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August, 2005

  1. Dear Elenamary,

    August 14, 2005 by elenamary

    I get quite a few emails asking me for advice. And they are pretty funny, I thought you might enjoy them.

    I found your site as I searched in vain for mexican grocery stores in Toledo. I am moving there very soon to attend medical school with my wife from Xalapa. I was hoping that you could help find them. She said she would not move there with me unless I found a store that sold good tortillas. Any help you could give me would be greatly appreciated.

    There are quite a few Mexican grocery stores and shops in Toledo, Ohio. Toledo, Ohio has two stereotypical groups of Mexicans; those whose families had been coming to Northern Ohio for generations and they decided to settle and raise their families in Toledo (primarily the old Polish neighborhood) and then there are those Mexicans who come during the summers mostly for the tomato and cucumber season. There are quite a few restaurants, and grocery stores and panaderias in Toledo. Where I don’t know…try a google search. I used to have a theory though about Toledo, no one decides to go there, they end up there.

    Do Latinas like white men?

    Ummm yeah, some do and some like white women. What do you really want to know? Are you a white man that wants to know if a Latina likes you? Do you want to know if this particular Latina likes white men? Umm yeah, I sure do if they make enough money—kidding.

    Are cat scratches witchcraft?

    I don’t know. But yes, cats are used in witchcraft.

    What does immortal technique mean by rompe toto?

    I actually had a discussion with him about this phrase. It is a Dominican phrase. Toto comes from the word “Tostones” which is a style of circular fried Plantain. “Romper” means to break, rip, or tear. Rompe-toto is similar to saying “I’ll tear that pussy up”.

    Why do white men like small butts?

    I don’t know. And when I wrote about it some white men complained that they do in fact like big butts.

    Why do white girls have flat butts?

    A lot of white girls don’t have flat butts. I don’t have much of a butt and it actually comes from my Latina side. None of my family on my Latino side has round butts, and all the women on my Irish side do.

    Does Eva Longoria like black men?

    Why would I know this? Come on now, and why aren’t you asking some kind of Eva Longoria fan site? Are you a black man asking if Eva Longoria likes you? Well, then, nope, she doesn’t.

    Category Latinos, Ohio, personal | Tags: ,, | No Comments

  2. Almost arrested…again.

    August 12, 2005 by elenamary




    BuckID

    Originally uploaded by elenamary.

    All I tried to do was ride the bus to campus. I usually take the public city buses to campus. Every quarter (trimester) I pay a student union fee that goes to being able to ride the city bus as much as I desire. This morning I meet a friend for coffee and ended up getting on a bus route I usually don’t take.

    I got on the bus showed the driver my ID and proceeded to my seat. As I was walking to my seat she said “Excuse me ma’am I need to see your ID again”. I pulled it back out of my pocket and showed it to her again. “What’s that?” She said pointing to the image on my ID and I replied “It is a cartoon character. When you get your Buck-ID you are given the option of having your photo on it. When you opt out they put a cartoon character on your ID”. In a hostile tone she said “You think that’s cute do you? You can’t ride the bus with that.” I responded “My buck-ID is valid and my fees are paid for.” “Yes, but COTA [Central Ohio Transit Authority] does not recognize it.” “The contract I have with COTA is that as long as I have a valid buck-ID and my fees are paid for I can ride the bus.” “Yes, but there is no way I know that is you.” “I have my drivers license on me. That has a photo and my name would you like to see that and you can match the name?” “No.” She supposedly called her supervisor and then told me that her supervisor said I had to pay bus fare. I declined the offer to pay my bus fare twice. “Are you refusing to pay the fare?” “Yes, I am refusing to pay again, I have already paid once for a ten week installment, I am not going to pay again.” She stopped the bus and called the COTA security. Who came and asked me to get off the bus with them. I refused. I also began to apologize to the people on the bus whom were being held up and the driver began to shout “You aren’t sorry! You are just trying to make a point!” I honestly felt bad for the people, these were blue collar people late for work being held up by some privileged college student/angry bus driver, a few of them offered to pay my fare for me, and I appreciatively declined. The security showed up and asked me to get off the bus, I refused to and said I wasn’t going to get off the bus with a man I didn’t know. They called the police and transferred all the passengers on to another bus. I decided to walk the rest of the way to work and as I was walking away from the bus I heard them calling the other buses telling them not to let me on. Man, I just wanted to ride the bus.

    Category Ohio, personal | Tags: | No Comments

  3. bloggers

    August 11, 2005 by elenamary

    I’ve updated my blogeras y blogeros list. It is a list of Latino bloggers. If there is someone you would like me to add, or a description of the blog needs changing, please let me know.

    Now go read some blogeros.

    Category Latinos, Ohio | Tags: , | No Comments

  4. The Toughest Chicano

    August 10, 2005 by elenamary




    The Toughest Chicano

    Originally uploaded by elenamary.

