Already known as a land of diversity, Southern California has some spots where the cultures really steep in the melting pot.

Just east of downtown Los Angeles, the San Gabriel Valley has historically been the locale of cheaper land prices and a "live and let live" mentality that attracted waves of immigrants. The land is no longer cheap but the area is still a United Nations incubator.

For kicks, we decided to see if we could count how many different ethnic foods you could find in this 200 square mile area stretching from Pasadena in the northwest to Diamond Bar in the southeast and from Monterey Park in the southwest to San Dimas in the northeast.

Our count: 38 and we're sure we'll find some more.

This week, we're starting a new feature where we will attempt to try as many of those different culture's cuisines within the boundaries of the San Gabriel Valley, the ethnic melting pot of Southern California.

Come over today for an introduction to this new feature at The World on Wheels.