March 2013
3 posts
“Don’t only practice your art, but force your way into its secrets, for it and...”
– Ludwig van Beethoven (via lonelyinsomniac)
“Art is much less important than life, but what a poor life without it.”
– Robert Motherwell (via jonyorkblog)
Elephant Meat
Do you remember how your taste for pizza was born? Well, I do and it was not love at first sight or taste for that matter.
When, my father walked into our Tod Ave. apartment with a pizza wrapped in a white bag from Ralph’s Pizzeria – the joint from across the street – we didn’t know what to expect. He set it on the small kitchen table, tore open the bag, and steam magically rose into the air....
January 2013
1 post
5 tags
The food of dreams
Forty pesos. That’s all a meal cost. About $4. The catch? No menu. Ever. A neatly cut piece of butcher paper taped to the outside wall listed what was served that afternoon and early evening. Whatever the owners of the cocina económica decided to cook for the day is what you got. That might be a problem for most eateries and their customers, but in time that lone sheet became a standard of hope...
December 2012
1 post
4 tags
French tos
The day my father made us breakfast for the first time came about unexpectedly, and only because my mother couldn’t do it. She had to work. Not that my dad didn’t have to, but…well, allow me to explain.
My mother’s first job was babysitting two white kids. The first one was a boy we called Sweet Pea because that’s what his mom called him. His name was Joshua, but no one called him that even...
November 2012
2 posts
Last meal
Thanksgiving is over and so is all the fever of overeating and food comas at least until we get to Christmas parties or Christmas itself. And though I relish the long process of preparing and sharing a meal with my family – it seems that the most sacred meals are the those that we struggle to get to the table and share during the busyness of the rest of the year or just after all the holidays have...
This is a repost to honor my Tía Sofía on the Day...
My Tia Sofia’s apartment house at 9028 South Escanaba Ave. is boarded up, and abandoned. The windows on the second floor are broken, allowing wind, water and snow to damage floors and ceilings and whatever furniture or other items might remain in the tall, old building. There might even be birds and raccoons living up there. Rodents in the basement for sure. A chain link fence has been fastened...
October 2012
2 posts
Autumn brings out my writing
My Kickstarter campaign has been going for more than a week and half now, and I’m still amped up. Let’s make it happen! Check it out at http://kck.st/UV1nAk. A friend reminded me that no matter how it progresses, or what comes of it, I must remember who I am, and why I love to write.
I love to write simply because I feel it connects me to God, nature, people, and myself in a way that few things...
Hello friends, on Saturday, October 13, I will be launching a Kickstarter campaign as part of my dream of publishing my first novel. Many of you are aware that I’ve been working on a novel for some time now. I’m glad to share that it’s nearly done.
I’m just a few steps away from putting the manuscript into book form and Kickstarter will help me accomplish this. When I raise enough money, I will...
September 2012
1 post
When Latinos Matter
Yes, the elections are just weeks away and it seems that Latinos are important once again. Romney talked to us. Obama talked to us. Both on Univision. Even Facebook was in on the act. Unfortunately, it seems that no alternative news sources in Spanish exist within the United States beyond Univision and NBC Telemundo. Yes, the Internet, cable and digital channels allow others to crawl in, though...
May 2012
2 posts
Justice Department Sues Arizona Sheriff →
Federal officials sued Joe Arpaio, a prominent Arizona sheriff known for his crackdowns against illegal immigration, accusing him of discrimination and retaliating against his critics.
Cinco sin sentido
How will you celebrate Cinco de Mayo?
And come to think of it, why is Cinco de Mayo a big deal in the United States? I just got back from Mexico and people tend to ask this question. They don’t understand why it is such a big celebration north of the border. It’s not a big deal in Mexico. At least not most of the time. It’s just a day off and the last time I spent May 5 down there, we combined...
April 2012
5 posts
Name calling
So, what do you call yourself?
Well, me? I call myself by name, first and middle then my last name, and then proceed with other identifiers: male, 30-something, Chicagoan, Hoosier, Wildcat, Michoacano, and not last or least: Mexicano, Mexican-American, Latino and American. Yes, what the Pew research center found is correct to some degree. In yet another confounding aspect of U.S. Latinos,...
4 tags
40 years of perfection
The sight of a tiny restaurant in South Chicago makes my heart sing and my mouth water. If it were simply about appearance, this place would have little to say. The buck on the glass door has been partially scratched away. He looks out onto Commercial Ave. It’s hard to tell if the paint has ever been retouched. I doubt it has. The sign of goats butting heads does remain as I remember it. In fact,...
Beloved aunt from South Chicago
By Xuan Carlos Hernández
My Tia Sofia’s apartment house at 9028 South Escanaba Ave. is boarded up, and abandoned. The windows on the second floor are broken, allowing wind, water and snow to damage floors and ceilings and whatever furniture or other items might remain in the tall, old building. There might even be birds and raccoons living up there. Rodents in the basement for sure. A chain link...
