Mymex-amenianlife

Subaru Cowboys and our trip through the Nevada Basque country

2011-10-12T10:12:00.000-07:00

check out this funny Subaru Cowboy video by clicking on the link http://youtu.be/wEXFu1NxA68

Sometimes what I love about this country, is the many different cultural twists and turns we take on our way to trying to perfect the human condition and lead good lives for ourselves. After my last iconic western car, the Jeep Grand Cherokee, which has over 150,000.00 miles on it, ran into mechanical problems we decided we needed something more practical that got good gas mileage.. I ended up with a Subaru Outback. As one of our young Idaho friends who grew up in ranch country said to us " what kind of car are you going to get?" He owns quite a few cool vintage cars. We answered " a Subaru Outback" He burst out " Oh no, not another Subaru Cowboy!" The term really struck me as humorous. Ranchers and farmer types are for the most part practical minded, and we needed a four wheel or all wheel drive vehicle in order to handle our harsh winters, and I sure appreciate getting a combined 30-32 miles per gallon, I'm happy to be deemed a Subaru Cowboy. I got the year end closeout model and really wanted the sky blue metallic color, of which there was only one left in my area in the base no frills model, and that was in Reno Nevada. We contacted the very charming, helpful, and knowledgeable Roumanian/American immigrant salesman Calin Varga http://www.lithiasubarureno.com/index.htm who swung us such a deal on the car we couldn't resist , so off we went to Reno Nevada a town where we were married many years ago for $75 dollars and a discount wedding coupon at an all night Wedding chapel, advertised out in front with a flashing neon sign, near the court house where for our money we got a Polaroid snapshot of ourselves,a Paiute Indian Blessing, and plastic flowered corsage, and off we went to many years of happiness and contentment, well for the most part, both of us lasting longer in marriage than any of our parents. While in Reno we ate at a Sushi restaurant, owned and staffed by Mexicans, no "Domo Arigato" spoken here, only mostly Spanish and English, gracias, and do you know, the Sushi was pretty good and a real ganga/ bargain.Surprisingly in a cultural reversal, there is a Japanese Salsa band called Orquesta de la Luz. I suppose people are drawn to things different from themselves, perhaps we are all part of a great evolutionary path which would explain why my English/ French Huguenot father was drawn to my Aremnian/American mother. On our way home we drove through the old Nevada Basque country. The Basque immigrants from Spain were involved in the sheep-herding trades and there were many boarding houses for the shepherds that now remain on as family style Basque restaurants, my current favorite( some of my favorites have changed hands recently) is still The Martin Hotel in Winnemucca Nevada. Many of the Basque people have moved up in the world and are now professional people, the shepherding from what I have seen lately has been taken over by Peruvian shepherds in an ever changing saga of the American immigrant landscape. There are still a few Basque restaurants in Boise Idaho as well. Perhaps with the tough economy in Spain, we will have a welcomed revival of wonderful Basque restaurants in this country, particularly up our way! But one can only hope. So interesting, this patchwork cultural landscape of ours, constantly zigging and zagging, morphing and perhaps evolving into something new. as people try and better themselves and create a life. All part of the human family, sharing a planet and cultural identities in this grand cosmic illusion!
so there is something in human nature that draws us to other cultures, part of the reason my Armenian American and English French Hugenot father got together We had our anniversary dinner at the lovely La Strada restaurant which alwasy has great Italian fare, the kind that is many coursed, wonderful and not too innovative. I am all for excellent food with quality ingredients, if I want architecture and creative innovation I'll go to a museum, not a restaurant but I am particular in my fine dining choices. La Strada is always consistently wonderful, a real Classy place. We've been back many times and always seem to get the same nice attentive male waiter. It's nice to know that some things stand the test of time and bad economies. &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;

What do Mex-amenians feed their Vegan friends for Dinner?

