What is SoCal Culture?
What is SoCal Culture?  
Podcast: Culture Study Podcast
Published On: Wed May 28 2025
Description: For each of these culture-of-place episodes, we look for someone who both adores a place, are very much a product of that place… and are also very much at home talking shit about that place. They see its difficulties, drawbacks, and hostilities clearly — and can hold all of that alongside their deep and abiding love for the place. And that’s Gustavo Arellano, who’s been writing about SoCal culture with verve and humor and great skill for decades. (Such great skill that just a week after we taped this episode, he was named as a finalist for this year’s Pulitzer Prize in commentary). I can’t wait for you to join us as we talk about making dioramas of missions out of sugar cubes, car culture, conspiracy-curious crunchy-fascists in Orange County, and so much more.Thanks to the sponsors of today’s episode!Get $35 off your first box of wild-caught, sustainable seafood—delivered right to your door. Go to https://www.wildalaskan.com/CULTUREHead to moshlife.com/CULTURE to save 20% off and get FREE shipping on the Best Sellers Trial PackGet $75 off a Mill food recycler at mill.com/CULTUREStop putting off those doctors appointments and go to Zocdoc.com/CULTURE to find and instantly book a top-rated doctor today.Show Notes:Read Gustavo’s wonderful (free!) weekly newsletter, I promise it will become a highlight of your SaturdayRe: elementary school student mission diorama project — you can see a bunch here. As of 2017, the California Department of Education now recommends against the diorama project as a way of teaching fourth graders about the missionsYou can read Gustavo’s (Pulitzer Prize nominated!!!) Los Angeles Times column hereFor more on the idea of “Spanish fantasy heritage” — check out Phobe S. Kropp’s California ViejaA fantastic Mother Jones profile of Jessica Reed Kraus, the woman behind House Inhabit, and her SoCal-borne (and deeply paranoid) approach to pop cultureThe column Gustavo mentions in the AAA segment re: the anniversary of KKK city council members getting recalled in AnaheimAlta Baja Market!Mitla Cafe!So many Original Tommy’s!We’re currently looking for your questions for future episodes about:MONTANA Culture, MONTREAL/Québécois Culture, and Philly Culture for our ongoing culture-of-place series (different eps don’t worry)Evangelical Summer Camp, past and presentVariations of American accents/dialects/linguisticsAnything you need advice or want musings on for the AAA segment. You can ask about anything, it’s literally the name of the segment!As always, you can submit them (and ideas for future eps) hereFor this week’s discussion: What parts of SoCal Culture do you love — and what OTHER restaurants would you recommend?