Insecurity

Last Saturday, August 30, approximately 100,000 people marched in downtown Mexico City, protesting the climate of danger and mayhem that is plaguing Mexico today. While it is true that there is an incredible amount of violence related to drug trafficking (almost all of it in cities along the border), drug traffickers, soldiers and cops – who are sometimes indistinguishable – have been very good at keeping the violence among themselves, with only the occasional tragic civilian fatality. My research (outlined in the crime chapter of my book First Stop in the New World) indicates that the perception of danger in Mexico (particularly Mexico City) is far worse than the reality. About half of national TV news broadcasts are devoted to crime and violence, as if nothing else of importance was happening in the entire country.

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Photo by Daniel Hernandez (see link to his blog on list of Friends at the right-hand side of the page)

Here in the capital, murders, and even deaths related to traffic accidents – incidents that in most cities would be relegated to the Police Blotter in the newspaper – are given front-page treatment in the tabloids, with headlines in 72-point type and graphic, bloody photos. Don’t get me wrong. Mexico City is a tough town, and you have to watch your back here, much as you would in any big city. But according to FBI homicide statistics you are more likely to be murdered in Washington, D.C., Phoenix, Philadelphia, Dallas, Las Vegas, or any number of other U.S. cities than in Mexico City.

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Insecurity is big business here – people make a lot of money from sales of armored cars, construction of panic rooms, and a whole menu of “risk management” services (from screening bodyguards to the negotiation of kidnappings). Above is a photo of Miguel Caballero, the only boutique in the world which sells exclusively bullet-proof fashions, located in the posh Polanco district of the city. When I interviewed one of the owners of the store (who are Colombian), he admitted that Mexico City was a “paradise” compared to other, much more dangerous places (he mentioned Israel as an example). He said they opened the store here because business in Colombia had slowed down 60 per cent in recent years, as that country has become much safer. He wouldn’t cop to taking advantage of Mexico City residents’ exaggerated fear, though. “Sadly,” he conceded, “the weakness of some is an opportunity for others.”

Chinatown puto

In Mexico, the harshest slang word for a homosexual is puto. Therefore, if you are ever in New York with a Mexican, it is always an easy laugh to take him to Chinatown, where you can pass by this store, which offers the Far Eastern version of puto.

Nonetheless, in all the years I divided my time between Mexico City and New York, it never occurred to me to actually go inside and ask anyone what Chinese puto is. On my last trip I did.

The cakes inside the plastic boxes, which are of a jelly-like consistency and look like they would be the preferred meal for a baby, someone over 90 years old, or a space mutant, are made of puto.

When I saw this man sitting inside the store, I was hoping that he would be able to tell me something more about puto, but I was afraid that he would turn out to be a recent Fujianese immigrant with no English skills. It turned out that he spoke with a thicker New York accent than my late Aunt Sadie, who was born and raised on the Grand Concourse in the Bronx. He told me that puto is sweet. I asked if it was eaten as dessert. “Some people do it that way,” he said. “But a lot of people mix it up for breakfast with salty sliced pork. That’s the good stuff.”

Law

Besides being a writer, I am also a mitigation specialist. Principally, I assist lawyers who defend Mexicans facing the death penalty in the U.S. I go to the towns where they are from and interview family, friends, teachers, classmates, colleagues, nuns, priests – anyone who can give us information that might inspire mercy in a jury, in the hope that they will give them life without parole instead of a death sentence.

Since emarkbing on this work, I have become ever more attentive to legal matters. Therefore, I couldn’t help but notice this two-story setup on East Broadway, on the fringes of Chinatown in New York, across from Seward Park. It would appear that in New York State, when they talk about “passing the bar,” they are not kidding.

Music, maestro, please

I was in New York last week for a brief work trip. On the #2 train between midtown and Harlem, this trio norteño entered and played a spirited version of La bamba (which is actually a canción jarocha from Veracruz. Still, they have to cater to the crowd: La bamba is probably the best-known Mexican tune among gringos after Cielito lindo). I told the bass player that I live in Mexico City and that there are a lot of itinerant musicians on the metro there. “I know,” he said. “There are too many of us. That’s why we’re here.”

Summertime and the living is easy

In Mexico City, it rains in the summer. Once in a while the rain lasts all day and it gets rather cold (at least by the standards of the temperate climate here). But usually it only rains for an hour or so in the afternoon (some days it doesn’t rain at all) and the weather is marvelous. Here are some signs that summer is here.

La Bella Italia, which serves the best ice cream in the city, is packed. It’s on Calle Orizaba, just south of Álvaro Obregón, in the Colonia Roma.

Here’s a kid on his summer job, directing traffic around a construction site. How old do you think he is?

This is a paper placemat used in cantinas and cafeterias at lunch hour. Usually, these placemats sport five or six small advertisements for local businesses. This one is obviously a full-page ad for Pepto Bismol. For those of you who don’t read Spanish, across the top of the sheet is the legend, “For vacations without diarrhea.” The fine print above the drawing says, “It’s prohibited to have a bad time at this beach due to diarrhea.” Perhaps appealing to the kiddies, or to those who are young at heart, within the sketch are ten hidden toilets you’re supposed to find (while waiting for your meal). Welcome to Mexico.