I have loved Japanese culture ever since my mind was warped by The G-Force, Astro Boy, Dragon Ball Z, Pokemon and of course The Power Rangers..… Laugh it up all you want….Ok so that childhood love kept growing and I love Japanese food, except sushi. Don’t know why, just don’t ok. Anyway, Japanese is delicious and I love that it’s so close to home. I use to go to Little Tokyo, but then me puse las pilas and I remembered about Otomi.
There’s a plastic baby in my rosca !!!!Â
One of my favorite things about having a rich cultural Mexican heritage is celebrating traditions and eating some of the best food in the world, like the rosca de reyes. I’m my house my mom tried to instill the history and tradition that came along with the rosca, but I never really paid attention because I was too busy trying to find the plastic baby before anyone else. I always knew as the bread with the baby inside and if you get the baby that means that you have to host the rosca party next year. When someone did get it, everyone would start laughing and poking fun at the person, but more than anything, I remembered that the rosca was one of the few times my family came together like a “real” family. Great food always brought us together. Course you can’t have rosca without champurado(mexican hot chocolate). Mmm….
I posted this on my blog and even though I usually tend to reframe from bringing up that whole “I don’t have papers” issue on here, I figured what the hell. Enjoy 😀
         With the new year here, I always look back to the past and thank God everyday that even though I’m not where I want to be yet, at least I’m not where I use to be. Thinking back that far I remembered something that at the time didn’t seem like a big deal to me, but looking back on it now, I still can’t believe it.
Back in 2004 there was a show called “Gana la Verde,” a fear factor inspired show that pitted contestants in physical challenges all so the winner can have an opportunity win a green card. This show captivated its audience as soon as it hit the air. The show was offering people a chance to become legal residents, what every undocumented resident dreams of for their families.Click here to hear an NPR report on the show   Click here for a clip of the show
~ My desk at school ~
For the longest time I was watching the ramifications of La Crisis from the outside and not feeling it directly, but now that the new year has started, La Crisis smacked me upside the head and took my money. I have a “job” and since the new year started, things are dead out in the streets. No one is spending money anymore, it’s always like this after the holidays, but this year things are the worse state they’ve been for as long as I can remember. I’m thankful in a way that growing up “under privilaged” I have the skills to survive anything that can come my way. Hell I’m curretnyl crashing at my friends house and living the “startving artist” life style. But lately, the ramifications of me not having money means that I’m questioning my ability to continue going to school. At ELAC I pay $20 a unit, which I’m extremelty greatful for, but with the way things are the College is in talks of raising tuition prices to $30 by fall. At the sametime Universities are also cuting back in the number of students they’re accepting as La Crisis continues. I was struggling as it was and now things are getting to the point that education may have to take a back seat to just making ends meat. If I’m feeling it at the community college level, my friend on the other hand is in the same boat as I am but she’s at Cal State Long Beach, I’ll be joining her soon 😀 When we hang out now we don’t catch up, we talk about how damn broke we are and how maybe going back to Mexico isn’t such a bad idea anymore. Â Â Â
The sign says it all, “Specializing in Burritos.” Al & Bea’s here been here in Boyle Heights for more than 40 years and just like anything else in life, it gets better with time. My first time going to Al & Bea’s was a few years ago when a friend asked me if I’ve ever been there. “No I haven’t” I said and we were on our way there in no time. Coming from the taco truck lifestyle I was expecting the more traditional burrito de carne asada and the cliche menu that accompanies it. I get to the window and don’t even bother to look at the menu because I’m used to ordering the same thing give or take. I ask for carne asada and the guy taking my order says they don’t have carne asada. In my bewilderment, my friend stepped in and ordered for me, an Al & Bea’s special. I dove in and thought to myself, “this burrito is good, but I wouldn’t call it Mexican food,” even though the guys preparing the food are Mexican or look it. Since that faithful day, I have been going back and fourth to Al & Bea’s trying out the menu and learning to appreciate it for the great food it has, Mexican or not.Â
Enter the burrito de Chile Relleno(bell pepper stuffed with cheese and fried). I’ve had most of the menu already so when I decided to go for the Chile Relleno, I was kinda hesitant. The last time I went out on a limb like that I tried their potato burrito, which turned out to be a burrito full of french fries. I threw caution to the wind and went for it. For those of you who hadn’t had the pleasure of spoiling your taste buds with the burrito, it consist of a Chile Relleno wrapped in a tortilla and smothered in beans. It was good !!!!! So good that’s the only thing I’ve ordered the last few times I’ve been there, aside of taquitos with guacamole goes well with it too. Chingado now I’m hungry. Â Â
Peace. That’s one of the signs the dancing bycicle rider of Boyle Heights made during my bus ride with him. I didn’t notice we were on the same bus till I saw him sticking out his hand, makings signs and waves as the bus crused along. Since my last post, I haven’t seen him around and wondered what he was doing, turns out that when he’s too tired to ride his bike, he goes metro.Â
I went to cut m hair last week at Jessies Barber Shop on Brooklyn and Mott, even though I hate having to look “nice” and “clean” according to society, and I was reminded of what it’s like to be a guy. You see, I grew up with three younger sisters, at school I’m surrounded by women colleagues (both good and bad depending on what day of the month it is) and I’ve come to realize that most of the people I call friends are, well woman. Of course I have guy friends but I hang out with woman more than men and again, it’s a good/bad things. However, being around woman all the time means that there’s certain language I can’t use and behavior that’s not appropriate in the presence of a woman. Vulgar humor doesn’t work on them and therefore I’m left alone to my own devices. But there are still some places left in this world where a guy can be a guy and not only be encouraged by vulgar humor/language, but be commended for it. During my hair cut, I overheard a conversation that started simply enough about a parking situation with one of the barbers in-laws. As soon as she left he started talking all kinds of trash, in a joking fashion of course, at least I hope it was. He called her a crazy old lady, she’s outta her f’ing mind etc. Then some of the other guys waiting joined in the conversation and joked that maybe the argument was caused because it was that time of the month. Then they completely trailed off and started talking about getting ass and basically being guys. This was all in spanish so you can only imagine the vulgarity of the language used to say everything I described. While I may not agree with their male-chauvinistic views, it felt good shooting the shit with the guys again.
