East LA-- not only renowned for its Mexican food, but also its Mexican food shaped architecture.
If you find yourself rolling down Whittier Blvd, you'll see one building that looks a lot more "tamale-ish" than the others. Behold, the Tamale shaped house of East LA.
A relic from LA's programmatic architecture period, a simpler time when things were built with the sole purpose of grabbing the attention of passing motorists, the tamale house still stands strong, despite the death of many other high profile themed buildings of the era.
It's big and smooth, light green, with stone masa wrapped up in a concrete corn leaf, sandwiched between two office buildings. Some call it an eye sore, which has been the cause of some local drama, while others (like myself) travel 45 minutes to come bask in its aura of Mayan awesomeness.
Now let's answer the question that's on everybody's mind: What delicious filling could be inside? Chili, fruit, monterey jack cheese? Nope, it actually houses a beauty salon, so this tamale is filled with delectable ingredients such as brushes, scissors and curling irons. Yum!
