Your one-stop shop for all things Latin/Hispanic/Mexican
From the always-popular section Mexicans: How can anyone not like us? comes one of the world’s smartest name ever, spotted somewhere in Mexico, home of some of the most surreal (i.e. wondrous stuff I’ve ever seen.)
Are you still not sure Mexico is the funnest place on Earth? Check out some of the following:
… and/or just do me a favor and keep clicking on this blog every now and then will ya? I guarantee tons of diversión.
I know we cannot wait for all the food, drinking and piñatas coming our way this September, but the pinche coronavirus is still with us, people, so please plan accordingly and #WearADamnMask.
If you have been paying attention, you’ll know by now that Latinos understand things better if they come in the form of music, whether it is to inform us about the perils of coronavirus; to let us know how great things would be under Bernie Sanders or how disappointed my people are with Donald Trump.
And so in keeping with the tradition, the Biden campaign has released the Todos con Biden salsa, a 3:30 minute long Spanish-language song with some “inspirational” words to help pitch the message of abuelito Joe among my people (i.e. The Latinos). Performed by Ander DeFrank (aka El Negro que Canta) the song kicks off by telling us that a Biden presidency will restore the nation by doing several things, including extending access to education and put an end to detention centers at the border, among many others.
For the monolingual, the chorus goes kind of like this…
Biden, Biden is the safe road
Let’s walk together, hand in hand
All for one, one and for all
Biden, Biden
Biden is a serious, honest and trustworthy man…
You get the drill. Now WATCH (if you can endure the 3-plus minutes of this thing; I’m off to make myself a drink.)
Spanish food conglomerate Frit Ravich might want to learn how to use mexicanismos when marketing their “Mexican-flavored” snacks.
According to the packaging of these Mexican-flavored sunflower seeds, the taste of these babies will leave you shaking your maracas and playing your guitar while feeling … well, a bit stupid. You know? Because Mexicans!
Hat tip: Ñam Ñam Barcelona
Remember that nonsensical trend of putting “eñes” where they don’t belong just to make something look –and sound– more authentically “Latino?”
Well, it looks like salsa makers and Hispanic journalists organizations are not alone in this thing. The latest to jump on the nonsensical “eñe wagon” (or should I say “wagoñ?”) is The Hispanic Star, a non-for-profit organization that seeks to “raise awareness of the contributions of the Hispanic community to the United States.”
According to its latest mailer, the Hispanic Star wants us to SAVE THE DATE and celebrate the 2020 Hipanic Heritage… Mñnth [SIC] which I believe it’s nonsense English for the word “month”.
I get it. As we approach the dreaded Hispanic Heritage Month, corporations, politicians and NGOs want to sound all cute and Latin in order to properly pander to my people, but how about learning first to put the “eñe” where it DOES belong? Like in “jalapeño?” for example?
Oh, and don’t get me started on #ItsPoblanoNotPoblaño
Ah… Mexico! Land of beautiful landscapes, beaches, mountains and … incompetent people running the government.
In the latest example of the train wreck the current administration is, the Website to promote tourism to Mexico (Visitmexico.com) has been translated into English or, rather, into what the Tourism Office thinks it’s the English language.
Not only an automatic translator was use to turn Guerrero into Warrier, but you can find other jewels including: Progress, Yucatán; Coal Village, State of Mexico and Four Ciénagas, Coahuila.
There are also other more cryptic ones, like “Juniper” or “Jumpsuit” to describe places I cannot even begin to imagine.
JFC! Can this administration get something right for once?
Via: Animal.mx
What better way to celebrate Frida Kahlo’s upcoming birthday than… by making a book to find her as we go about finding Waldo?
Publisher Laurence King is busy promoting Find Frida, a new book by Catherine Ingram (illustrated by Laura Callaghan) which promises to immerse the reader in the colourful world of Frida Kahlo using “twelve intricately drawn scenes, each detailing a key aspect of her life – from her eccentric teenaged years and infatuation with Diego Rivera, to her dynamic arrival as an international artist, her incredible studio and house in Mexico and her deep love of Mexican culture.” All of this for only $17.99 a copy.
I’m not sure she would be thrilled about the idea, but then again, who cares? Communist-loving Frida has proven to be a money-making machine for many non-communist companies that this might also be a hit.
