The Jesus Look

Bob Sagers, cheesemonger, models as Jesus (Raff/WSJ)

Pictures of baby Jesus are common during this time of the year. Utahans take it a step further:

Models who look like Jesus are in high demand in Utah. That’s because for a growing number of people in the state, a picture isn’t complete without Him. They are hiring Jesus look-alikes for family portraits and wedding announcements. Models are showing up to walk with a newly engaged couple through a field, play with young children in the Bonneville Salt Flats, and cram in with the family for the annual Christmas card...

Finding a model can be difficult. Areas of Utah with high concentrations of Mormons—who also call themselves Latter-day Saints or LDS—tend to lack potential Jesus doppelgängers. Some men who work or volunteer for the church, one of the state’s largest employers, are required to shave every day and keep their hair short.

I doubt that historically accurate representations of Jesus are what is being demanded. The WSJ interviews of Jesus models indicate that customers think that He looks like a healthy white American male with a beard. Oh, well, give the customers what they want; their hearts seem to be in the right place,

Victor's Tires and Restaurant, Logan, UT

When Victor opened his tire business in Logan, his wife supplemented revenue (and kept her husband company) by selling home-cooked especialidades in the back of the store. Tires-and-tamales proved to be a winning combination. Victor’s Restaurant soon occupied a wing next to the warehouse.

On the day after our nephew’s graduation, we had a hankering for Mexican food. Most of the group ordered conventionally—burritos, tacos, and tamales--but I couldn’t resist menudos, the weekend special. The tripe was tender and tasty, and the gaminess had been simmered away. A squeeze of lime, a little onion and cilantro, and warm flour tortillas rounded out this deliciously simple meal. © 2008 Stephen Yuen

Only in Utah

Shopping for Mother’s Day cards in Salt Lake City, I came across this display in Wal-Mart:


My sister-in-law and her husband fled the Bay Area in 1995. We're here to attend the college graduation of their older son--my nephew. They sold their 3-bedroom, 1-bath house in Burlingame and bought a 5-bedroom, 3-bath home in Salt Lake City for much less than the price of their Burlingame house. Below is a view of the Wasatch mountains from their neighborhood.