Monthly Archive for April, 2006

Interesting photographs of Iranian women …

Published on April 28, 2006 in activism, interesting, photography and politics. 0 Comments

Persian-American photographer Amir Normandi did a photo series of women wearing hijabs and showing otherwise verboten parts of their bodies to protest the treatment of women under the Islamic Republic of Iran.

The series is entitled 12 Postcards for Muharram.

Los Angeles: Henry Moffett’s Chicken Pie

Published on April 21, 2006 in food, los angeles and photography. 0 Comments

One of the things I like about Southern California is the large concentration of restaurants that were built between the 1930′s and 1970′s. In a lot of these places, the food has not changed (though the prices have;) whether you are someone who is a connoisseur of retro restaurants, or someone looking for some nostalgia from their childhood, Southern California just might have what you are looking for.

Recently, I found the web site Los Angeles Time Machines, which has a directory of historic bars and restaurants in the area. I’ve decided to try a few places on the list each month, and one of the places I chose to visit this month was Henry Moffett’s Chicken Pies in Bellflower. At Henry Moffett’s, they make their chicken pot pies (and all other pies) from scratch. I went with my partner and two friends of ours. My partner and the others got the pot pies, which come with whipped potatoes and a side of vegetables, a salad, and dessert. I decided to have the chicken fried steak, which also came with the same sides, salad, and dessert. The final bill came to about $15 per person for salad, entree, two sides, dessert, and drinks. Everything was tasty; the pot pies were savory and flavorful, with a nice flaky crust. The chicken fried steak was amazing. The whipped potatoes, salad with iceberg lettuce, and desserts (I had chocolate pudding) reminded me of food I would get in restaurants when I was a kid – anyone remember Howard Johnson’s? Our waitress was friendly and we all agreed that her hairstyle had not changed much since the 1950′s.

Click on all images to see a larger image. If you want to use any of these images, please contact me at kosmonaut at gmail dot com.

Chicken pot pie!

US Sumo Open

Published on April 20, 2006 in cool, culture, los angeles, photography and sports. 0 Comments

I attended the US Sumo Open at the Los Angeles Convention Center a few weeks ago. The event started off with five dancers in traditional costume giving a performance; given the presence of flowers in the costumes, I think it was a dance that signified Spring. Next were taiko drummers, and then the competition began.

Sumo has a long history in Japan and even today still uses many rituals and ceremonies that have ties to Japanese religion. References to sumo have been found in Japanese writings dating back as far as the 8th century AD.

At the US Sumo Open, the special guest was Musashimaru Koyo, who reached the highest rank in sumo wrestling, called yokozuna, during his sumo career. He held this position from 1999 to 2003.

Click on all images to see a larger image. If you want to use any of these images, please contact me at kosmonaut at gmail dot com.

Japanese dancers