Hello Shmuel!
I was reading Shmuel's post from last week (featured below) and was interested in the British specialty store mentioned. I had never heard of Oh, Fancy That! nor of Tarzana district. What was even more surprising to me was that the place was only 13 miles from UCLA. It's interesting how, although how we may live in such close proximity to a place, but still be completely unaware of its existance. This reflects on the idea of social difference and how cultural hubs within LA are such that like mosaic tiles which touch but do not overlap.
Your addiction to imported PG Tips and Nougat Bars from the British specialty store remind me of my own mini-splurges on imported teas from Lupicia. I always liked that drinking their oolong teas made me feel like somehow linked back to my chinese heritage. However, I know nothing about the tea's history or why it became a staple in China.
It's also interesting how this specialty store was established in the district of Tarzana, where the median income of the people living there is around $73,000. This supports the idea that mostly the richer have adapted this idea of new cosmopolitan consumerism in place of actually immersing themselves in another culture. Perhaps, this is because persons the "cost" of their time that would be spent reading about or traveling to different cultural districts would be more costly than to just buy items imported from that region. Thus, rather than integrating a new perspective culture into their current culture, it seems they are are simply "sampling" the culture. I realize I am guilty of this to at times.
When time is more abundant, I hope to immerse myself in the various cultural districts present in Los Angeles. There, I can better interact with their culture and people that embody it.
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Hello, everyone.
I would like to describe my trip to a British specialty store in the Suburb of Tarzana.
This wonderful store is located thirteen miles from UCLA.
Here is a map to navigate to this location: Directions to Oh, Fancy That!
I frequent this store numerous times throughout the year, and have become
quite attached to the owner, Jeanne, and her aging dog, Buster.
Jeanne promoted her store via YouTube a few years ago: Oh Fancy That
I have consequently developed an addiction to PG Tips and Nougat Bars.
PG Tips is a delicious black tea that has merited the approval of the Queen.
Meanwhile, Nougat bars are a sweet treat from South Africa.
In this week's reading, The Emergence of Postsuburbia, the authors explain
how the population of Orange County have (in large part) substituted consumerism as
the primal means of culture attainment.
They believe that the consumption of foreign goods may enrich their lives with culture.
They do this instead of learning a foreign language or immersing themselves in
foreign cultures and theologies (to a certain extent).
I think that I am not too different from Orange County's post-suburbanites,
for instead of immersing myself in British culture and learning the history of
this great country (second to the USA, of course!), I am spending my hard-earned
money on imported tea and treats.
Finally, I would like to make a note on the location of this shop, and its surroundings.
The shop is located in the Tarzana Plaza. Blockbuster and Cocoas Restaurant
dominate the scene, and are located at either end of the entrance.
Jeanne's shop is situated in the back of this plaza, adjacent to an optometry clinic.
The sheer size of the Blockbuster sign reflect the consumer-driven values of the
surrounding suburbanites.
These individuals would rather consume mass-marketed goods for entertainment
rather than imported specialties, although both do not provide the culture that
is sorely lacking in this suburban location.
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