Who Really Knows Tacos?
Martha Chapa does. She’s the author of Los tacos de México: bienvenidos al paraíso del sabor.
I saw this book at last year’s LéaLA: Feria del libro en español de Los Ángeles (this year’s fair ends this Sunday), but passed up buying it. I went to day one of the fair yesterday and looked and looked for this book but couldn’t find a copy.* Instead, I stumbled upon the Editorial Ink booth, and an old friend Marcial Fernández who is doing marketing for them. This company publishes Spanish language ebooks through iBooks, Google Play and more, and they carry Los tacos de México. Even better.
I thought that because this is a book published in Mexico, and because books like these are harder to come by nowadays (Librería Martínez is not cutting it anymore, they used to have great and rare titles by the Fondo de Cultura Económica for example), it would be near impossible to buy this or any other book at a fair domestic rate, without having to pay a huge shipping fee.
Now it’s easy for more and more people to have access to this book and learn from a real connoisseur.
Los tacos de México is available as an ebook through iBooks and Barnes & Noble (Nook).
*On a side note, I picked up these books on day one yesterday: Visiones sonoras: entrevistas con compositores, solistas y directores, Canto roto: Silvestre Revueltas, Fandango: el ritual del mundo jarocho a través de los siglos, Jalisco coral: arreglos de temas populares, and Artes de México no. 97: Música de la Independencia a la Revolución. I always end up buying music literature, mostly, but I’ve brought back many non music related books the past two years.
DTSA: How Are We Doing?
It must be asked. How is Downtown Santa Ana doing? How does it compare to other downtowns? The answer is obvious, (not so well) but let’s take a look at some of the downtown’s strengths and weaknesses.
Strengths
What’s good about Downtown Santa Ana? Original brands. This is one area where the downtown sets itself apart from others. First of a kind restaurants and store brands make the area unique and that is a strength. Some city dwellers don’t want the downtown to lose that uniqueness by coupling more recognizable franchised brands with those newer, unique ones.
The Crosby found success marketing to its niche. Their $2 tacos on Tuesdays are one of the best values in the downtown, and are highly recommended.
There’s only one Chapter One, even though you could say that it is an offshoot of the Library Bar in Downtown LA, the similarities seem like more than just coincidence.
There’s the list of other unique brands; Playground, Little Sparrow, Au Naturaw, Lola Gaspar, etc. And there’s the list of upcoming brands that reveal that this is the trend here. But there still isn’t enough cultural variety, which is common in other downtowns in the LA area.
Weaknesses
So what’s missing here? Much is. We don’t have Italian (remember Trattoria Ciao?), Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Mediterranean, Indian, Thai or other cultural eating choices. These varieties are common in other historic downtowns like Long Beach, Pasadena, even Fullerton. We do have these eating choices scattered around town, but it would be great to have them centered in the downtown.
Also, can you imagine having something comparable to Baja Fish Tacos, located at MacArthur and Bristol streets in Santa Ana, in the downtown? They are always packed and have been in business for over fifteen years. How about something like the Kicking Crab across the street? What about upscale Mexican like La Huasteca in Lynwood, or Rosa Mexicano at L.A. Live?
There’s this great Spanish deli, Ole, near MacArthur and Main streets in Santa Ana. Imagine that in the center of town. Why aren’t these great choices around town found in or closer to the downtown? Who is dropping the ball here?
If I represented the downtown (Ward 2) in city government, I’d go after businesses like that and try to attract them there. I live in Ward 5 so worry not.
I’ve only touched on eating in the downtown. Retail has a long, long way to go here.
Food for thought
The Greater Los Angeles Metropolitan Statistical Area is defined as Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana. Now, I read somewhere that it’s now being called Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, but it has always been the former, and, Santa Ana is still the county’s seat of government. The area is called it the latter because Anaheim’s population is supposedly higher (not hard to fathom), but, the Census Bureau’s numbers on Santa Ana are likely not precise. Can every single head in Santa Ana truly be counted? That’s impractical especially when we’re one of the densest cities of its size in the country. I read somewhere that our numbers shrunk when I’ve seen nothing but the opposite in the last decade, just look at all of the added classrooms at just about every elementary school, and more and more cars parked overnight.
Isn’t it time that Downtown Santa Ana look and act more like those more cosmopolitan areas? Surely those newly arrived “Santa Anans” that tout the downtown so much want this area to be spoken highly of outside of here. Yes it has some strengths but it’s a must that those weaknesses be worked on.
Let Long Beach and Pasadena be the bar against which this downtown is measured. It’s as historic as those places, and (fact) it was built with the same bricks (Simons bricks*)! Oh, go to Original Mike’s and you’ll see that stamp on those bricks.
*If you’re a history buff and you want to know more about how the LA region was built, read Whitewashed Adobe: The Rise of Los Angeles and the Remaking of its Mexican Past, by USC Professor William Deverell.
Carlos Slim on Larry King Now
Who said there were no Mexican capitalists? Who?
