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ninanevermoreToday on my drive into work, I was thinking that traffic seemed awfully light. It was like driving in on a day like Good Friday, when some people get the day off but a slight majority still have to come in. I was almost to the office when I remembered the May 1st protest was today, that it was A Day Without Immigrants.
It occurred to me that today would not be a good day to try and go out for Mexican for lunch, which made me sad a little sad. The area of Houston that I work in, The Heights, has a large Latino population and some wonderful little taquerias to eat at. Knowing they were all going to be closed made me hungry to eat at one of them, the way that entering a dry county makes you want to buy a drink. If the only Mexican food you know is the stuff you find at Taco Bell, you are missing out. The authentic food found in these taquerias makes Taco Bell look like a cheap bland imitation of the real thing. In fact, here in Houston we don't even consider Taco Bell to be Mexican food; it just qualifies as plain old fast food. If you ask someone here if they want to go out for Mexican food, they will expect a colorfully decorated sit-down establishments that serves you a giant bowl of corn chips with salsa while you wait on your meal, and where the waiter may or may not speak English (you point to the item on your menu if he doesn't). They will expect you to take them some place that probably sells giant margaritas with salt around the rim of the glass, sweet concoctions that will getty you muy intoxicado for poco dinero. Taco Bell is only an option if someone asks, "Do you want to go pick up something fast? Like a hamburger or Taco Bell? I feel lazy and besides, I'm broke."
I looked around at the streets. I saw a lot of white faces and a lot of black faces, but very few Latino faces. I was impressed. The news had reported that a lot of employers would not forgive employees that skipped work today for this protest, but a lot of them were apparently doing it anyway. According to the last US Census taken in 2000, Houston is 37% Latino, making them the largest demographic in the city. As a group, they have both whites and blacks outnumbered. Contrary to what people in other parts of the country think, they are not all recent immigrants, either. Many of these families have been here for generations, and many of the protesters are participating as an act of solidarity rather than being fearful that they will be deported. They are very much a big part of the fabric of the area I call home.
The portable taco stands that I usually pass by were not there today. I saw none of the push carts and bicycle carts that usually sell ice cream (yes, they are out this time of the year in Houston; we are already having days where the temperatures reaches the 80-degrees and up range). The parking lots to the carnicerías and the panaderos that cater to the Latino community were empty. There were no Latinos waiting at the bus stops, and very few were out and about in the cars around me. A lot of the city was sleeping in and taking a day off without pay.
I'm not making any sort of statement about what should or should not be done about the immigration issues. I don't have all of the answers. I'm not even sure that I have any of them. I'm only pointing out how noticeable of an absence I noticed today. In my 4 person office, Joe is here today, so it's not every Latino has taken the day off. He is originally from south Texas and Spanish is his first language, but he is also a 3rd generation Texan and an all-American guy. He has a MBA from Texas A&M and is passionate about the Houston Astros. In this part of the country, Apple pie and hot dogs are not necessarily the quintessential American foods. Tamales, enchiladas and quesadillas are as American as Apple pie could ever hope to be.
Which reminds me. For lunch tomorrow, I'm definitely going out for some Mexican food.
It occurred to me that today would not be a good day to try and go out for Mexican for lunch, which made me sad a little sad. The area of Houston that I work in, The Heights, has a large Latino population and some wonderful little taquerias to eat at. Knowing they were all going to be closed made me hungry to eat at one of them, the way that entering a dry county makes you want to buy a drink. If the only Mexican food you know is the stuff you find at Taco Bell, you are missing out. The authentic food found in these taquerias makes Taco Bell look like a cheap bland imitation of the real thing. In fact, here in Houston we don't even consider Taco Bell to be Mexican food; it just qualifies as plain old fast food. If you ask someone here if they want to go out for Mexican food, they will expect a colorfully decorated sit-down establishments that serves you a giant bowl of corn chips with salsa while you wait on your meal, and where the waiter may or may not speak English (you point to the item on your menu if he doesn't). They will expect you to take them some place that probably sells giant margaritas with salt around the rim of the glass, sweet concoctions that will getty you muy intoxicado for poco dinero. Taco Bell is only an option if someone asks, "Do you want to go pick up something fast? Like a hamburger or Taco Bell? I feel lazy and besides, I'm broke."
