Wat Thai of Los Angeles

This guide to Wat Thai of Los Angeles traces the weekend food market that grew up in the parking lot behind its golden roofs, years before the official Thai Town existed a few miles south, and the 2007 morning city officials arrived to shut it down over complaints about cars and trash. It follows vendors like Kunya, still hand-pounding papaya salad, and the temple itself, founded in 1971 as the first Thai Buddhist temple in the United States. Best visited on a Saturday, when the tables are out.