martes, 24 de enero de 2012

Dinner at the Fair


A friend came from abroad to spend her holidays in Mexico. During her stay she visited several cities and Mexico City was one of them where I volunteered as her personal tour guide. We went to some museums, churches, markets and squares, but to show her a different side of the city life I took her to the fair with some friends. 
Like any local fair, there was several types of games, bumper cars, carousels and a mechanical bull. There was also a wizard announcing to predict one´s fate and a tent that invited people to meet "The Woman-Lizard" Esmeralda; however, as usual, the biggest attraction was the food. 
Taco stands, cotton candy, ice cream, hot-dogs, burgers... Choosing was hard. I started with one of my favourites: "esquites" white corn seasoned with mayonnaise, cheese, lime and chile powder; usually this are served in Styrofoam. I initiated the Plate Project with a simple, "Could you serve my esquites in this cup, please?, and was happy to hear, "Of course my güerita" (In Mexican markets and street stalls, sellers call their buyers Güerita (blondie) regardless of the color of their skin or hair. This custom is used partly because (unfortunately) there is a belief that being called Güerita is flattering and partly because of the habit to do so. Maybe it's time to ask the sellers to call us otherwise!)

I was able to save a Styrofoam cup from this experience and my friend, hearing about  The Plate Project for the first time, was so excited that she asked to borrow my plate to eat pancakes. We continued our tour through the city: cups and plates saved, full bellies and happy hearts.  Next stop: Garibaldi, no visit to Mexico is completed without a night of tequila and Mariachi music!

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