Hola! Este blog es acerca de Mexico!Hi..this blog is about Mexico. I recently visited a city named Guadalajara in Mexico. It is in the state of Jalisco and is almost a coastal city. It's near the pacific ocean coast. It's known as the silicon valley of Mexico. Wikipedia has a good article on it. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guadalajara,_Jalisco
I found Mexican people quite a friendly bunch. They try very hard to attract americanos (term used for Americans). Of course, as you go on the southern side of American continent, it gets very hot :) (weather/food/women :)). Mexico is no different. The Hilton hotel we were put up in had a bar downstairs that had Mexican muchachas (girls) serving drinks to people. She and her colleagues were dressed in skimpy clothes at best. Every time she came out, there was a guy who carried the drinks. She would then serve those to people. She wouldn't carry those drinks herself though. She was like a queen with a handyman on her.
For a vegetarian comica like me, the food was still very tasty. Although these people are hardcore carnivores, their tropical tastes have some similarity to Indian tastes. Their food minus the meat was still spicy and salty enough for me. I loved the Posole soup. I have always liked Chiles Rellenos and had fun with their spicy salsa and chips. They use a lot of melted cheese that's very very tasty and sure very (un)healthy!
I had a perception of Mexico; about their food, culture, muchachas etc. But it was all based on what I saw/heard in USA. The Mexican country, the people, the ladies, the food are all so different from what I had thought. I guess US media has had too much experience with creation of false perceptions of other countries. (e.g. they always show half naked villagers taking a dip in Holy Ganges water when they talk about India. Or they show the beggars as a second choice. Think about the perception these images create!). Anyways..to hell with US media.
Having said all this, there is a lot of corruption,poverty and crime in this country. I wonder if the tropical location has something to do with not just food but with behaviors? The reason is that Mexico has a lot of similarity with other tropical countries I have known/seen when it comes to these things. May be the warmth of the weather makes people warm (equal to hospitality) and fuzzy (equal to manipulative). You certainly would not see these characteristics in our developed northern countries. But it was fun to know about the "roadside deals" that the Mexican police strike with traffic violators...fun because of the similarity to Indian traffic police!
Back to the town of Guadalajara...This place has many creative artists. I visited a local market in a suburb called tlaquepaque. What a fun experience it was. The entire market was created from a colony of houses. So each shop is basically a house. And art was the primary merchandise they sold. I have never seen such decorative and antique furniture items ever. Huge colorful chandeliers..big fancy palatial beds...very creative and authentic dining/sofa sets... The only bad part was it was all beyond my financial capability and beyond the capability of what my 20" trolley could carry :) Here's a small clip from this lively market on a very sunny and pleasant day. Anyways, adios Mexico. agradable reunión que.
