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‘Donuts, Cambodians, and Los Angeles’
Community Sep 10, 2016
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– At the turn of the 21st century, the Greater Los Angeles Area boasted more donut shops per person than any other place in the US. – Courtesy photo
Lecture and Discussion With Dr. Erin M. Curtis
The Allendale Branch Library will present a lecture/discussion with Dr. Erin M. Curtis, entitled “Donuts, Cambodians, and Los Angeles,” on Saturday, Sept. 17, at 2 p.m., at 1130 S. Marengo Ave. in Pasadena. Light refreshments (including donuts) will be served.
At the turn of the 21st century, the five-county Greater Los Angeles Area boasted more donut shops per person than any other place in the United States, and a populace crazy for the fried confections.
Cambodian refugees, survivors of the brutal Khmer Rouge regime, owned and operated between 80 and 90 percent of these small businesses. In her lecture, Dr. Curtis connects the history of this urban ethnic community to the broader story of automated donut production in the United States, explaining how LA’s Cambodian donut entrepreneurs reinterpreted technologies developed for the US donut industry during the early 20th century, creating an alternative donut industry uniquely suited to Southern California.
A Los Angeles-based public historian and curator with a decade of experience in museum projects, Curtis holds a Ph.D. in American studies from Brown University.
This program is presented in conjunction with the Allendale Branch Library’s special collection of culinary books.
For additional information, please contact the Allendale Branch Library by phone at (626) 744-7260; visit the Allendale Branch Facebook page; or visit their website.
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