Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Farewells to the World


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Here's a poem inspired by reading Japanese death poems called "jisei"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_poem
and visiting the Westwood Memorial Park to look at celebrities' graves.
http://www.hollywoodusa.co.uk/MemorialParks/westwoodmemorialpark.htm
Its text appears on a video with an pop song with Okinawan folk music flavors
http://www.rootsworld.com/rw/feature/kina.html
about flowers blossoming out of life's joys and sorrows (Ry Cooder is playing slide guitar). This media overlay may resonate richly with multiple meanings - or produce an incoherent tedium that frazzles your attention.

Monday, November 30, 2009

Fans line up for New Moon premier

Last November's premier of the blockbuster movie Twilight in the Westwood Village neighborhood of Los Angeles will be repeated at two theaters where the entire cast of New Moon was expected to show up.

Sunday, October 25, 2009

We All Have to Eat


 




Gushi


978 Gayley Ave

Los Angeles, CA

(310) 208-4038  (no website)

7 days a week, 10:30 AM - 11:00 PM


Location

On the edge of the UCLA Campus in Westwood Village, this Korean fast-food indy sits in a strip of parking lots with a couple of similar-looking Mexican-food shacks. Free or even metered street parking is scarce, while paid lots charge $4 or $5. Many students and other budget cognoscenti come on foot.

Ambience

Gushi's self-service patio seating area covered by a corrugated metal roof is as reminiscent of hawkers-style stall eateries in Singapore as its tasty no-frills fare. Though its fans adore this local secret as the best Westside Korean chow spot, it’s no place for a romantic date. At times you’ll be lucky to get a table and you may have to wipe it off yourself. But Gushi offers hanging plants, space heaters, and soft lighting rather than the bleak fluorescence typical of such structures elsewhere.




Food                                                                   

Efficient kitchen staff quickly prepare large-portion (share, or take home the leftovers), mostly under-$10 dishes: Kalbi (barbecued short ribs), Jiji Gae (spicy kimchi soup), Jap Chae (“glass” bean noodles), Bibimbap (vinegared vegetables with seasoned beef and fried egg) and Gushi's signature Bulgogi, with a superabundance of the same slightly sweet-flavored beef slices as the Bibimbap. Others include kimchi fried rice and several Japanese-accented dishes served with Teriyaki sauce. Most come with rice, kimchi, and a savory sauce, like the Bibimbap’s spicy bean sauce with chili peppers. The drinks don’t quite match the food. The lemonade, for instance, is over-sugared and unappetizingly greenish.


Many patrons take out their meals. Tax included in prices, cash only.