Cintia Segovia & Glenn Zucman creating an automatic drawing at Tom of Finland House in Los Angeles.
Selfies & Tea
Hiya! I’m Glenn, an artist & arts educator in Los Angeles. I take a lot of selfies (fashion magazine reperformances), think about life, existence, & culture, and I drink a lot of tea.
Sandra Josefski, Playboy, September 1972
About the Selfies
Before the pandemic I was doing photojournalism and documentary photography. That all stopped on Friday the 13th of March, 2020. Since I wasn’t pointing cameras at other people, I took the opportunity to point them at myself.
I like the way that “fashion” images of a dumpy old guy juxtapose with images of traditional models who tend to be young, slightly anorexic, “beautiful” (by Western beauty standards) and relentlessly photoshopped.
Temescal Canyon, January 2023, photo by Niku.
Life, Existence & Culture
I’m a materialist (atheist or “atheopagan”). I was raised in a dualist (catholic) tradition. If you take out the pedophile priests, the Crusades, and various other “tangents”, I think the Abrahamic, and other, religions can offer nourishing aspects of community and spirituality. Still, they haven’t been my path for a long time now. While my mom was alive I tried not to talk about this out of deference for her beliefs. She passed in May 2019 and as long as I’m still alive it doesn’t make sense to continue keeping my path hidden.
Walking
Even before the pandemic I loved walking. I’m a former Jane’s Walk/Los Angeles organizer. Since the pandemic started I’ve gone on a 3-8 mile walk every morning. It’s nice exercise, especially in a hilly city like Monterey Park, California. I’m driving less than ever, yay! The tiny, but adequate, Monterey Park Farmer’s Market is just 1-1/4 miles from my house, and the much larger Alhambra Farmer’s Market is about 4 miles away. I don’t make it out to the glorious Hollywood or Santa Monica Farmer’s Markets anymore, but it’s great to be able to throw a backpack on and pick up almost all the food I need without starting a car. The Alhambra Farmer’s Market is next door to Sprouts where I pick up nuts and a few other things.
Wednesdays
I have a Fenn XT Surf Ski (fancy, carbon fiber/fiberglass sit-on-top kayak) in the LA County Dept of Beaches & Harbors racks in Marina Del Rey, California. It’s worth starting the car to drive here on Wednesdays. Plus, the racks are next door to Trader Joe’s where I pick up yet more nuts and a few cheeses from their excellent selection. After paddling I head a couple miles north to Venice Beach for Bianca California’s dazzling “Venice Glow Flow” evenings.
Pomelo tea. Image: Mountain Stream Teas.
Brewing, Drinking & Fetishizing Tea
I don’t drink coffee, soft drinks, or alcohol. But I do drink a lot of tea and herbal infusions!
Most of my tea comes from:
Market Spice, Seattle
San Francisco Herb, San Francisco
Chado Tea Room, Los Angeles/Pasadena
Wing Hop Fung, Monterey Park
Just a mile-and-a-quarter up the street from me is Wing Hop Fung, a ginormous tea shop. I’m pretty sure they will open “The Glenn Zucman Wing” any day now.
Real “Tea” comes from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant:
White Tea
Green Tea
Black Tea
Oolong Tea
Jasmine Tea
Pu-erh Tea
Everything else is an “herbal infusion”:
Peppermint
Hibiscus
Fruit Blends
Red (rooibos) “teas”
Spice Blends (cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, licorice, etc)
Chai is “tea” if you include tea, like black tea. But I don’t handle dairy so well anymore. Even fake dairy doesn’t sit that well with me. Chai without the milk is still great, but not as life changing.
I’m sure I’ll bring you along on some trips to the tea shop. And share my tea recipes and experiments. And yes, cold water brewing not only works, it’s better.
My mind, or something.
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