A Beautiful Mexican Moment

It’s been quite a while since I last wrote, no? I suppose I shall give you the highlights of the past week.

WIA

The highlights of my food experience over the past week are many. I tried my first tamal (singular of tamales) in Mexico. There is a woman who sells 4 varieties of them every day two blocks from my house. I foresee her reaping lots of business from me. Tamales are easily my favorite Mexican food. Hot sweet corn meal wrapped around spicy, juicy meat. Mmmm.

I also had my first “comida corrida” experience. Comida corrida (literally “running food”) translates to fast food. I had spent my morning at the Comision de Derechos Humanos, at a lecture on Human Rights, which was more or less a 2-hour criticism of the U.S. human rights track record. Yikes. Can you just imagine me sinking lower and lower in my seat as they discussed Regan’s support of terrorist contras in Nicaragua in the 1980s? Yep… that’s my country. Anyway, I was uncomfortable and starving after the lecture ended so I stopped in a little cocina in my neighborhood before going to school. The woman made me egg drop soup, fried breaded chicken breast, and a pasta salad with mayo and ham that is very popular here. Since I didn’t know what I was ordering, I waited until after I had eaten to ask her what everything was called. She answered, simply, “comida corrida.” Fast food.



Speaking of which, one of my students at La UTEZ told me that the McDonald’s employees are paid $1/hour. One dollar. Depending on the strength of the dollar, 12 or 13 pesos. And he said most of the employees have to clean up after closing the store, at such a late hour that they can no longer take the bus, and have to waste a chunk of their daily earnings on cabs home. Another reason to be proud of the U.S., eh?

WILT

In honor of the McDonald’s employees, I listened to this exceptional cover of “Working Class Hero” (originally by John Lennon) by Green Day. Give it a listen. They do a really cool thing in the last 15 seconds of the song, so be sure to listen the whole way through!



T.I.M.

This is Palacio Cortes. Hernan Cortes established a settlement in Cuernavaca and built this Palace for his home in the early 1500s.



Now imagine this building, in the dark, at around 11pm on a Sunday night, lit up in red and green lights (the colors of the Mexican flag). And imagine an 8-piece Mariachi band, violins and guitars, black suits and big black sombreros, practicing in the entranceway under the arches for a while before going out to look for work.

Now picture my Mexican friend Beto and I, the only souls around the Palacio (Palace), except for the Mariachi group, stumbling into their practice by accident and staying to listen for 25 minutes. Then imagine the Mariachi group inviting us to dance to the music while they formed a circle around us.

And finally, picture a large cockroach scuttling past the scene, illuminated by the red and green lights of the Palacio, pausing to listen to “Mexico lindo y querido,” and then scuttling away into the night.



True story.

T.I.M.

Tonight and tomorrow combined is the anniversary of the 200th independence of Mexico from Spain! I walked around downtown Cuernavaca this morning and it felt like Santa's workshop, teeming with people setting up for the Bicentennial celebrations that will start tonight! Venders, artisan crafts, huge stage in front of government building for concert, food carts everywhere, streets closed. Viva Mexico lindo y querido! As I prepare to go out to celebrate this beautiful country, I leave you with an image of the manicure I gave myself today.