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Hound Dog

Nov 14, 2009, 2:02 PM

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Bye, Bye Miss American Pie

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It may be that things that are of the past should remain there and be forgotten.

In the 1950s, this ancient black man in a mule drawn wooden wagon typical of the time would drive his wagon up my parent´s expansive yard decorated with walnut and pecan and oak trees and sell fresh peas and okra and "string beans" and collards or turnips and corn and the sweetest and best tomatoes you ever saw in your life at my mama´s back door and we knew that a feast approached on any hot summer´s day that gentleman showed up with that mule and what we called "dinner" which was served about 1:00PM was going to be splendid and after "dinner" mama and daddy would take a nap,and when they arose st 3:00PM, the afternoon thunderstorms would roll in and cool the suffocatingly hot and humid day and the wild storm would ensue and that is as good as it got. Pass the bourbon and peanuts please.

Today, Sr. Gomez from the Zapatista village of Aguatenango shows up in San Cristóbal selling whatever wares he has and joins us for cappuccino and croissants and maybe we buy and maybe we don´t but he always knocks and he is a friend and joins us for breakfast. Some things never change.

(This post was edited by Hound Dog on Nov 14, 2009, 2:11 PM)

mazbook1

Nov 14, 2009, 6:32 PM

Post #2 of 4 (5055 views)

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Re: [Hound Dog] Bye, Bye Miss American Pie

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Hound Dog

Nov 14, 2009, 7:36 PM

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Re: [mazbook1] Bye, Bye Miss American Pie

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Oh, I believe there have been a LOT of changes.
That old black man would never have been invited in for coffee and croissants by your parents. He MIGHT have been sent around to the kitchen door for coffee and something with the black cook.
Also, he would have been Joe or Sam or whatever his name/nickname was, but he would never have been Mister Jones. I notice you carefully call your Mexican peddler Señor Gómez.
Those are MAJOR CHANGES, you shouldn't make light of them.

Well now, Mazbook. The more things seem to change the more they remain the same.

While your comment is insightful regarding 1950s Alabama, tell me what you really know of Chiapas.

Señor Gomez is a Zapatista sympathizer who wears a Che Guevara T-Shirt when he receives us in his home in Aguacatenango, Chiapas. He is handy with a machete as well as a loom. I refer to him respectfully as he does me. I also like the sumbitch. I liked Joe/Sam as well. Joe/Sam sold great field peas and collards but he shared his coffee with the black cook in the kitchen. That´s the way it was. I suspect that is the way it is although I haven´t been back there since the early 70s. There is a reason I have not set foot in the United States since 2001 except to sell a car.

I am, I must admit, impressed at your take on American Pie.

(This post was edited by Hound Dog on Nov 14, 2009, 7:37 PM)

Hound Dog

Nov 14, 2009, 8:08 PM

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Re: [Hound Dog] Bye, Bye Miss American Pie

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I know I´ve told this story before but I find it charming so I´ll tell it again. Sr. Gomez makes carpets on his primitive loom at his primitive house in the primitive but charming Zapatista village of Aguacatenango which is not in the least a welcoming place for foreigners or "Mexicans" for that matter but he comes to San Cristóbal de Las Casas to sell his rugs and he is not really well-to-do so if he is unable to sell his carpet he often lacks the necessary money to return to Aguacatenango which is about 50 kilometers due southeast from San Cristóbal so he comes to our house in the El Cerrillo Barrio to borrow combi fare to get home and always leaves the unsold rug as collateral for the collectivo fare and then returns when appropriate to pay us back and pick up his collateral to sell in the city´s market and that´s the way it is. Those occasions when he comes to borrow against those unsold rugs are those when he shares our breakfast table with us partaking of cafe latte, croissants and, on the last visit, some Serrano ham imported rom Spain. These occasions are always entertaining for us all. Chiapas is filled with great characters and it´s a pleasure to live there whenever we can.

(This post was edited by Hound Dog on Nov 14, 2009, 8:10 PM)