I just saw an article on Google news that I thought would be funny, "Signs you are in a bad Mexican Restaurant." It wasn't funny, just very good information and made me start thinking about some of my experiences eating Mexican food and wanting some. First of all, l as I have written in my blog Tacos with Grace, my family has eaten a lot of American homemade tacos. but I am thinking about in Mexico.
Years ago when we were often traveling to Baja where my husband's brother worked in an orphanage, I took one trip alone via a bus and then with the lady who founded the orphanage. I came back across the border with a Mexican American couple. They stopped at the outdoor fish market in Ensenada. That was where I had the best fish tacos I have ever enjoyed. And they are eaten with cabbage not lettuce.
Another enjoyable time was when a friend at the orphanage took me and my husband to a stand that served carnitas. My husband had been there before and told me the owner looked like my dad and he did despite the fact that my dad was a mixture of English and Scottish. The carnitas were wonderful, but the funny thing was that on the way my friend, Valerie told me that the first time they went there they became very sick the next day. I did not get sick and neither did anyone else.
Another story connected with the orphanage which I think I have told before was about a house across from the orphanage where the family operated a small cafe. One day my husband and his brother decided to go in and order some food. They entered and sat down at a table and ordered dinner. They were served but found out afterwards that the family had closed the restaurant but simply served them anyway. Such was the great hospitality.
I didn't intend to let this lead into another posting on Timothy Snyder's book On Tyranny but I think I shall. Chapter 12:
Make eye contact and small talk.
"This is not just polite. It is part of being a citizen and a responsible member of society. It is also a way to stay in touch with your surroundings, break down social barriers, and understand whom you should and should not trust. If we enter a culture of denunciation, you will want to know the psychological landscape of your daily life."
This has a lot to do with the hospitality I mentioned above. The orphanage while filled with Mexican children was helped and aided by many different nationalities. at times it could seem like a large Christian conference although at the time it was a very rugged place to be, For instance when we went we always carried a large amount of clothes, canned food, and used tiny motel soap which they used in their washing machines. The orphanage has since grown and modernized as has Baja.
But Snyder's other words about a culture of denunciation may seem unnecessary for now but not so. Today I listened to a video with Jonah Goldberg and Sam Harris. I only listened to the shorter version since I am not a member of Harris's site. It was about the actions of Vance and Trump toward Zelensky and also about senators who needed courage. One of the reasons they needed courage was because some of them have been threatened including their families. That is one of the reasons some have not spoken up.
The beginning of the Orphanage
2 comments:
I read Snyder's book last month and it's provided a lot to think about. I enjoyed your Baja stories, too. Being connected is necessary. I can't imagine living in the old Soviet Union or East Germany where connections were difficult because you didn't know who to trust.
It would be hard living in those times, certainly. Thank you for your comment.
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