CITY & ITS PEOPLE
10 things every LA home has
Every Taiwanese home has a dehumidifier; every LA home has…? Open someone's door and you'll learn the city's weather, lifestyle and worries. Ten things in every LA home, with a Taiwanese-home comparison at the end.
Translated from Jasmine’s original Chinese. The illustrated slides are on the interactive reader.
Key points
- An air purifier: In Taipei, you're dehumidifying; in LA, you're cleaning the air.
- Costco bulk packs: LA homes have garages to hold it all; in LA, the garage is a second storage room.
- A humidifier: Taipei homes dehumidify; LA homes humidify.
- Scented candles: The way an LA home smells is a choice.
- An outdoor chair: Half of an LA home is outdoors.
Full text
01 | An air purifier
Wildfire smoke and dry air mean nearly every LA home has one. In Taipei, you're dehumidifying; in LA, you're cleaning the air.
02 | An earthquake kit
Water, a flashlight, a first-aid kit, some cash, a charger, kept by the door or in a closet, and hopefully never needed. Water is 1 gallon per person per day, for several days (Ready.gov); set it up your first month after moving in.
03 | A potted plant
Pothos, monstera, olive trees, succulents: LA's sun is too good not to have a plant. An Angeleno's first pet is usually a plant.
04 | A cast-iron pan
A beautifully colored cast-iron Dutch oven for soups and bread, sitting on the stove as decor most of the time. Taiwan has the Tatung rice cooker; LA has the Dutch oven (some homes have both).
05 | Costco bulk packs
48 rolls of toilet paper, a giant jug of olive oil, a case of sparkling water. LA homes have garages to hold it all; in LA, the garage is a second storage room.
06 | A humidifier
LA is dry, and running the heat in winter makes it drier, so a bedroom humidifier is a lot of people's skincare secret. Taipei homes dehumidify; LA homes humidify.
07 | Scented candles
One in the living room, one in the bathroom, one in the bedroom. The way an LA home smells is a choice.
08 | A coffee machine or matcha tools
An espresso machine, or a matcha whisk and bowl. An Angeleno's morning starts with making a cup themselves.
09 | An outdoor chair
A balcony, a backyard, or just a little spot by the window; most of the year, LA is perfect for sitting outside. Half of an LA home is outdoors.
10 | A yoga mat
A rolled-up yoga mat in the corner of the living room, sometimes for yoga, mostly for lying on.
Compare: what every Taiwanese home has
A dehumidifier, a Tatung rice cooker, a whole cabinet of plastic bags you'll 'use next time,' green medicated oil and Tiger Balm, a hot water dispenser.
A Taiwanese home in LA
The Tatung rice cooker you hauled from Taiwan, the air purifier fire season taught you to buy, the plant LA's sunshine gave you, and a bag of Kuai Kuai from 99 Ranch.
Two-city mirror
In Taipei, you learn to live with humidity; in LA, you learn to live with dryness, sunshine and the occasional earthquake. 'The things in your home are proof you've lived in this city.'
In this series
- LA weekends come in roughly these 6 tribes
- LA wellness people come in roughly these 6 tribes
- In LA, cars don't lie
- In LA, shoes don't lie
- In LA, cups don't lie
- What's actually in an LA woman's bag?
An original JSLALALAND field guide by Jasmine Chang (@jslalaland).