"Our people are healthy," Tevesi Fa'apouli says, "but they're big. They eat good. Especially our old folks. We eat taro, povi masima, fish. The generation we raise over here doesn't have the appetite for that."
August 5, 2004
News & Stories
Samoan culture in San Diego fades away
Pot? Poppies? What's the difference?
High, Matt: If I had a garden full of marijuana, I'd get a visit from the cops. My neighbor has a garden full of poppies. Why hasn't anybody raided her house? -- Lawnboy, San Diego …
August 5, 2004
"Chicano." Insulting?
Hey Matt! Where does the term "Chicano" come from? Is there a country called "Chican"? My family considered it a derogatory name for Americans of Mexican descent, derived in Texas in the aftermath of the …
August 5, 2004
Dusty Mother
“Descriptions of her say her clothes were rarely pressed and always dusty. This was someone who wasn’t into ‘fussy doodles,’ as she called any kind of societal finery. She was a straight shooter, unimpressed with titles."
August 5, 2004
I Can't Make a Living Doing Only This
“They might have a relative who is sick or who just died. You see, most of them have left their families in the south, and they're working here and sending money south to Oaxaca or Puebla.”
August 5, 2004
Vanished
Those who trusted funds to the late financial adviser William Zures -- including his Rancho Santa Fe parish and some among its members -- may get a portion of their money back, but many snarls …
August 5, 2004
Ramble through downtown San Diego on foot, eyeing urban trees and a forest of construction cranes.
Startling changes seem to be occurring at an ever-increasing pace in downtown San Diego -- or "Centre City" as it is sometimes known. Back in 1972, when I first arrived, I'd bicycle over from San …
August 5, 2004
Men sizzle in Hauser Canyon, part 1
In the fall of 1943, soldiers in San Diego’s backcountry had to stop gunnery practice before noon. After that, the heat became so intense the targets would seem to dance. On October 1 — the …
August 5, 2004
Melissa Ortaleza and Kenneth Cook
“We were talking. Melissa got distracted by a bug. I used that opportunity to take the ring out of my pocket. I got down on one knee and said, ‘I love you. Here’s the ring.’”
August 5, 2004