Swine Flu? Or Hangover?

Yes, I'm alive. I just got back after spending the weekend with my friend August (third picture) and his cat Prince Albert (second picture) in San Miguel de Allende (fourth picture), a bastion for expats that want to escape to the whims of Mexico. While I was gone, of course the news hit of the new influenza sweeping the city, causing the deaths of 80 people (see note below about causes of deaths), while a nightclub raid in Mexico City killed 12 people on Friday. Now I ask you, where is the risk? I decided to wear a mask anyway on the bus on the way back to DF today (first picture), mostly because I thought the color was hip with my outfit.

I had a good time in San Miguel, despite August being a hypochondriac about the flu. Last night we hung out with his friend Humberto and drank beer and mescal, and smoked...cigarettes. I woke up with a mild headache and scratchy throat. Hmm... hangover? Or swine flu? These are the important questions to ask when a potential pandemic is sweeping the world. Given the risks of going to clubs and also being in contact with other humans, it seems that binge drinking alone is probably the best option. Anyway, we played tennis, went to a hot springs, and I wandered around town shopping for crafts and enjoying the cobblestone streets and Texans. It is a really nice place, but very different from being in Mexico City. One major difference is that I get called and whistled at, something I've gotten used to while traveling and living in Latin America. It doesn't happen much in Mexico City and most people pretty much ignore me. It's a little disappointing because one of the perks of being in Latin America is getting attention for being a hot lady, while in the U.S. that kind of attention only comes from...well, Latinos.
So I got plenty of it in San Miguel, a smaller and more provincial town. And I could never pass for a Mexican there, no matter what. No one asking me for directions!

Note about cause of deaths: Up until now, only 20 of the 80 deaths have been confirmed because of swine flu. 20. of 20 million. Anyone have a calculator? And none of the suspected 1,400 cases are confirmed. I think there were more people who died of malnutrition over the weekend than from the swine flu. Or what about the regular influenza? 2.3% of deaths annually in Mexico are from the regular, old flu. There's a lot of questioning going on around here, but unfortunately I think the poor economy is most at risk. With the city shut down and tourism being discouraged, this country is, excuse my language, fucked.

Sucking the Marrow out of Life

Things continue to be pleasant here in Mexico City. I've hung out the last few nights with Paola, who works with my advisor's (Hallie) husband here in Mexico at their environmental consulting business. Friday she took me to a fine dining restaurant with Mexican dishes in a fancier style. We ordered yummy fruit juice, soups, and a variety of appetizers to share in order to get a good sample of the fare. The most adventurous thing we ordered was tuetano, or bone marrow. It is served roasted in the bone and you scoop it out with a spoon and spread it on a tortilla, and put salsa, onions, and cilantro on top. Really it is just flavorful fat that usually we give to our pets. It was interesting, pretty tasty, and too intense for me to sample again (see picture). Last night she took me to a birthday party of a friend and I met some other nice people here, who thought I might be Colombian based on my funny choice of vocabulary (see note below on vocabulary). We ended the night dancing cumbia in the living room, and I used my salsa skills to pretend like I knew what I was doing. They thought I was pretty good for a gringa (see note below on gringo).

Yesterday I also was asked for directions for the SECOND time! And I again knew the answer, which was a feat. I think that people assume I won't rob or assault them, so I must seem safe to ask. Today I went to the local luxury gym with my landlord, Trisha, who treated me to a few hours of awesome gym perks, like a sauna. In the afternoon I wandered around the Central Park of Mexico City, called the Bosque de Chapultepec ("Grasshopper Forest"). In the Bosque you can find tons of amazing museums, and I went to the Rufino Tamayo art museum (bottom picture), which features some interesting modern art exhibits. I took the subway (middle picture) there and back, which was pretty crowded for a sunday. People were especially going to the Bosque with their kids. I really enjoy the subway system here, although when it's crowded it's a little tiresome. They tend to keep it clean, though.

Note about vocabulary: Spanish has very distinct vocabulary words that vary from country to country and often within countries as well. I was just taught the word bembo last night, which means "silly" in Oaxaca but not used anywhere else in the country. My vocabulary is mostly South American, and specifically Venezuelan and most people note it right away. The most common difference is my use of the word chevere, which means "cool" in South America, whereas in Mexico and especially Mexico City they say padre.

Note about gringo: Another difference in vocabulary is that in South America, people openly and commonly use the word gringo to mean someone from the U.S. Another way people say it is to use the word Americano, which I (and lots of others) hate because we're all from North or South America so it doesn't make sense that the U.S. folk are the only Americans. And another word is Estadounidense, which is just way too long (literally means, person from the United States). So gringo it is. The word originated in Mexico and apparently people think it's derogatory. It supposedly was referring to the military in the context "green go home," or gringo (although origin is unknown). I openly refer to myself as a gringa, and the Mexicans think it's funny. It's like they're somehow liberated and can call me gringa too.

