My first bullfight for the record. Still analysing my feelings on whether to go again… It’s a tricky one. I really enjoyed it on the one hand and feel there’s tons to learn about the long history and culture of the bullfight, on the other hand it does have many barbaric moments. But as a carnivore it would be hypocritical to condemn it. Before yesterday I’d never seen an animal die. Let alone 6 huge beasts in a row at extremely close quarters…
On a lighter note, “Olé” is pronounced differently in Mexico. In Spain it’s oh-LAY whereas here it’s OH-lay.
I liked this, bloke figures out how Stonehenge might have been done. And not just because 3/4s through he used one of my favourite Americanisms: Teeter-totter (a see-saw)
I get a fair few searches ending up at my defunct webcam page searching for all kinds of strange keywords. I searched for the same string of words and google gives you a list of direct links to webcams from around the world that people couldn’t be arsed to change the title for. If you’re really bored try this LINK
Another car crash occurred at the crossroads outside out house, quite a nasty one actually. I wasn’t here for it though, Sita was. Luckily our house is on the ‘safe side’ of the dangerous crossing. Anyroad, they took out a chunk of the electricity/telephone pole and now it’s being kept up by the wires. I always thought the poles were to keep the wires in the air, but turns out I had it the wrong way round.
I was feeling pretty guilty at not having achieved anything at all yesterday save for a few blog items so I packed up my camera and mp3 playa and set off for a stroll. I thought I’d check in on the area where I used to live 8/9 years ago, called Tolsa. I was very happy to find my taco shop, Tacos Rafa was still in business. They’ll serve you anything you like as long as it’s Tacos al Pastor in freshly made tortillas. They remembered me and we spent half an hour reminiscing about the good old days. Then their son (also Rafa) came back from work. He was 6 or 7 when I saw him last and he and his brother (Luis) used to hang out with us in the casa internacional. Anyroad it was a grand reunion. And the tacos aren’t half bad neither. They said to come back, even if i wasn’t hungry and I said I’d bring Sita along for them to meet her. Lovely peeps. Here’s their photo:
I ambled back home via Mondo Cafe in Chapultepec (for one of their famous bucket’o’coffees) then off for farewell drinks for Sarah as she is moving on to better and fulbrighter things in Wisconsin, Belgium and Guatemala if memory serves… Victor y Jana came out ‘n’all and we had a stormin’ evening in the Sacromonte bar replete with veggies and chile, cueritos (soggy pork scratchings) and ceviche (riceless sashimi on a budget/ marinated raw fish) and then some proper food. If you’re reading, Sarah, you’re going to be well missed round here. Don’t be surprised to be hounded to the ends of the earth, or belgium, by skype…
As per usual, Monica’s beaten me to this post, but I’ll try and compete all the same… It’s getting harder to do now she has a new camera and is getting the hang of Picasa…
The last time I went to the Mercado de Abastos (wholesale food market) it was closed down for the day what with it being Good Friday and all that and I’ve been meaning to go back for ages, so today, on a whim I said, “Once you finish that game of Pacman, Monica, let’s go on a mini phototour”… So 65000 points or so later we headed off and the first thing I saw was another carro cameleon…
The majority of the market is burly Mexicans chucking fruit around from lorry to stall but they were well friendly, posing for photos and suchlike. Then there’s a covered part where we stocked up on spuds, bananas, mangos, strawbs and a lone pitaya (“Dragonfruit” which I couldn’t bring myself to eat as it looks like a tightly packed ball of coloured maggots and seeds wrapped in a spiny skin…) The heat got too much after a while and we withdrew to the house and made smoothies for everyone (except Atticus, who just got ice chucked in his water bowl). Anyroad, here come the photos:
Huge Fearnley-Whittinstall (River Cottage) has been doing a series here confronting the average punter with the real origins of their food and the conditions it may have grown in (assuming animal not veg.) Makes you think and be a bit more rational… Super photos anyway- not easy with presumable fast action in the distance at toimes and with a fixed place to film from. Don’t >think
….sentence was supposed to end ‘I would be able to watch live- yet have watched on tv. Irrational, eh?
