Museum to Showcase the Whole Tamale, in All Its Corny Glory

At one time or the other, the L.A. area has been graced with museums honoring the banana, Hopalong Cassidy, Coca-Cola, the bra (at Frederick’s of Hollywood), feet and toes, Bigfoot and long legs (the Exotic Dancers League). In other words, just about every subject you can think of has been studied.

So why shouldn’t someone cook up a Tamale Museum?

Cooking consultant and chef John Sedlar has one in the works right now, honoring the tamale as part of a survey of Latin culinary history from Peru to Pacoima.

The other day he held a sneak preview, showing historic photographs of the beef-laden (and chicken-laden) concoctions as well as an art exhibition of L.A. taco trucks.

Sedlar is currently looking for a downtown location for his shrine. Once he finds one, the Tamale Museum will be a wrap.

Tamales (cont.): One of Southern California’s most colorful early restaurants was the Tamale (see photo), which has been traced to the 1920s on Whittier Boulevard in Montebello.

It’s described in the book “California Crazy: Roadside Vernacular Architecture,” by Jim Heimann and Rip Georges.

Heimann and Georges show how the Tamale was one of numerous eateries with wacky shapes that were designed to attract the attention of drivers in already car-mad Southern California.

Other restaurants resembled chili bowls, derby hats, airplanes, blimps, igloos, owls and frogs.

Incidentally, the Tamale offered no alcoholic beverages but did serve malts. The tamale/malt combination never really caught on.

Tamales (the final serving): Out of the food business for several years, the Tamale building has housed several small firms in recent years. What better setting for the museum?

Or maybe it’s for airplane pilots: On the Ventura Freeway, John Paladin of North Hollywood noticed a “thru traffic” sign evidently placed for drivers plowing through a sound wall (see photo).

Pedal-pooped: F. Jane Bush of Palm Desert saw an ad for a “hardly used” bicycle that seems to have gotten old before its time (see accompanying).

Dog daze: I believe it was the late Bob Hope who once described Van Nuys as “Cleveland with palm trees.” Well, Jerri Quintin of L.A. found another variation on the name in a pet notice (see accompanying).

miscelLAny: The police log of the Rancho Santa Margarita News reported a sighting of a street person who was “walking around, talking to himself and fighting the street signs.” Well, who in Southern California hasn’t done a little talking to himself over the traffic?