Flying into CDMX 10 days ago, my curious mind heavily influenced by popular television and stereotypes about Mexico and it's inhabitants, in addition to all the touristy endeavors on the shores of Tulum and Cancun, pictured an arid land, with sombrero-ed, handlebar mustached, Kalashnikov brandishing gangsters peddling intoxicants and narcotics, treacherous roads unsafe for the non domiciled, a probability of misdemeanors or worse inversely proportional to the melanin in your skin, and expected alien food scorchingly scarring to the tongue.
Having interacted with and indulged in the generations old culture of this dynamic country, sampled its food and observed its people, my perspective now sits on the other end of the spectrum from where it initially was, uninitiated.
I saw a population docile, content and relaxed even in the midst of a bustling, sprawling megalopolis like Ciudad de Mexico, one of the most crowded cities in the whole world. The traffic, though heavy, is organized, no one's rushing to be anywhere, no aggression, no honking, just contentment in the journey, with no heed to the time or the destination. Similarly, those who use the rather convenient public transport network, stand orderly in rather long queues, waiting patiently for their turn to board even at the cost of missing the next bus and waiting for the one after, eating perhaps a red tangy and spicy bag of corn, queso and tajin laden Dori-locos (Doritos), or a mayonnaise slathered cob of boiled corn to bide the time. Similar scenes are inescapable at the airports; no where else have I ever witnessed a more relaxed boarding and de-boarding. The people, devout Christians - who revere Mexico's patron saint of Guadalupe who features prominently on buildings and on the front of dated American imported car bumpers - across all strata of the economic spectrum, radiate congeniality and a warm smile, with an ever ready word of greeting appropriate for the time of the day, and a willingness to help, in Español, or with a shy sheepish smile in some long lost school taught broken English. They eat happily on shared tables with strangers, are always keen to share a chat, and just need a beat and a partner (not necessarily) to break into a round of Salsa. Even the Perros, the dogs, strays and domesticated, all stout and happy, exude the same happy contentment as their human companions. The food was a revelation. Using maize, the predominant crop cultivated in the region, as a base, the cuisine is extremely varied; it utilizes the bounty of it's fertile land and seas, with dishes specific to the area, from octopus and shrimp ceviches on the shores of the Caribbean in Cancun, to Tlayudas with mole negro, guacamole, quisillo (stringy cheese) on a crispy corn tortilla in the quaint settlement of Oaxaca often hawked by indigenous-ly dressed ladies broadcasting the menus in a sing song tone with a heavy emphasis on long tailed word endings ('tortiiiiiilas', 'gordiiiiiiitas', 'tlayuuuudas') or the Doner like thin shaved succulent pieces of meat, often pork, rolled up inside warm and soft corn or flour tortillas accompanied often with simple chicken or meat consommé in Mexico city. What binds all of these varied feisty wonderosities across Mexico are the complementing never enough delectable bowls of fresh salsa verde and roja, different interpretations at each restaurant - some mild others fiery - but all equally worthy of slobbering up with just a spoon or slathered on top of crunchy fried corn tortilla chips - pure happiness. The food, steeped deep in tradition, maintains its reverence to nature, utilizing the entire animal, from cuts premium to the offal; even insects, including Chapulines (grasshoppers), the more sustainable source of protein in the near future, and rather tasty must I confess, feature prominently in the cuisine, eaten fried like a snack with tequila, mezcal or a cooling bright glass of chilled agua fresca, or used in salsas and moles.
It's a wonderful and complex culture, that is trying to strike a balance between the traditional and modern, between calm contentment and progress, and in my opinion it's succeeding in it's endeavor.
Mexico is as busy and as competitive as any other city in the world, but they hustle in style, with a demeanor relaxed and contagious for even the busiest of minds. Of course, there are the good, the bad and the ugly anywhere, but the general niceties of a country and it's people when evident must be appreciated and applauded.
I've barely scratched the surface, and I leave slightly more learned, with my understanding pleasantly overhauled, a far cry from what I had anticipated.
As they say, the more you travel, the more you know, and the more you know, you realize how little you really do and how much more there is still left to learn and understand.
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