Alright I need a spell check here. I was walking to the post office last week to mail out some christmas cards and I took a snap shot of this tag. Now, when I first saw it I immediately questioned the idiot cholos spelling. I’m pretty sure lefty and Chile (?) weren’t much help in helping him spell. So what which one is it ? Huero or Guero ? But there’s an bigger underlying dilemma brought up in my conundrum to figure out the correct spelling, I’m forgetting my spanish !!!!!!!! English is my second language, but it turned into my primary language once I mastered it. I learned to read and write in spanish first, but when I “moved” to the states I was immersed with the english language thanks to television and friends at school. That and lack of practice make the problem worse. Being bilingual is an asset and even though I may forget words at times, I’m still proficient in spanish. I guess you can say I’m outta practice since I stopped living with my parents more than a year ago. Of course I poke fun of friends who are Mexican but can’t speak a lick of spanish because their parents for whatever reason didn’t teach it to them. The obvious solution is to practice it more, but english is what everyone speaks unless you’re a parental figure. It’s embarrassing to forget how to spell and pronounce certain words or not be able to translate them. Last time that happened to me was when I was trying to say vegeterania (vegetarian). 🙁
Some of the greatest ideas in life are the simplest ones, take for example the Tamale Casserole. Being the son of a Tamalera, I know tamales and when I laid my eyes on that concoction in the aluminum pan, I questioned it and it’s taste. Low and behold I was surprised by it great taste and ingenuity. Curious about the casserole, I asked the chef about it and she told me that it was a recipe her grandmother created back in the day. Chimatli dates it back to the ’50s, but this is the first time I laid eyes on something so clever and tasty.Â
This particular casserole was of rajas and it had monterey jack and goat cheese making for a unique combination to say the least. The japalenos gave it a nice kick too and some extra flavor. Again letting my curiosity got the best of me and I asked how she prepared the casserole. In a nutshell, you take masa and put it on the bottom of the pan, add your toppings of choice and lay another layer of masa on top of that. Pop it in the oven for about 90 minutes and bingo bango, a tamale casserole. Over the holidays I’ve been exposed to a variety of tamale variations including vegetarian tamales. For years I thought that rajas, chicken red/green sauce, pork red/green sauce and pineapple and strawberry were the only ones available. My pallet is forever changed and I’m grateful to have been exposed to such culinary delights.
In the spirit of the season, Boyle Heights residents came together to celebrate Las Posadas with family, friends and of course great food. The East LA Community Corporation and Company of Angels Theater Company helped sponsor the posadas that included a turkey giveaway earlier a couple of days before the posadas. This years celebration, the Company of Angels Theater Company help put on a play, Los Peregrinos del Este, written by Xavi Moreno, Directed by Armando Molina and a dramaturgy by Ricardo Brancho featuring members of ELACC “neighbors building neighborhoods action committees. The play and posada were intertwined as it began at First and Boyle at the mariachi plaza and continued down Boyle to the ELACC head quarters with a few stops along the way. Â
Growing up on Lucha Libre was one of the greatest things that has ever happened to me. My father was a luchador in his time known as “Chamaco Moctezuma” and he would have made it to the big time if some idiot didn’t dislocated his shoulder because of jealousy. Plus the fact that he had a family to support, he left that life behind, but he never stopped loving it. I still have feint memories of those years in which my father was wrestling his heart out. Memories of going to matches to even meeting other wrestlers come and go, but his love and passion for the business was instilled in me. Wrestling in Mexico is a phenomenon in itself and regarded with much more respect and love than here in the U.S. Luchadores like “El Santo,” “Blue Demon,” “El Perro Aguallo,” “Tinieblas,” “Atlantis,” “El Rayo de Jalisco,” “Mil Mascaras” and “Mascara Sagrada” are my heroes to this day because I have a devout love and passion for Lucha Libre. Part of that passion was instilled by not only watching their matches, but from watching their awesomely bad movies.
Maria Gonzalez(From left)Â , Garcia Enedina and Pablo Torres arrived at 10 a.m. Friday morning to be the first in line for the 27th Annual Miricle on 1st Street Toy give away. Sponcered by the Hollenbeck Youth Center, the give away helps out local residents in Boyle Heights by giving away gifts donated from various corparate sponcers. Gonzalez said that her family have been coming to the toy give away since they were kids and this year marks their 20th year coming. Even as La Crisis keeps getting worse, more families are expected to come and wait in line to compensate for their gifts. Gonzalez her family and other people waiting in line are going to be camping out over night in the freezing cold to keep their space. Of course their efforts are going to pay of in the morning when they’re one of the few families who will recieve a Nintendo Wii said Gonzalez. The gift giving starts at 10 a.m. and of course the line will be TONS of families there creating a mob scence.
