“Would sell you more, but they ain’t none of mine…”
Photo: Vintage Los Angeles/Flickr
The former site of East L.A.’s Tamale Cafe, housed in a plaster structure that resembles a giant tamale, is up for sale and may be headed for the chopping block unless preservationists can convince the city to grant it historical immunity. The titanic tamale—which hearkens back to an L.A. once dotted with roadside eateries resembling such intimidating nibbles as huge hot dogs, doughnuts, coffee pots, chili bowls, oranges, and burgers—may face a challenging rise to immortality, given the neighborhood’s unincorporated status. However, Kim Cooper, a co-founder of tour company Esotouric, is pleading with Angelenos to embrace the structure and urge local legislators to offer it protection. [Eostouric via ESLA]