I know what you mean, dad.
It sort of depends whether you view culture and sport as something intrinsic to life which should exist even if it causes suffering to a few animals. With fox hunting, I'm against it, but more because of the upper class gits that do it than the suffering it causes. You can live without meat, and you can live without culture and tradition, but what kind of life is that? It's just finding a level you can live with I suppose.
And that programme sounds like grim viewing, I'll see if it's bittorrentable anywhere. I'm all for people knowing the origins of their food.
Those are pretty good pictures, indeed. And I’m glad you went to the toros, as it’s definitely an important part of Mexican culture—by this time you should be able to give me lessons on mexicanity 🙂
That said, I hope this is my last exposure to the stupid fiesta brava, at least for this year.
Yeah, I can’t stand it. I’m also a carnivore and all, but you don’t inflict pain to an animal just for effing *fun*. That’s just wrong. I’m probably reneging the cultures of both my native Mexican and Spanish ancestries, and that probably makes me a bad person or something… but this particular bit of ancestral cultural heritage, well, sucks. Big time.
There’s this Colombian bullfighter, pretty good one as far as I know, “César Rincón”. That’s his real name. So I routinely receive email for the maestro matador, praising him on his last faena or asking for autographs and stuff. So I have to return it politely, trying hard to keep the I HATE THIS IDIOTIC AND NASTY BULLFIGHTING SHIT DON’T YOU EVER DARE CONGRATULATE ME AGAIN FOR STICKING A KNIFE IN A LIVING THING JUST FOR KICKS AND I HOPE YOUR NEXT BULL POKES ITS HORNS IN YOUR ASS SO WE ALL SEE HOW WELL YOU LIKE THAT down a bit… I’m certain I did some really nasty stuff in a previous life, and I’m paying for that now, heh 🙂
Huge Fearnley-Whittinstall (River Cottage) has been doing a series here confronting the average punter with the real origins of their food and the conditions it may have grown in (assuming animal not veg.) Makes you think and be a bit more rational…
Super photos anyway- not easy with presumable fast action in the distance at toimes and with a fixed place to film from.
Don’t >think
….sentence was supposed to end ‘I would be able to watch live- yet have watched on tv. Irrational, eh?
I know what you mean, dad.
It sort of depends whether you view culture and sport as something intrinsic to life which should exist even if it causes suffering to a few animals. With fox hunting, I'm against it, but more because of the upper class gits that do it than the suffering it causes. You can live without meat, and you can live without culture and tradition, but what kind of life is that? It's just finding a level you can live with I suppose.
And that programme sounds like grim viewing, I'll see if it's bittorrentable anywhere. I'm all for people knowing the origins of their food.
Those are pretty good pictures, indeed. And I’m glad you went to the toros, as it’s definitely an important part of Mexican culture—by this time you should be able to give me lessons on mexicanity 🙂
That said, I hope this is my last exposure to the stupid fiesta brava, at least for this year.
Yeah, I can’t stand it. I’m also a carnivore and all, but you don’t inflict pain to an animal just for effing *fun*. That’s just wrong. I’m probably reneging the cultures of both my native Mexican and Spanish ancestries, and that probably makes me a bad person or something… but this particular bit of ancestral cultural heritage, well, sucks. Big time.
There’s this Colombian bullfighter, pretty good one as far as I know, “César Rincón”. That’s his real name. So I routinely receive email for the maestro matador, praising him on his last faena or asking for autographs and stuff. So I have to return it politely, trying hard to keep the I HATE THIS IDIOTIC AND NASTY BULLFIGHTING SHIT DON’T YOU EVER DARE CONGRATULATE ME AGAIN FOR STICKING A KNIFE IN A LIVING THING JUST FOR KICKS AND I HOPE YOUR NEXT BULL POKES ITS HORNS IN YOUR ASS SO WE ALL SEE HOW WELL YOU LIKE THAT down a bit… I’m certain I did some really nasty stuff in a previous life, and I’m paying for that now, heh 🙂