downtown Dia de los Muertos event at Gloria Molina Grand Park.
(Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times)
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And finally… great photos
Tell us about your favorite place in California! Send us a photo taken at a special spot in California Natural or man-made, and why are they important to you?
Spadena House in Beverly Hills.
(Elise Jankowski)
Click here for today’s wonderful photos Elise Jankowski In Los Angeles: Spadena House in Beverly Hills. Elise writes, “Beverly Hills’ iconic Spadena House is frequented this time of year because its storybook style reflects the spooky atmosphere of Halloween.”
Have a great day! From the Essential California team
Helen Lee, Reporting Fellow
Jeong Park, Asian American community reporter
Laura Blasey, Deputy Editor
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