Monthly Archives: April 2007

Of marketing and “Hispanic food”

Posted on April 30, 2007 by

Marketing is so powerful that it can turn a small, humble kind of spice into the main component of thousands (yes, thousands!) of “Hispanic foods” in the U.S. At least that is what marketers want you to believe. An article … Continue reading →

Posted in Food | 2 Comments

Why we love …

Posted on April 28, 2007 by

You might think whatever you want of Univision, but one thing is indisputable: It has perfected the art of marketing itself. Univision Communications is one of the nation’s largest buyers of Spanish-language media, promoting its properties on TV, radio and … Continue reading →

Posted in Television | 1 Comment

Here we go: Now it’s ‘Cinco de Mayo Barbie’

Posted on April 27, 2007 by

I was really hoping to ignore the “holiday” altogether, but a recent announcement by Mattel was just too good to be true. Turns out that this year the giant toy maker is launching a new -revised- version of a Cinco … Continue reading →

Posted in Pop culture | 6 Comments

People, pomp and circumstances…

Posted on April 25, 2007 by

Ok, I didn’t make it to People en Español‘s 50 Most Beautiful People issue (again!) so I might as well bitch a little bit about it … oh well, not that much. Actually, the June 2007 looks quite nice, with … Continue reading →

Posted in Sal & Pimienta | 4 Comments

Bloomberg goes to Mexico

Posted on April 24, 2007 by

Where does New York City turn to learn how to deal with lots and lots of poor people? Mexico, of course: we have a solid 50% of the population living in poverty, and one fifth living in extreme poverty, according … Continue reading →

Posted in Sal & Pimienta | 1 Comment

Latinas of the world, misbehave!

Posted on April 23, 2007 by

Latinas, feel free to misbehave. As it turns out, our bad habits, misdeeds and pecadillos are all rooted in our traditional, patriarchal, Catholic rearing which makes us naturally submissive and subordinated to men, and therefore prone to fall into their arms no … Continue reading →

Posted in Pop culture | Leave a comment

Hispanics eat gratis in Carpentersville

Posted on April 22, 2007 by

I love the Web and I love having a blog, because this gives me a legitimate (if somehow morbid) reason to go hunting for Latino-related stories on the Internet. And thanks to this perpetual search, I learned today that there … Continue reading →

Posted in Pop culture | 3 Comments

Vestida para matar

Posted on April 20, 2007 by

Politically correctness has finally caught up with my paisanos. So to avoid an escalating scandal, Miss Mexico will have to tone down her outfit. But wait, it’s not that the dress set to be worn by Miss Mexico in the upcoming beauty pageant … Continue reading →

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Spring-break in Cuba: $65,000 per student

Posted on April 16, 2007 by

You gotta love U.S. foreign policy: while government officials on “business missions” are allowed to travel to Cuba without being reprimended for violating the embargo, a group of high-school students in Manhattan face a fine of $65,000 (each) for taking … Continue reading →

Posted in Sal & Pimienta | 1 Comment

Spanish-language TV saved my day

Posted on April 15, 2007 by

  I have to thank Univision and Telemundo for saving my day today. While a fierce northeastern storm drenches the New York region since last night, both Spanish-language networks decided to honor the 50th anniversary of Pedro Infante’s death by … Continue reading →

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¿Qué dijiste, JLo?

Posted on April 13, 2007 by

Hopeful beauty queens who have a hard time speaking Spanish should get some consolation from Bronx diva Jennifer Lopez, who this week attempted to correct the Spanish of a gringo … but ended up screwing up herself. During JLo’s special appeareance on American … Continue reading →

Posted in Sal & Pimienta | 1 Comment

Gracias Míster Gingrich

Posted on April 11, 2007 by

As they say in my country -and in Spanish, of course!- más vale tarde, que nunca; that is: ”better late than never”. Days after the U.S. Latino community blasted Newt Gingrich for saying Spanish was the language of “living in a ghetto”, the former … Continue reading →

Posted in Sal & Pimienta | 1 Comment

Repeat after me: Orangután

Posted on April 9, 2007 by

Univision last week announced the 12-finalists who will compete in Nuestra Belleza Latina, the weekly reality show in which Latinas from all over the country compete for the title, a contract as one of Univision’s on-air personalities and a chance … Continue reading →

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Acapulco en la Azotea

Posted on April 9, 2007 by

It is official. Mexico is a surreal country. This month, my fellow chilangos were able to enjoy the wonders of the beach (sun, sand and water included) without having to leave home. Inspired by a growing trend in the European … Continue reading →

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Aztec muffins anyone?

Posted on April 3, 2007 by

If you thought Hispanic marketers were running out of ideas, think again: This morning, while picking up my daily coffee at the local Starbucks, I came across the “Aztec Ancho Chile Muffin.” I swear, I’m not kidding here. The suspiciously-normal looking treat … Continue reading →

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