    I like to think of myself as having a decent base of knowledge about active Chicanos in the Arts, Politics, Academia, but I realized today when I came across an article about Joe Kapp an extraordinary Chicano ex-football player, that I know very little about Chicano athletes.
    I like to think of the term Chicano as more then just a term as a “Mexican-American” but a “Mexican-American” with pride and political activism. This football super bowl, rose bowl playing quarterback is an outspoken Chicano activist. He even addresses a Latino movement on his website:

    JoeKapp.com is about breaking borders. Every enterprise, in business and in life, should aim to break down the borders that try to divide us. Joe Kapp has been a walking North American Free Trade Agreement. He has spent his whole life crossing borders: born in New Mexico, growing up in the Salinas Valley, studying at the University of California, playing professional football in Canada and Minnesota, and finally settling down in Silicon Valley.

    Latino means taking great pride in our individuality and nationality. People from all over the world have come to the estados unidos and joined in this great celebration of democracy. No one should ever give up their heritage or uniqueness. The food you eat, the music you listen to, the language you speak, the attitudes and values that we ALL bring to this ARENA of life, is what breaks down borders and makes for worldwide harmony. You-Me-We-Us-together in the United States of America!

    The articles in this section are not only for Spanish-speakers or Latinos. We invite everyone to visit this section and learn to speak ESPANGLISH, as we keep America great with the diversity of thought, discussion, and action. This is a celebration of just one of the many groups that makes America diversely great!

    His interview in the article I came across also gives his commentary on the education of Chicanos and Latinos:

    In 1970, Kapp was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated with the label “World’s Toughest Chicano” as his team headed into the Super Bowl. “Man, I have had a hard time living up to that label,” Kapp said. “Every Chicano man knows the world’s toughest Chicano is his own mother.”

    But that doesn’t stop Kapp from pursuing yet another impossible dream. “The main issue facing the Hispanic community today is education,” he said. “Hard work is not an issue for us. We have worked in the fields and in the restaurants and mowing yards and all that, but we need to realize there is a lot more out there. And we need to understand that the answer is in the certificate, the high school diploma….

    But toss in a little John Lennon as well when you judge Kapp’s position. “I don’t believe in borders,” he said. “They call some of our people aliens. Aliens are from outer space. And, I will tell you it is a lot easier getting across the Canada border than it is the Mexico border, where sometimes you get shot trying. I just don’t understand why corporations have no problem bypassing borders for profit while governments make such a big deal about who crosses and who doesn’t.”

    We need candid Chicanos in all professional fields coming out and talking about immigration, education and healthcare. Can any of my readers point me to other professional Chicano athletes (football, hockey, futbol, baseball, rugby, swimming, tennis, etc.) dedicated to La Causa?

    *** Update “Latino Athletes: Past & Present” ***

    Category Latinos | Tags: | No Comments

  5. Fiesta with Gringos

    August 8, 2005 by elenamary

    Post-party story.
    Conversation I had with my friend Anne about my party.

    Anne: Hey- your cousin (??) called me a gringa.
    Elenamary: Gringa is not a bad word…I swear to God
    Anne: I was embarrassed!
    Elenamary: awww, why? Gringo can be an endearing term. The only “family” I had there was my mama.
    Anne: Gotcha. I am not sure what she meant. It is a funny story!
    I had a great time, btw! She was asking the abuelita what the dogs name was, and no one was answering her, so I did. She made some quip about the Gringa after that. Then I almost walked in on her in the bathroom.
    Elenamary: That makes me feel good that you had a good time. Oh then she was totally saying gringa affectionately. The bathroom party is funnier. Though I think I’d like to write about the usage of gringo/a at my party. I screamed at one point “gringos come in for the cake”, and then I told one of the little kids to get all the gringos inside and she screamed in Spanish “gringos go inside for cake”.
    Anne: I heard you yell but I thought maybe that was meant affectionately. Whats with the biting a piece off the cake- I heard you tell the little girl that it was for luck…?
    Elenamary: I have no clue why we bite the cake, and sometimes the persons face is nudged into the cake after they bite it. Usually only the birthday person bites it, but Olga (the little girl) had been wanting to so I told her to do it for good luck.
    Anne: I asked Maryzabel if it was a family thing. And said she thought so.
    Elenamary: Nope not really a family thing…in fact my mother hates the biting thing she thinks that it is uncleanly. They do the biting thing everywhere in Mexico and people often will chant “mordita, mordita, mordita” (little bite) until the hesitant birthday person bites.
    Anne: That’s so funny. Can I do it for my birthday too?
    Elenamary: hell yeah you should! can I include this conversation on my blog?
    Anne: Of course. I like to be a token white girl! I hardly ever get to be a spokesman for my race…hehehe

    Category Latinos, Ohio | Tags: , | No Comments

  6. Always amazing

    August 6, 2005 by elenamary

    The always amazing and much, much better writer than I, Gustavo has a post today. His post is much more eloquent and much less offensive than my I don’t like Chicanos entry. Gustavo discusses the plight of the Chicano from all angles.

    How are we viewed by Mexicans in Mexico? Personally I don’t give a shit what they think of me. They poke fun at us because of how we speak. Somehow we are less Mexican because of that? To be a Mexican in the United States you have to work twice as hard as other people. You have to speak perfect Spanish in order to make the Mexicans in Mexico happy while you have to speak proper English to make the Gavachos here happy.

    Go read his article, it will help you understand Chicanos, Pochos and most importantly me!

    Category Latinos, Ohio | Tags: , | No Comments

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