2011-06-15T09:14:00.000-07:00

This time it was something Armenian. My friends are a couple. The woman eats meat and dairy as we do( mostly organic and local if we can get it), and her boyfriend is a Vegan(vegetarians who do not eat eggs, dairy, or honey- any animal products). We wanted to have them over for dinner and kept trying to figure out what we could serve that would please everyone. Armenian food met the challenge. For appetizers we had olives and feta cheese, and vegetarian dolmas(rice, onion pine nut,olive oil, lemon). We made falafel from scratch. We use chickpeas and fava beans mixed together for our falafel.The trick is to soak the beans overnight. We had yogurt sauce for the dairy eaters and tahini sauce for the Vegan. Then we made hummus, baba ganoush, tabouleh, with a side of pita bread. So our Vegan friend could eat everything but the cheese and yogurt sauce. It felt so good that we could finally make something everyone could enjoy. Often times at our get-togethers, the meat eaters eat a wonderful, elaborate, home cooked meal, while our vegan friend cooks something separately for himself. So if you want to make a yummy vegan meal everyone can enjoy, think Armenian food/ Middle Eastern food. I'll have to work on a Mexican vegan meal for all to enjoy but that seems a tad more difficult

What do Mex-amenians name their boat?

2011-05-31T10:13:00.000-07:00

Something Mexican, like the "Sea Senor" ( my suggestion), or something Armenian like the
" S/V Manti, " (also my suggestion) Manti is an Armenian food dish meaning, little meat boat pies, with broth. Manti is one of our favorite Armenian meals at my house . No, this Mexi-amenian family named their sailboat something Chinese !, the "Wu Li" which means Physics, patterns of organic energy, my way, void, or enlightenment, depending on the interpretation. Unfortunately, our humble little sailboat is landlocked due to extreme amounts of rain and snow, resulting in swollen lakes, and dangerous conditions here in the Pacific Northwest U.S.A.

You know you're Armenian if..,

2011-01-30T07:41:00.000-08:00

Since my husband is half Mexican American and I am half Armenian American we are always exploring each others cultures and the similarities between them. There is a funny ongoing list of "You know you're a Mexican if..," here is a link to one of the lists http://www.unsolvedmysteries.com/usm425990.html
Here is a list of "you know you're Armenian if" http://forum.armkb.com/general/31409-you-know-youre-armenian-if.html

Here are a few of my additions-"You know you're Armenian if..,"

a lot of the food you eat has more than three syllables in the name
your family breaks out in spontaneous dancing and merry making
your Thanksgiving turkey is stuffed with ground lamb, pilaf and blanched almonds
your food contains spices that most Americans only use at Thanksgiving and Christmas time
you know that the painter Arshile Gorky is Armenian, but you're not exactly sure how
you've been told that yogurt, aplets and cotlets http://www.libertyorchards.com/ , string cheese, fruit roll ups http://www.amazon.com/Dried-Apricot-Fruit-Paste-Rolls/dp/B000O5JII6/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1296667313&sr=8-8 are all originally Armenian foods
your summer barbeques are comprised of shish kebab more than hamburger
you've eaten as many lamb burgers as hamburgers
your mom has a belly dancing costume complete with cymbals stashed somewhere in the house and has taken at least one lesson
You know you're Armenian-American if..,you noticed strange objects in the house while growing up; cymbals, hookahs, dumbegs http://www.thedrumworks.com/Doumbek_12x20.html
you know you're Armenian -American if.., you've tried to make whole wheat choreg at least once
you have at least one elderly relative with a bottle of Arak stashed in their closet
you have relatives that have meat hanging in their attics

Even my dog speaks Spanish?

2011-01-27T21:24:00.000-08:00

I saw this in Costco the other day, and wondered what the heck? Woodland Amigos? Woodland? You mean like Chupacabra , toys for dogs? Sometimes I worry that my dog has other woodland amigos in the form of pulgas(fleas), such good friends that they want to cling to him all the time! And the packaging even states "we squeak" do they squeak in English or Spanish?

