‘Food, Identity and Culture in L.A.’ at JANM

A panel on “Food, Identity and Culture in Los Angeles” will be held on Saturday, May 18, from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m at the Japanese American National Museum’s Tateuchi Democracy Forum, 100 N. Central Ave. in Little Tokyo.

Gustavo Arellano

How much can we learn about people different from ourselves from interactions in their restaurants, bakeries, and markets? Are we changed by the experiences we have when dining out? Does Los Angeles have its own distinctive food culture, and if so how is it changing?

This program will explore how diverse cultures in Los Angeles have shaped its food and informed the city’s culinary landscape. The following panelists will discuss connections between the things and places we eat and the way we interact with the diverse peoples who help shape our city.

Sonoko Sakai

• Gustavo Arellano, features writer for The Los Angeles Times and author of “Taco USA: How Mexican Food Conquered America”;

• Cookbook author and cooking instructor Sonoko Sakai;

• Guy Gabriele, a restaurateur in the L.A. area since the 1970s;

• Richard Foss (moderator) from the Culinary Historians of Southern California.

Presented in partnership with the Department of Cultural Affairs, City of Los Angeles.

This program is free, but RSVPs are recommended. For more information, call (213) 625-0414 or visit www.janm.org.