BY THE UNKNOWN GRINGO
Erle Stanley Gardner wrote in one of his books on Baja, Hunting the Desert Whale, that ” those who are familiar with the land of Baja California are either afraid of it or they love it, and if they love it they are brought back by an irresistible fascination time and again.” That perfectly describes me since I first crossed the border. I just have to keep going back because my fascination shows no sign of diminishing. And I can easily think of passions / interests in my life that have faded over time.
When Covid hit I didn’t go to Mexico anywhere near as often because I wanted to protect myself and my father. Here at home, a lot of my hiking trails were closed down so I took city walks instead because that’s how I get my daily exercise and I like to be outdoors. I discovered Chinatown. W. H. Auden, the British-American poet, wrote “Man needs escape as he needs food and deep sleep.” I learned that my “escapes” to Mexico over the decades and then Chinatown have strong similarities.
I go on Sunday mornings. It’s only a 15 minute drive. They have shops just like the botanicas in Mexico with ground-up organic compounds for what ails you. The shop owner will give you advice based on your symptoms. They have prayer candles, too. Vendors on the street sell fresh fruit, vegetables, iced drinks, and offer samples before you buy. Individual citizens, usually senior women, will spread blankets on the sidewalk to sell a very small variety of food or personal objects and will chant loudly in their accent “One dollah. One dollah.” (Amazingly, each one of them almost always has a can of tuna or salmon to sell.) Men will be selling small electronic devices and USB cables. Baseball caps for $3. You can find hair care products, sandals, toys, used tools, etc. One guy sells straw hats made in Mexico for $5 that sell for $20 at Home Depot. It all reminds me of how people in Mexico have small specialty stores or are self-employed with folding tables under pop-up canopies on a city street or just a blanket with goods on the ground.
There is a strength of culture there in Chinatown that makes me feel like I am in another country. My senses get filled. And that’s what has had me addicted to Mexico for decades. I get to “escape” my own normal daily life to enjoy something I find a lot more interesting. Both cultures fully embrace fireworks and festivals with bright costuming. Both are rich in mythology and have sacred rituals respecting their dead. Both have a history of strong prejudice against them up here and created ethnic neighborhoods for their own support. (What a comfort to have neighbors that speak your language. That would make your house feel like a home and not a remote island.) And both are fully aware that the dominant culture in the States also absolutely LOVES their food. What a world.
I have always felt welcomed in Mexico. For decades I have described the Mexican people as “warm and gracious”. It is a louder and more colorful country than my own and I love that. The citizens of Chinatown are more reserved but I feel welcomed there, too. Next door is the Plaza de Los Angeles, close to where the city was founded in 1781. When I’m home on Sundays I get my two breakfast tamales there with three different salsas to choose from and then I start walking Chinatown where my favorite bakery will sell me a baked custard bun. I get a 2 for 1 escape bargain.