My Mex-Amenian New Year

2011-01-01T18:59:00.000-08:00

So I don't know how many other people have a multi-culti New Year, a few of my friends that I know of. We made homemade Tamales and homemade Dolmas- stuffed grape leaves, and since my husband is from Texas we had to have Hoppin John or Texas Caviar, made from black eyed peas. You are supposed to eat something green on New Year's Day for good luck, wealth and prosperity, so instead of the usual collard greens we substituted grape leaves. The confusing part is that you are supposed to remove the corn husks from the Tamale and eat what is inside- in the photo you can see the corn husks come off easily, but you are suppose to eat the grape leaves and what is inside them. Some people unfortunately fail to understand this and try and eat the corn husk. We have a friend in southern Idaho who has what he refers to as "The Joy Luck Club New Year" He is half Basque, Half English with a Japanese stepmother and a half brother who is half Japanese who converted to Mormonism. So you see, Idaho is a lot more multi-cultural than many people think. There is a large Basque population here and also a lot of Japanese people were unfortunately interned here during the second world war, and remained on afterwards. So our friend's family has Sushi flown in for New Years Day which the Mormon half of the family celebrates without any alcohol.I bet there are many more multi -cultural stories out there in this great country of ours where we truly seem to be a great melting pot or in the case of Sushi a non melting pot.
Another odd case of food related multiculturalism- I caught my husband the other day making a tuna fish sandwhich, On a Tortilla! Really, "we were out of bread" he said. I can only take this so far. Me, I draw the line- fish tacos, or tuna fish salad on bread. Call me old fashioned, but I can only get my mind around so much . Happy New Year- Feliz Ano Nuevo- Շնորհավոր Նոր Տարի

My favorite Mexican food joint in Spokane Washington

2010-11-16T20:08:00.000-08:00

Abelardo's 11519 E. Sprague Spokane Valley
(near N. Bowdish rd.) 509-924-7485

Finally, a Mexican food joint, in Spokane that we like . After trying 5 different Mexican food restaurants, we landed on a good one. So far we've eaten at Abelardo's 3 times for breakfast and it's been great. Big burrito's that I can never finish, great breakfast burrito offerings, I had a Chorizo Burrito, friendly service, clean, good value, and Homemade tortilla chips! Yes homemade, every morning, this is the mark of people who care about food.The only drawback is they have no coffee yet although I have mentioned it a few times. I've been drinking Jamaica- a drink made from hibiscus flowers with my breakfast burritos, that's a good alternative . I have also brought my own coffee in with me with no issue as I am rather particular at times. We haven't had any other meals there but plan on it in the future, so far so good. Spokane's really coming up in the world. Thanks Abelardo's, for bringing your good food to Spokane

Books I have enjoyed on the Armenian Experience

2010-10-20T08:50:00.000-07:00

http://www.amazon.com/Road-Home-Story-Courage-Survival/dp/068814425X/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpi_1

http://www.amazon.com/Black-Dog-Fate-American-Uncovers/dp/0767902548

http://www.abebooks.com/Voyages-Najarian-Peter-Ararat-Press/629605410/bd

El Bebop Kid

2010-09-18T19:25:00.001-07:00

These are a few favorites around the homestead, you can take the boy out of Texas, but you can't take Texas out of the man

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freddy_Fender

Presenting the beauty of Hispanic Culture

2010-08-11T10:20:00.001-07:00

Part of the reason I started this blog was to compile a place to display the beauty of Hispanic culture for myself because I am so drawn to it and it has been a part of my life, and for others. I am also compiling this information for my nephew- you know who you are, so that he might be inspired to study and improve his grades in his Spanish language course. If only they would teach and show the incredible contributions of Hispanic culture , music in particular, the kids may be more inclined to learn. From what I remember of Spanish language class in public school, the subject matter was rather dry, dull, and full of repetition rather than inspiration that would lead to yearning to learn. All I have to do is listen to the great musician Celia Cruz speak Spanish with such emotion, and I am inspired to pick up my Spanish language dictionary and learn more. This you tube video is to me one of the most beautiful pieces of music, haunting, leading the mind over faraway landscapes. The composer and pianist, Joaquin Rodrigo is one more of the great contributors to the genius of Hispanic culture, enjoy