Chilanga & Churros

It happened. I was walking down a major street today, and a family, a Mexican family, stopped me to ask for directions. I was asked for directions? Is it not obvious I'm not from here? Apparently it's not obvious, but more importantly I knew the answer. Ha! This ironic incident occured on my way to a little cafe that supposedly serves organic food and desserts. I was more interested in the desserts since I had already eaten a mediocre lunch of chicken in mole poblano, and wanted a nice pastry to make up for it. The place was really small and cute, and had hipster young folk making the food. They served me their green tea cake, with frosting that looked like avocado but was just cream cheese with green tea and somehow very green in color. It was awesome. I ended up talking to the owner about organic produce and where he sources stuff. He spoke to me in both English and Spanish because he actually has a degree in English Literature and teaches at the university. Go figure. They try to source as much as possible locally but most of their dairy comes from... the U.S.. Dairy? They import dairy? Yes, they import organic valley cream cheese and butter, and probably some other stuff too. Hmm. So much for local food.

So you, as friends and family, might be alarmed at my consumption of fried foods here in Mexico. Churros, fried quesadillas, tostadas, churros, I mean, it's really good. The churros place down the street from my house is famous and you can get them any time of day, warm and sugary... So in order to be healthy I just walk the 4 blocks over to Viveros, the city's tree nursery, and go for a jog. Or this morning I walked the whole thing to get to the subway. It's a park filled with trails that are actually like little streets with street signs and everything. And you can run or walk or jog, with or without ipod, or do what's most commonly done, make out (see note below). There's a picture above of some rows of trees inside Viveros. It's amazing that right here in the city you have a beautiful park-like environment that also serves as source for city greenery and is right down the street from where I live.

Note about making out: For those that have not spent time in Latin America, it is quite common to see intense making out all the time, on street corners, in buses, in line for the movies, in the parks, EVERYWHERE. This is probably a result of a conservative catholic environment (and you know what they say about catholic school girls) plus people living at home for a long time, including in college, so there is very little privacy. At dusk yesterday in the park there were definitely more young folk necking than running.

My 'hood, tortillas, etc.

Mexico City continues to be wonderful. It's cooled down a little and we are starting to experience thundershowers in the afternoon, which is more common for the summer (June-Sept). According to my friend Antonio's father, the rains used to start in April, right around Easter. Now they don't start until June (climate change? or just local variation?). The next day we experienced a pretty fun thunder and lightening show which I got caught in while walking back from the store (hmm. local variation?). I stood under an awning with a few ladies, avoiding the enormous drops falling. Finally I just ran the block to my house. The first picture shows my block (sans rainstorm). The second picture is a really cool mosaic across the street from my house. The whole wall is covered in different kinds of tiles.

Speaking of the store, there are many MANY places to buy edible ingredients around my house. It's amazing that there continue to be permanent markets (buildings of stalls, selling vegetables, fruits, eggs, cheese, nuts, household items, etc...), little corner stores, and supermarkets. Not to mention the people selling stuff on the street. And the non-permanent markets (like our farmers markets). And all the food vendors, with things that make you drool. I'm trying to figure out which place I like for what kind of things. I'm mostly shopping for ingredients at the supermarket (I know, shocking) these days because it's the easiest place to get all things I need at once. I noticed last time that they even make tortillas in house, of course with the industrial tortilla flour. Alejandrina showed me how the machine works (third picture). She saw me gazing into the tortilla room where they were making machine tortillas and selling them fresh, alongside fresh salsa (tomatillo, tomato, and tomatillo-avocado) and was nice enough to show me how she worked the machine. "Fresh," meaning they are cooked right there on the machine, not that they're actually fresh. It's much faster than soaking the corn, grinding it, and then making them individually and cooking them individually on the comal. And it's probably the dominant way of making tortillas these days. Needless to say, I ended up buying them from the little lady at the market instead of at the supermarket. And they're real good.

Speaking of corn, Maggie, Antonio, and I passed by this photo exhibit on maize and Mexico in the center of the city, across from the Alameda. The exhibit of course demonstrated the cultural value of corn, spiritual significance, and current issues facing Mexico in relation to maize. The bottom picture is a picture of a picture, showing a man standing in front of a sign with the NAFTA symbol (the three North American flags) except on this sign there is a skull and crossbones, showing the perils of free trade.

ps I went into the market today for lunch and ate a tostada, nothing like the tostadas we have in the U.S. It was damn delicious. I got the tinga de pollo, which is shredded chicken in a tomatoey sauce, and also had sundried tomatoes in it (a great addition). It's served on top of beans on top of a fried corn tortilla, and then topped with crema (sour cream, but not sour), lettuce, and cheese. And then of course whatever salsa suits you. Yum. It seemed small but I could only eat one!

pps I have a phone number and address in Mexico City! Phone: 55 4138 5831 (country code is 52, and then put 1 before the 55)
Address: 212 Calle Berlin
Col. del Carmen Coyoacan
Mexico, DF 04100
Mexico

My new home

I have safely landed in Coyoacan, where the coyotes live in Mexico City. It's hard to believe I'm in one of the largest cities of the world when being in this charming neighborhood. The top picture is the view of the street from my rooftop terrace, and the bottom picture is the view of the house from my apartment entrance. Trisha, my landlord, keeps things really nice.
It's Semana Santa which means everyone is on vacation. Since Coyoacan is sort of a tourist destination, it's been crammed with families, street vendors, food stalls (real cotton candy! just like my dad used to make!), crafts, and little ladies selling tacos. I've been trying to settle in and buy kitchen staples. First food item purchased: papaya.

Delegacion Coyoacan, Ciudad de Mexico