My tour in México City (DF) has been fantastic and enlightening – and I can sincerely say it was one hell of a FIESTA and sometimes one big CRUDA.
I moved to DF where I got more cultured in the Mexican way of life, where I learned that being Texican, Tex-Mex, is NOT Mexican at all – there is a difference.
In a lot of ways, living in DF was a culture shock too, the customs, the food (no Tex-Mex with chili con carne and cheddar cheese on my enchiladas), and no Spanglish: If I tried to mix a sentence with English and Spanish I was not understood and thought strange.
The word Latino and most especially Hispanic does not exist here. The whole time I was here I never heard these two words used to identify one, unless it was by a visiting friend from Texas.
I found it fascinating how I had been such a Latino activist in Dallas and then when I moved to México City I was now considered a GRINGO – no kidding.
I often got the nickname gringo and or güero, two common words I, as a Latino, would call white folks back home. I found my nicknames most interesting because I didn’t every consider myself white, but those words have nothing to do with being white.
Gringo or güero has nothing to do with color, but with the culture of those living North of the Rio Grande. I think my nicknames had a lot to do with my Texas twang in speaking Spanish – Como Estan Y’all.
From Dallas Texas to México City’s trendy bohemian Col. Roma and then to el Corazon de Col. Santa Maria la Ribera – it was all grand. I met some remarkable and inspiring people from all around the world, developing some incredible friendships that will last for a lifetime.
I adore México City and often pinched my Latino hairless nalgas to see if I was awake: making sure that it was not a dream – living in the city I so much admired after first arriving in the big enchilada during the Christmas holiday season of 1986.
What opened my eyes to moving was when my obsessive, prying, meddlesome, snooping, busybody, interfering, hmmm, did I forget a name? Yes, GREEDY, landlady raised my rent 400% when my contract expired — this for a torn up junky apartment that she couldn’t rent until I moved into the place and fixed it up. I gave the apartment lots of love, glitter and glamorous zesty parties and then landlady wanted it ALL.
Though we settled on just a 100% increase, my landlady’s action got me to thinking: why stay in México City? I am retired, I have a pension, I have good health and I am still young enough to move around with ease: So I can live and travel most anywhere in the world.
So with that thought in mind, I decided to leave México City, the land that was my grandparents, and venture back to be Dallas based to write my first book: DFW to DF and back. Once completed – I will venture out once again, next stop, I don’t know exactly yet but Buenos Aires seems to be calling my name.
I will miss the vibrant life that is México City: Chapultepec Park, the bike, walk and skate Sunday’s on Paseo de la Reforma, Xochimilco, La Zona Rosa, Col. Roma & Col. Condesa, Centro Historico, the Zocalo, Bellas Artes, Alameda park, the cool bars on Repulica de Cuba, my lovely cantinas, my sidewalk cafés, the weekly tianguis in my hood, my lovely Mercado’s, my comida garnacha (street food) where I got a fill of daily Vitamin T: Tostadas, Tamales, Tacos, Tortas, Tlacoyos, Tlayudas, Tortillas, Tinga, agua de Tamarindo and of course Tequila.
I will miss my charismatic neighborhood, Col. Santa Maria la Ribera: I will miss the many fun and passionate parties that I had on my loggia – a place where I met the famous and infamous. I will miss my wonderful funky Mexican, Russian, Spanish, Japanese cafes and that long-established cantina — Salon Paris.
I’ll remember the park in front of my house: the parque Alameda Santa Maria la Ribera where a gorgeous 100+ year old Kiosco Morisco sat only yards away from my front door. A park that I could see and people watch from my big and lovely veranda: Didn’t need a television.
Col. Santa Maria la Ribera was fun in a quirky and eccentric sort of way, a must see when visiting DF.
But I do have to admit though is that what I will miss most about my life in México City is being pampered — with a cleaning lady, a cook, having someone to do my laundry and then folding and ironing. I will miss living the life of a rich white woman.
I do have to thank my landlady for opening my eyes to: I don’t have to plant roots in México City. Time to start another chapter in my unscripted lifestyle. Though my living in México City is over, my visiting is not – I still love this town.
People know that I sold everything to move to México City and I had to do it again on this move: no regrets — I’ve learned not to get too attached to things and places. Enjoy them and move on for there will always be more fantastic new things and new places to enjoy.
Adios mi México lindo y querido – I will be back, especially in June, July and August when it’s sweltering in Dallas.
