Calle Rico

The street is Calle Rico, as far as I knew, the only one with this unfortunate name in the entire nation.

We were finally moving to Mexico, but when I first learned the name of my new street, Calle Rico, I was very dismayed. That name, Rich Street, symbolized some of my concerns about our newly constructed home. Not only was it larger and fancier than any other structure far and wide, but it also was set on a hillside, from whence it seemed to peer down its sturdy brick nose at the humble barrio of Nestipac, which lay at its feet. On the outskirts of the larger village of Jocotepec, Nestipac then consisted of small two or three room adobe huts, albeit with cleanly swept dirt floors and roofs fashioned of straw petate mats, covered with tar paper and clay tiles or carrizo bamboo sticks.

With almost every Mexican town or village bearing street names of Independencia, Hidalgo, or 16th of Septiembre, how could I have been saddled with Rich Street? I noticed that every time I had to give my address, the officials, doctors or storekeepers thought they must have heard incorrectly.

I imagined they were thinking, It must be the señora's imperfect foreign accent, or the rumble of the passing trucks.

"No," I would assure them," the street is Calle Rico," as far as I knew, the only one with this unfortunate name in the entire nation.

Soon after we arrived, I was bemoaning the fact of being stuck on Rich Street to my dear friend, Ana. Originally an Albanian-American, Ana, like many of us, first felt she had truly come home when she arrived in Mexico. She had fallen in love, founded a thriving business, and was always a helpful source of tips on the culture and language of her beloved country.

"But Phyllis," she laughed, "you have no problem. When you are asked for your address, first just say, Calle Rico. As soon as the other person raises his head or cocks her eyebrow, immediately follow that up with, You know, 'rico! sabroso!'"

Since the word rico may also be translated as yummy or delicious, Ana had provided me with the perfect solution to my problem, and ever since I have followed her advice, leaving my inquisitors, I hope and imagine, with the vision of someone lucky enough to be living on yummy and delicious street!

Ana was correct in more ways than one, as it turned out. . .

Subscribe and read all the complete articles . . .

Her Bio

Her Stories

Her Email

Her Home Page

	Published monthly. ISSN #1028-9089 For MexConnect.Com LLC & Conexión México S.A. de C.V. © Mexico Connect 1996-2007