Curiosities- The Rio Grande Valley of Texas

2010-05-30T08:42:00.000-07:00

The Rio Grande Valley in South Texas is some 90% Latino and yet they opened a Taco Bell fast food restaurant and Latino's actually eat there. Yeah, yeah I know, Italians also eat at the Olive Garden -go figure-

They have a taco joint called "El Pato" (the duck) http://www.elpatomexicanfood.com you can get a peanut butter and jelly"pato" in a flour tortilla there.( This was my hubby's favorite restaurant as a kid). In all fairness I have had a few peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in a pita bread- the Armenian version of this- To quote John Cougar Mellencamp"Ain't that America?"

It seems like more people drive on the shoulder of the highways and roads than drive in the lanes of the highway in some of the rural areas, now I live in a rural area and no one does that here, so" splain Lucy?"(Desi Arnaz expression from "I Love Lucy" t.v show) Is this fear or saving gas,unreliable old trucks, or what?

The water at the beach down there is almost as warm as the hot air temperature. Having spent much time at the Jersey shore in my youth, I did not find this very refreshing

There is great Birding and Butterfly watching in South Texas http://southtexasnature.com
and snowbirding when Retirees come down from the midwest in winter to find warmth

William S. Burroughs, the famous novelist, lived in South Texas for awhile and described it as "this valley of heat and boredom" my husband who grew up there might agree, but on the other hand,as an outsider, I found it rather fascinating. Burroughs also said- there is a strong death force there"death hangs over the valley like an invisible smog"

There is a myth about the Valley reeling people in if they try and get away, people move away and then are mysteriously drawn back there according to the book "The Lost Years Beats in South Texas" It seems some of the people we've know have relived many of the stories in this book, from dying with wild cats to moving away and being reeled back in,

http://www.amazon.com/Lost-Years-William-S-Burroughs/dp/1585445479

Arizona border situation

2010-05-27T07:54:00.000-07:00

our Latina cousin who lives down in south Texas sent us this, a sense of humor runs in our families. Sometimes all you have left in a sad situation is humor

Eco- Ganas ( ganas=striving,wanting, drive)

2010-05-18T11:38:00.000-07:00

I have this friend who I jokingly refer to at times as" the little engine that could "(children's book reference) as she is so full of drive and ambition and wanting things in her life. She is currently growing a growing business, helping to revive a small town main street with her big dreams and vision of bringing good local food to the community We were discussing the nature of wanting and acquiring things and desiring improvements in one's life and I said to her "Bobbi, you are so funny, you have what the Mexicans call "ganas"( strong desire, drive, wanting improvements) only you don't' have regular ganas you have "eco ganas" which means all her striving is for environmentally sustainable stuff like- solar panels, a rainwater harvesting system for her house, bigger greenhouses and hoop houses. She is a thoughtful person who makes conscientious choices in her life from hiring local artisans to make her furniture, getting a reclaimed wood floor, and many others. I only wish that there were more people out there like my friend. I hope that we can evolve into striving for a better world, where keeping score can mean someone went overboard helping to solve problems in an innovative way. My eco heroes are not the people who talk the loud talk and then walk a different one, but the people trying to make a difference. Willie Nelson driving around to gigs in a bus fueled by biodiesel, Dennis Weaver who built and lived in an earthship, Ed Begley jr. who peddles his bike to generate electricity and Amory Lovins and Hunter Lovins of the Rocky Mountain Institute
http://money.cnn.com/2007/09/26/news/newsmakers/willie_nelson/index.htm

http://www.premiersystems.com/earthship/
http://www.rmi.org/rmi/

A way forward perhaps

2010-05-15T07:41:00.001-07:00

Tortada?