On your mark… Get Set… Find Frida!
Images by: Laura Callaghan
Still stuck at home with plenty of time to try novelty beverages? How about playing Lotería while you sip some local wine?
Using the tagline “This is not your abuela’s wine,” a California winery is peddling what seems to be a Lotería-themed set of wines, including a Luchador Cabernet Sauvignon and a La Diablita Red Blend. Most products use a catchy phrase, reminding us that –despite the pandemic– there are things that will never be cancelled, like playing with fire or… wearing a luchador mask.
I have no idea what they taste like and it seems to me it will not be easy to give them a try, as they’re apparently only available in Northern California. But I must say that when it comes to “Latin-themed wine,” I’m pretty skeptical… But who knows, perhaps any of you out there have tried it and care to comment?
Speaking of my homecountry –and awesome translations– I give you this CDMX pesero, whose owner has earned a spot on this blog for being exactly what he claims to be: The More Dick –presumably “El más verga.” Go ahead and find me a better translation. I’ll wait.
Image via Reddit
The above candle is being sold as a “mystic product” and it promises to protect us from the evils of coronavirus. In fact, according to the owner of this establishment in Tabasco, all you have to do is light it up and move it around your body while you say the special prayer printed on the glass.
I’m going to be honest here: I’m not sure it works, but it’s only $40 pesos (which is like less than $2 USD at today’s exchange) so why not give it a try? Now if I only can get to Tabasco….
Via: xevt.com
In these times of pandemia, we all now know what social distancing (also called “physical distancing,”) means keeping space between yourself and other people outside of your home. To practice social or physical distancing, the CDC recommends to stay at least 6 feet (about two arms’ lenght) from other people and to avoid gathering in groups.
So far so good, but I’d rather follow the guidance of this chicken shop in Mexico, which basically states:
KEEP YOUR DISTANCE AS IF YOUR EX WAS IN LINE WITH THEIR NEW PARTNER
Mexicans: How can anyone not like us?
Photo vía Reddit
I don’t know what to think, really, but why not?
Snoop Dogg and Banda Ms on Friday released Qué Maldición, a long awaited collaboration between America’s famed pothead and the Sinaloa insanely popular band. It’s by far the weirdest Anglo-Latin collaboration I’ve seen in a long time and I’m not sure I’m 100 percent sold.
Watch & listen at your own peril. I’ll be somewhere still trying to figure out 2020.
Hat tip: The great Mafer
Yes, according to the Internet my very well-informed sources, this is a real UberEats delivery girl roaming the streets of Metepec, Estado de México delivering her wares in these times of quarantine.
I can’t see her face or her hands but I hope she’s wearing gloves and a facemask. In the meantime #StayHomeMéxico.
Via: Cronio.sv
It is official: Hugo López-Gatell Ramírez, the Mexican deputy health minister in the frontlines of the fight against COVID-19 has been immortalized in a piñata from the famed Piñatería Ramírez in northern Mexico.
The López-Gatell piñata comes with –what else– a mini version of the coronavirus piñata and a sign with a very appropriate message in these times of pandemia: Quédate en casa (Stay home.)
As a Twitter follower wrote the other day: This is “as prestigious as having been inducted into the Mexican historical hall of fame.”
Ever wondered what The Star-Spangled Banner sounds like in Spanish? Well, look no further than El Pendón Estrellado, the “only official Spanish-language translation” of the national anthem allowed to be sung, according to The Smithsonian.
The translation into Spanish of the National Anthem was done by Clotilde Arias, a Peruvian immigrant, during the Roosevelt administration, but is now being repurpused as part of a new campaign to honor Hispanic workers fighting COVID-19 across the United States.
The version you’re about to see is performed by Jeidimar Rijos, the 2019 winner of La Voz competition, and was commissioned by We Are All Human Foundation’s Hispanic Star, a non-for-profit organization that seeks to “raise awareness of the contributions of the Hispanic community to the United States.”
The campaign comes at a time when Hispanics –and other minorities– are being hit particularly hard by the epidemic. Only in New York City, for example, data shows that 34% of fatalities as of April 8 were within the Hispanic community, despite their making up only 29% of the city’s population. Nationwide, says Time magazine, Hispanic and Latinx Americans are also the largest uninsured group.
Via: Time.com
