Hi angels,
I hope you’re safe and hanging in there. The fear, upheaval, uncertainty, and loss of the last week are like nothing I’ve ever known.
I think of the tears that welled in my mom’s eyes when she picked me up from my 3rd grade classroom on the morning of 9/11, and the look of confusion on my five-year-old brother’s face. I think about the picture of water thrashing above the front door of my family’s apartment building as Hurricane Sandy ravaged the borders of New York City. I think about fleeing Brooklyn with my siblings, grateful to have a car and a place to shelter on Long Island days after COVID-19 touched down in the States. For a few reasons, this feels different.
I’ve chosen Los Angeles. I’ve fallen in love with this city. I’m surrounded by friends who have settled down here, who have chosen to build lives here, too. Now, we all know people who’ve lost everything, if we haven’t ourselves. We’re masking up to protect our lungs from burnt asbestos in the air and wondering what a future in L.A. looks like. No one has answers yet. But if I know one thing, the outpouring of love and organized response from Angelenos has been the most heartwarming response to such heartbreak.
On Sunday, Gov. Newsom said these wildfires could be the worst natural disaster in U.S. history. The city is changed forever and certainly, for now. Thus, The Angel might look a bit different in the coming months. I’m figuring out what coverage here looks like in real time and starting to report a few stories related to the wildfires. It’s impossible to go deep on the Los Angeles food scene otherwise. I had a few stories in the works before last week (including a deeply researched treatise on salads), and those will still run, but probably a little later on.
I skipped Plugs last week because I was focused on keeping this list of resources, donation links, volunteer opportunities, and fundraisers up to date alongside Kate Ludwig of Bite Sized. We’re continuing to update it to the best of our abilities, even though aid efforts are moving quickly and needs are changing constantly. Plugs will pick back up this weekend; I think weekly love letters to Los Angeles are needed right now, maybe more than ever.
I also want to remind everyone that when disasters happen, restaurants are among the most vulnerable businesses. As we know, restaurants are more fragile than ever after COVID and the writer’s strike, not to mention inflation, labor costs, etc. They are also uniquely positioned to step up and feed people, and they’re doing just that—providing free meals to firefighters and displaced Angelenos, in certain cases, completely out of pocket.
If you want to donate food to those affected by the fires, consider donating through a restaurant. If you feel safe enough to eat out and have the means, keep doing so. Check in on your favorite places and see how you can support them right now.
Many of you have been refreshing Watch Duty and doomscrolling Instagram, looking for news and seeing how to help, even organizing and mobilizing on the ground. We can’t not. Please also remember to take a break, be easy on yourself, and prioritize your health and emotional well-being.
As I work towards publishing my own reporting, I want to share some work from my peers thus far, a combination of important journalism and resonant writing on how the wildfires have devastated our beloved city.
Tejal Rao: In L.A., the Heartache of Being Home & This couple lost their restaurant and home to fire, on their daughter’s birthday. [NYT]
Susan Orlean: The Fire This Time & Manifest Destiny [Wordy Bird]
Caitlin Schneider: The World We Once Knew Is Gone [Discourse Blog]
Stephanie Breijo: ‘It’s like Armageddon.’ Restaurant owner describes fire that burned Moonshadows, Reel Inn and others & Los Angeles is burning. Here’s how the city’s restaurants are stepping up to help
Meghan McCarron: In One of L.A.’s Richest ZIP Codes, Food Service Workers Also Lost Their Homes [NYT]
Kerry Howley: Escaping Los Angeles [NY Mag]
Sam Valenti IV: Why I Came to California [Herb Sundays]
Priyanka Mattoo: It’s Not Just Stuff [The Multitude]
Los Angeles forever.
<3,
Emily
thank you this was perfectly put