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Glendale News Press, CA
May 17 2013
Intersections: A short visit to Fresno brings things full circle
Columnist Liana Aghajanian
I've been determined to go to Fresno for a long time. When I was
younger, I used to browse through shipping labels at swap meets, and
came across beautifully designed orange and peach labels from forever
ago that hailed from the San Joaquin Valley.
It was probably at that point that my curiosity about the mysterious
"middle" of our state solidified. What was this place that provided an
entire country's bounty of fruits and vegetables? Who lived there, and
why didn't I know anything about it?
I've driven up California on several occasions, and that long, arid
drive has become a pastime of mine - part therapy, part adventure.
I've visited Gorman, Weed, Yreka and made sure to stop at "Pea Soup
Andersen's" in Santa Nella on every visit.
But this time, as I made my way up to Oakland last week for a story, I
was determined to make a stop in Fresno.
Why Fresno? As my host for the night said, "In Fresno, there's nothing
to see and nothing to do."
She might be right, considering that Fresno has one of the highest
unemployment rates in the country and pretty dismal air quality, among
other things. However, even her genuine statement couldn't put a
damper on my excitement about being there, an excitement that seemed
to stem from my affection for obscure cultural discovery.
Lest you think that Armenian immigration to America began and ended
with Glendale, Fresno has more than 100 years of Armenian history.
The first wave of immigration came in the mid-1890s and rapidly grew.
Armenians became involved in agriculture, excelling in the production
of raisins, melons and figs - their presence was often met with
discrimination, bringing about assimilation.
Fresno's most famous son is William Saroyan, author and playwright who
famously refused a Pulitzer Prize, an award that most writers,
including this one, covet. He refused on grounds that commerce should
not be judging the arts.
One of the first places I ventured into was Valley Lahvosh, a
91-year-old family company founded in 1922 by Gazair Saghatelian, a
master baker who became well-known for creating different Armenian
cracker breads.
This humble bakery, which provides cracker bread to venues across the
United States, was tiny. Even with only two people in it, the walls
felt like they were on the verge of closing in, but this added to its
charm.
http://articles.glendalenewspress.com/2013-05-16/news/tn-gnp-me-liana-0515-a-short-visit-to-fresno-brings-things-full-circle_1_fresno-simonian-farms-apricots
May 17 2013
Intersections: A short visit to Fresno brings things full circle
Columnist Liana Aghajanian
I've been determined to go to Fresno for a long time. When I was
younger, I used to browse through shipping labels at swap meets, and
came across beautifully designed orange and peach labels from forever
ago that hailed from the San Joaquin Valley.
It was probably at that point that my curiosity about the mysterious
"middle" of our state solidified. What was this place that provided an
entire country's bounty of fruits and vegetables? Who lived there, and
why didn't I know anything about it?
I've driven up California on several occasions, and that long, arid
drive has become a pastime of mine - part therapy, part adventure.
I've visited Gorman, Weed, Yreka and made sure to stop at "Pea Soup
Andersen's" in Santa Nella on every visit.
But this time, as I made my way up to Oakland last week for a story, I
was determined to make a stop in Fresno.
Why Fresno? As my host for the night said, "In Fresno, there's nothing
to see and nothing to do."
She might be right, considering that Fresno has one of the highest
unemployment rates in the country and pretty dismal air quality, among
other things. However, even her genuine statement couldn't put a
damper on my excitement about being there, an excitement that seemed
to stem from my affection for obscure cultural discovery.
Lest you think that Armenian immigration to America began and ended
with Glendale, Fresno has more than 100 years of Armenian history.
The first wave of immigration came in the mid-1890s and rapidly grew.
Armenians became involved in agriculture, excelling in the production
of raisins, melons and figs - their presence was often met with
discrimination, bringing about assimilation.
Fresno's most famous son is William Saroyan, author and playwright who
famously refused a Pulitzer Prize, an award that most writers,
including this one, covet. He refused on grounds that commerce should
not be judging the arts.
One of the first places I ventured into was Valley Lahvosh, a
91-year-old family company founded in 1922 by Gazair Saghatelian, a
master baker who became well-known for creating different Armenian
cracker breads.
This humble bakery, which provides cracker bread to venues across the
United States, was tiny. Even with only two people in it, the walls
felt like they were on the verge of closing in, but this added to its
charm.
http://articles.glendalenewspress.com/2013-05-16/news/tn-gnp-me-liana-0515-a-short-visit-to-fresno-brings-things-full-circle_1_fresno-simonian-farms-apricots