I looked around at the streets. I saw a lot of white faces and a lot of black faces, but very few Latino faces. I was impressed. The news had reported that a lot of employers would not forgive employees that skipped work today for this protest, but a lot of them were apparently doing it anyway. According to the last US Census taken in 2000, Houston is 37% Latino, making them the largest demographic in the city. As a group, they have both whites and blacks outnumbered. Contrary to what people in other parts of the country think, they are not all recent immigrants, either. Many of these families have been here for generations, and many of the protesters are participating as an act of solidarity rather than being fearful that they will be deported. They are very much a big part of the fabric of the area I call home.
The portable taco stands that I usually pass by were not there today. I saw none of the push carts and bicycle carts that usually sell ice cream (yes, they are out this time of the year in Houston; we are already having days where the temperatures reaches the 80-degrees and up range). The parking lots to the carnicerías and the panaderos that cater to the Latino community were empty. There were no Latinos waiting at the bus stops, and very few were out and about in the cars around me. A lot of the city was sleeping in and taking a day off without pay.
I'm not making any sort of statement about what should or should not be done about the immigration issues. I don't have all of the answers. I'm not even sure that I have any of them. I'm only pointing out how noticeable of an absence I noticed today. In my 4 person office, Joe is here today, so it's not every Latino has taken the day off. He is originally from south Texas and Spanish is his first language, but he is also a 3rd generation Texan and an all-American guy. He has a MBA from Texas A&M and is passionate about the Houston Astros. In this part of the country, Apple pie and hot dogs are not necessarily the quintessential American foods. Tamales, enchiladas and quesadillas are as American as Apple pie could ever hope to be.
Which reminds me. For lunch tomorrow, I'm definitely going out for some Mexican food.
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no subject
Date: 2006-05-02 02:57 am (UTC)The marches in Seattle today were a great sucess too. I guesstimate that there were 25,000 plus people today, all missing work and school to get their point across. I'll post some pictures later; I cannot wait for the official numbers to be reported.
Yes, Taco Bell is not Mexican at all. Not even close...
no subject
Date: 2006-05-02 08:55 pm (UTC)Taco Bell is edible, but it doesn't count as Mexican or even TexMex (which is what I eat down here). It's just fast food with hot sauce on it. Have you tried their quesadillas? Do yourself a favor and don't. Who the hell thought it would be a good idea to put runny yellow nacho cheese stuff in a quesadilla? It's just plain wrong, I tell you.
no subject
Date: 2006-05-02 07:08 pm (UTC)And maybe you can sing the national anthem in spanish while you are there...
;P
no subject
Date: 2006-05-02 08:46 pm (UTC)Like I said, I don't have all of the answers, or even any of them. But I happen to live in a place that used to be part of Mexico. Mostly, I think people get too worked up over this stuff. I have heard Spanish all around me from the time I grew up, and it's never been a cause for concern. Certain rabblerousers would have people get upset over it, but I don't see it as any worse than my Cajun acquaintances from Louisiana speaking French. It gives America texture. It makes us interesting. Our biggest asset is not that everyone here is alike, but that over our history people who were very different have managed to live together without killing each other. That hasn't been the case in many parts of the world. I don't want it to change now.
No doubt our borders are too porous. No doubt a re-vamping of immigration laws would be in order to help us better track who all is here. But arresting 12 million people is probably not the way to go about fixing things. People need to sit down, put aside emotions and xenophobia, and use logic and common sense to find an answer. Not one idea that I've heard thrown out so far seems to be a good one. Mass arrest? A Belin-style wall along the Rio Grande? Please. People aren't thinking about this, they are just emoting and reacting.
For the record, most Latinos are not here illegally. I live in a state where they are the #1 ethnic group, and most of them were born here, just like I was.
Next time I get around a bunch of drunk Cajuns, I'm gonna see if I can get them to translate the Star Spangled Banner into Cajun French. I bet it would be a hoot to hear... ;D