It is not adios forever: but see you later México City.
Jzs
PS: Fine points about my journey in México City will come later in my book: So be watching for that.
In my neighborhood I have found several eating places that have never been mentioned in books or reviewed and this evening, I went to one of those not mentioned before: A Japanese café called Café King: Anime, Manga, Musica, juguetes y MAS!
Far away from México City’s China town in El Centro Historico and Korea town near La Zona Rosa sits a lone Japanese café called Café King in Col. Santa Maria al Ribera.
I know I had passed Café King several times but always thought of it as a store like the ones that in Mexico City’s China Town. I had never stopped to seriously inspect what was inside: until tonight. Tonight as I passed the place I saw people eating – a young mother and two of her very young children.
As I stepped into what I thought was a store, I asked the Asian looking fellow if they had food and he says, yea sushi and “onigiri.” I knew what sushi was but what was onigiri? He pointed to the boy eating what looked like rice ball wrapped with seaweed. Let me try one of those and so I did.
my tasty onigiri pictured below
Wow a not an Asian store but a Japanese Café here in my hood: As I waited for my onigiri with tuna, I looked at the television that was not too far from my table. On the TV was a Japanese game show – it was not live Japanese show but a DVD, one of 100’s that he sells in the shop.
As I was watched the game show, I couldn’t help but love that there big as life, on the screen, was a Japanese drag queen, dressed sort of like a geisha girl, but obviously a man. What I thought was cute was the mother eating in the café didn’t seem to mind that her children a boy of maybe seven, and girl of maybe five were watching a Japanese drag queen on television: or did she know?
My onigiri arrived and I bit into it. The rice ball didn’t fall apart, but held together because it was a made with sticky rice. It was good. As I ate I couldn’t help but enjoy and appreciate the small sumo wrestler providing me protection; see below.
As I ate, the owner talked to me. I could tell he found a curiosity about me for he had picked up on my Texas twang, observing that I was not from México. I loved his his Japanese Spanish accent too: Where are you from? Told him I was from Dallas Texas, had moved to México a little over two years ago. He said he was from Japan, being in México City for 16 years and being in his current location for two years; how could I have missed this café for the last year I that I have been living in this hood?
He asked where I lived. I told him: Said I lived was across the park and that I had a big terrace that overlooked the park. He said, above a café, I said yes, and he said, the one with the Chinese lantern AND I said that’s the one. I he said every time he passed that apartment, he always wondered who lived there. He thought it was a Chinese person or family. LOL. My friends often joked that my place looked like a Chinese buffet place with that lantern, they were almost right.
He said lots of young people come into his place to sit on the sofa and play the guitar; guitar and sofa is something I had already noted. He said the teenagers also like his anime and manga books too.
I picked up a sketchbook that was sitting on one end of my small table; he only has two tables in the whole place. I asked you like to sketch? Are you artist too? He giggled and said no, he doesn’t sketch. He said I was holding volume two. The volume one is already full. People like to draw and write in the notebooks he said.
I found the sketchbooks, school binder note books fascinating: Full of Japanese anime and manga sketches, poems and some scribbles of people just writing their names sort of like a guest book. Great documentation of visiting customers. Lovely.
The owner said he had good coffee and that I should come back and I said I would. Why not the food was OK and seemed like a delightful person – good heart and soul.
If you happen to be in Col. Santa Maria la Ribera stop by: Read and browse the books, eat sushi or onigiri and sketch in the book.
click photo above to see more pictures of my visit to Cafe King
Café King – Comida Japonesa, Anime, Manga, Musica, Juguetes y MAS
Jaime Torres Bodet 138 (1/2 block from the park – Alameda Santa Maria la Ribera)
Col. Santa Maria la Ribera
México City, MÉXICO
Monday – Saturday: 12 Noon – 8:00 PM
Yesterday I woke up and walked outside on to the balcony, something I normally do every morning: Greeting the morning and trying to get a feel for the day.
Well this morning I looked out and saw a pair of pants right in the middle of the street, having been pressed by the morning traffic.
Just how does one lose a pair of pants? Was he drunk and got hit by a car and all that was left were the pants? Was he running away from someone and gave him or her the slip?
Yep, Nothing surprises me anymore in Mexico City.
This is what I saw on the street the other morning.
That is my door entrance showing.
If they had been my size, I might have picked them up!