2010-05-11T11:20:00.000-07:00

Taco Bell has a new product- the Tortada
What is this, a torta (sandwich) with a patada (kick) attached?
Who exactly is coming up with this invented corporate gringo lingo?

Personally all the Mexicans I know loved the Taco Bell dog so just in case you've missed him you can view him in this video

La LLorona- The Weeping Woman

2010-05-02T17:57:00.001-07:00

Double Crossed-poem for our elders

2010-04-25T10:21:00.000-07:00

Happy Record Store Day

2010-04-17T13:07:00.000-07:00

Today has been deemed Record Store Day- http://www.recordstoreday.com/Home In honor of Indie record stores I thought I'd talk about my favorite record store that opened up the world of Latin music to me many years ago. I was living in New york City on E. 12th st and was spending quite a bit of time on 14th street which at the time had a lot of Bodegas, and Latin influenced stores where the sounds of Spanish being spoken, and joyous sounds of Latin music along with the noise of traffic on a busy cross town street were a constant pulsating backdrop to; dress shops offering cheap colorful clothing, gadget shops, camera stores, and audio equipment stores, drug stores, and more. People walked differently around there. There was more zip in their step, song in their walk, and attitude in their expressions. I would use the subway station at Union Square Station a lot. It was there, in a store underground in the subway station, literally a hole in the wall, Latin music store, where my love for Latin music blossomed. I had always loved and listened to Latin music on the local radio stations in the New York City area. I loved the pounding spirit of life and upbeat rhythms in the music. One day I wandered into the subway station music store and asked the salesman what music he would recommend if I wanted to hear some of the best Latin music. I still have a few of his recommends. He gave me handfuls of Celia Cruz, Ray Baretto and Tito Puente, Mongo Santa maria,recordings etc.., as well as others, but since I was young and on a limited budget I walked out with mostly Celia Cruz and Ray Barretto. It has remained my favorite music ever since as well as opening up a whole new world to me. So thank you whoever you were in the record store in the subway station for giving me my Latin music education. It just so happens that my Mexican American mother in law also loved the music of the Cuban genius, Celia Cruz. How often does talent span generations like that? I am posting some videos for you to see why we both loved Celia Cruz. The second video also features the genius of Ray Barretto a Puerto Rican American

cultural crossovers-(term, not a pastry)

2010-04-11T09:00:00.000-07:00

Japanese Tako salad-can you believe it? There actually
are no tacos in this salad,
just octopus!

not to be confused with the Tex Mex taco salad. Personally, I enjoy both tacos and salad but separately, not mixed together

Japanese Bonito Flakes, these are not pretty flakes (bonito means pretty in Spanish), but dried tuna, and just to confuse the issue even more I am talking about tuna the fish, not tuna the cactus fruit. Aye! Dios Mio

http://waynesword.palomar.edu/ecoph19.htmhttp://www.mexconnect.com/articles/356-nopales-tunas-and-pitayas

sometimes a tamale is not just a tamale

2010-03-11T19:27:00.000-08:00

So if you think that this global cross mixing of cultures is a recent thing, guess again. It seems that a Sicilian in the 1890's moved to Butte Montana where there was a huge copper mine as well as other mines in the surrounding area, and started making tamales, but not Mexican tamales- the family called them Phillipine tamales although they are made of cornmeal and beef and any Phillipine tamales I've seen are made from banana leaves and all kinds of exotic ingredients not resembling corn or beef. Perhaps Mr. Truzzolino was just inventive and came up with a fast food item that was easily transported into the mines by the workers. In fact what the tamale looks like is more of a Chicago style tamale that was popularized at the Chicago worlds fair in 1893. The company is still alive today and making their brand of tamales in Butte Montana which does not have a very big Latino community. They also happen to distribute their tamales to our local supermarket here in Idaho which is where I was able to snag a photo and start this curious journey into the History of a Butte tamale. Aye Dios Mio, It's an interesting world out there, and probably has been for quite some time.- Apparently the hamburger, the cracker jack and juicy fruit gum also came out of the Chicago world's fair in 1893

