Joel Kotkin

When you think of farming in America, the first things that come to mind are probably picturesque golden cornfields, or dairy farmers rising at the crack of dawn to milk their cows. But, according to demographer Joel Kotkin, a new crop is on the rise in Los Angeles, and it says a lot about how America’s population is changing. The crop in question? Bok choy, a leafy cabbage popular in Asian cuisine (“of course,” Kotkin jokes, “there’s another crop that may not be quite as legal that might have higher numbers”).