http://www.mtstandard.com/articles/2002/03/04/newslocal/export37422.txt

Mexican food/Armenian food- commonalities

2010-03-06T09:22:00.000-08:00

if you want to make Mexican food, first start by chopping some onions

if you want to make Armenian food, first start by chopping some onions

both cultures use cilantro, only the Armenians use the cilantro seed which is also called the spice coriander

both cultures use fideo-those little noodles, only Armenians call it another name that I only know how to pronounce but not spell, and put it in rice, it's basically a vermicelli noodle

both cultures use favas or habas or fava beans

both cultures use chick peas or ceci beans or garbanzo beans or as the local farmers who grow them here in Idaho refer to them - garbs

There will be more posts on this topic in the future, this is only a start. Please feel free to add to the ongoing list by commenting

For my fellow Armenians

2010-03-05T11:56:00.001-08:00

Chilean Poets-Prayers for Chile

2010-02-28T08:14:00.000-08:00

"We philosophers are not free to divide soul from body as the people does, we are even less free to divide soul from spirit. We are not thinking frogs, not observing and recording apparatus with disconnected intestines- we have continually to bear our thoughts out of our pain, and like mothers, share with them what we have in us of blood, heart, fire, joy, passion, torment, conscience, destiny, fatality. To live-that means for us continually to transform everything we are into light and fire; also everything that encounters us, we can do absolutely nothing other" Nietzsche

Armenian Filmmaker Artavazd Peleshian

2010-02-22T08:59:00.000-08:00

http://theseventhart.info/2009/08/08/the-view-from-above-films-of-artavazd-peleshian/

Our cultural popstar divas

2010-02-18T08:32:00.000-08:00

Selena was Mexican American, Cher is part Armenian

Happy Vaelntine's Day

2010-02-14T10:52:00.001-08:00

decent Mexican food is directly proportional to Latino population

2010-02-11T08:22:00.000-08:00

Or at least that is my theory. Around here, not so many Latinos, marginally good Mexican food. Spokane Washington, not many Latinos, lousy Mexican food(in fairness we tried 4 different Taco joints, holding out hope each time, only to be sorely disappointed) Tri-Cities Washington on the other hand, large Latino population, decent Mexican food. Our favorite place in Pasco is- Junior's Tacos 530 W Court StPasco, WA 99301 They don't seem to have a website because they don't need one,everyone knows it's good and they are concentrating on the food. It's in a homey reworked fast food joint,authentic food ,inexpensive and everybody friendly, bi-lingual too.

Armenian music

2010-02-05T11:10:00.000-08:00

Mount Ararat

2010-01-30T17:07:00.001-08:00

It is said that all good Armenians have at least one good picture of Mount Ararat in their house so how about on their blog too! It is believed that Noah's ark landed on Mount Ararat. The funny thing is the mountains of Idaho look a lot like this, maybe that's why I feel at home here

photocredit:http://Photography: http://www.andrewsevag.com/

where Tortilla Flat meets My name is Aram

2010-01-24T08:44:00.001-08:00

I'm talking about the books by writers John Steinbeck and William Saroyan here. One of these days we'll have to make a pilgrimage to Fresno or L.A. to see all the other Armenolatinos,as both places have large Armenian and Mexican populations. By the way, does anyone really think Spencer Tracy is plausible as a Mexican in the Movie Tortilla Flat?, what's up with that? I loved the book, but the movie just didn't cut it for me.

why do Anglos have beige walls?

2010-01-23T11:14:00.000-08:00

We had an aunt Connie who was Mexican American and lived in San Antonio. She had the most magical house, all the inside walls were painted deep colors;lime green, deep blue, orange, raspberry. She was very loving and very expressive and peppered her sentences with "Ay chiuaua's" Her food was as colorful as her walls. So upon reflection I wonder why so many Anglo's have beige walls. Does it coincide with bland food? Say something about the culture overall? represent a controlled and unchallenging backdrop to the confusion of contemporary life? I admit I am guilty of it as I have a few beige walls as a backdrop to my home's natural contemporary style. Just something to think about.

Graciela Iturbide Mexican photographer

2010-01-18T14:56:00.000-08:00

Graciela Iturbide is my favorite photographer. She started out in life wanting to be a writer and her writing is as beautiful and powerful as her photographs.I highly recommend her books. My favorite photos are in the second half of this video

2010-01-08T18:17:00.000-08:00

Salvador Dali Tamales

2009-12-24T09:36:00.000-08:00

spreading masa on the ojos(eyeballs) instead of the

hojas(cornhusks) is an easy mistake to make while

drinking and making tamales!
When cleaning out the kitchen this summer,

my hubby goes on this getting rid of everything
we absolutely do not need binge, and takes a
giant pot and a bunch of junk to the Goodwill.

Then of course, Christmas rolls around and where

the heck is that tamale pot?Aye, dios mio, I donated

it to the Goodwill. Perhaps we should also have a catagory

for the "Pendejo Chronicles,"coming soon

Shout out to East Coast

2009-12-20T17:35:00.000-08:00

Hot Latin music jam

Muchas Gracias

2009-12-19T18:08:00.000-08:00

When I was a kid I had a friend who had a Cuban mother whose name was Grecia,( pronounced Gresha) but my poor mother often got things jumbled up in her head, and knew that Grecia was a native Spanish speaker, and that her name looked an awful lot like the word gracias. So much to my embarassement, no matter how many times I corrected her, my mother would always call my friend's mother Gracias. So after a sleepover my mother would say "Thanks Gracias, for having my daughter over." or if we were at the park " Hey Gracias, how are you doing?"This poor woman didn't know if my mother was just eternally thankful to her or what.

http://creativecommons.org/ns#" about="http://www.flickr.com/photos/aroberts/2282881973/"> rel="cc:attributionURL" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/aroberts/">http://www.flickr.com/photos/aroberts/ / CC BY 2.0

2nd Poem about ethnicity

2009-12-19T18:03:00.000-08:00

Childhood friends growing up; 2 Armenians,1 Cuban Jew, 1 secular Jewish girl, 1 Ecuadoran girl, a handful of wasps, 1red headed Irish girl with 5 brothers, an African American brother and sister with a white grandfather, one sweet Italian boy who grew up to be a very sweet Italian boy

Poem about Ethnicity

2009-12-19T17:52:00.000-08:00

Ethnic make-up of me and my extended family;Armenian, Mexican, English, French, German, one Mexican with a disease only Jewish people get, One waspy English relative who converted to conservative Judaism, a few Latina relatives who live in the barrio in Houston and identify as French but speak no Spanish or French, one gringo(married to a Latina) who speaks no Spanish but speaks English with a Mexican accent(he grew up on the border), when I currently identify myself it is as Armenolatino or Mexamenian

life in the verbal fast lane

2009-12-19T09:06:00.001-08:00

My hubby and me both come from funny people, and we are both sort of a.d.d., living life like Speedy Gonzalez. So when we come to a traffic light, and it turns green, me being the wife who cannot live without backseat driving, started to say in my verbal shorthand/text speech "green, go" which of course you can guess has morphed into saying only"gringo" when the light turns green

Everyone has a tortilla

2009-12-14T12:17:00.000-08:00

We left my Mexican american mother in law with some
East Indian papadums, and she said"mijo, these are some
good tortillas, can I have some more?"so we came to the conclusion that, call it what you will, just about everyone has a tortilla. There is the; pita, chapati, papadum, matzoh, wasa crispbread, Ethiopean sponge bread, American white bread, Indian fry bread. The only people I can think of that do not have a tortilla are the Japanese, but I could be wrong in this. So in this up and coming Holiday season, we should remember that we have more in common than we think, and that just about everyone has a tortilla, Salud.