Here is a rare interview with Mexican mogul Carlos Slim, who is Forbes Magazine’s wealthiest man in the world. He’s also Larry King’s boss. He owns the new and upcoming online network, Ora TV, on which Larry King and others have shows. He’s known for his telephony businesses, in which he owns outright or has shares in, including Telmex, Telcel, América Móvil, Straight Talk, Net10, Tracfone and more.
His Museo Soumaya in Mexico City, is an architectural wonder, and it is his Taj Mahal. The museum was built in memory of his late wife, Soumaya.
And part 2
How to Capitalize on Culture, Part II
About a year and a half ago I observed that Día de los muertos was starting to become more and more commercialized, particularly in Santa Ana, where the event has grown into enormity. This is an event where streets are closed down, a stage is setup and newer, non-traditional vendors are setting up shop.
Guess who has come knocking? Disney. The Disney corporation now wants to trademark Día de los muertos for a movie that they want to make. But it gets worse. They want to apply this trademark for merchandise, “educational purposes” and more.
Now that el Día de los muertos has been amplified and Disney sees a market for it, who is to blame? Who is to blame for packaging the product and projecting it on such a large scale that Disney wants to cash in, and potentially take your rights to use that name??
Any vendor should ask him or herself what the meaning of Día de los muertos is. Is it truly an excuse to bank on the memory of deceased ones? That’s downright insulting to the memory of lost ones in my book.
On one hand, an animated movie using Día de los muertos iconography makes sense. It’s a very colorful cultural practice that adapts naturally to animation, at least in concept. It’s a subject that’s been fused into movies, for better or worse, like in The Crow: City of Angels. In concept, fusing the cult of death with a goth figure like The Crow, fits naturally but the end result was poor.
Characters based on calacas, or entire scenes influenced by Día de los muertos are nothing new in movie making. There’s El muerto, a movie who’s main character is painted in calaca throughout, and there’s a scene in Once Upon a Time in Mexico where skulls abound, and people paint themselves in calaca in a shootout with Mexican troops.
But Disney trying to co-opt the name goes too far, and it is the fault of those that began capitalizing on the event with pseudo art, fashion and artifacts.
The Mexican government should demand a stop to this because el día de los muertos is Mexican Cultural Patrimony. The Mexican government should have protected this name not only from Disney, but from those marketers cashing in on the subject, especially on this side of the border. They should have protected it like they protect tequila, which can’t be reproduced outside of a specific Mexican region.
To those of you who do, who have capitalized on the name, pat yourselves on the back for sweetening the package for Disney.
Armando Flores Nets Another
Santa Ana’s Sueño MLS Winner, Armando Flores, nets another goal.
CD Chivas USA informs:
It was a positive weekend for Chivas USA’s U15/16, U17/18 and U14 teams. All three Red-and-White youth teams were able to earn huge victories, extending their respective unbeaten streaks.
In USSDA…
Chivas USA’s U15/16 team took a 4-2 win over Real Salt Lake AZ U15/16 on Saturday at Mt. San Antonio College. A hat trick by Jorge Ruiz and a single goal by Ryo Fujii gave the young Goats the ultimate win. Ruiz was able to open the scoreboard in the 8th minute of the match. RSL AZ came back a two minutes later and notched the equalizer for the Arizona team.
Before halftime, Ruiz scored his second of the match and Fujii notched his own. Ruiz came back into the second half and scored early on, but it was not enough for the Goats’ rival. With this weekend’s hat trick, Ruiz has scored 16 goals with the U15/16’s in the 2012/2013 season and at least one goal per game since March 16.
After Saturday’s victory, Chivas USA’s U15/16 team stands firm in first place of the Southwest Division in U.S. Soccer’s Development Academy. The young Goats have also moved up in the playoff berths; the U15/16 moved up two spots to number six, being the team with the top seed in the Western Conference.
Also securing their spot in the USSDA playoffs is Chivas USA’s U17/18 squad. On Saturday, the Red-and-White Academy team earned a 3-2 win over Real Salt Lake AZ U17/18 team. Unsurprisingly, Caleb Calvert, who joined the First Team for training last week, notched the first goal for the Goats, followed by two more goals by SueñoMLS winner Armando Flores and Mario Ortiz. The U17/18 team currently sits in fifth place of the Southwest Division but is securing a spot in the wildcard pool for the USSDA playoffs as the 11th team.
Up next, Chivas USA’s U15/16 & U17/18 teams will match-up against Real So Cal on Saturday, May 11 at Mt. San Antonio College.
In custody-Wanted Person: Norris Phuoc Nguyen, 23 Year Old, Male, Asian Last seen: Bristol and Warner in Santa Ana.
Santa Ana Police want to advise media and community today at 1600 hours suspect returned to the mental health facility he is in custody
Santa Ana Police Department Advising Community of an “ESCAPEE” from a mental health facility:
Norris Phuoc Nguyen, 23 Year Old, Male, Asian
Last seen: Bristol and Warner in Santa Ana
Alert Information for the General Public and ALL Orange County Law Enforcement. Police are seeking assistance in locating Norris Phuoc Nguyen who is believed to be a danger to the community and specific children at a Garden Grove School. Nguyen escaped the custody of a mental health facility in Santa Ana on Friday. Chief Raney, of the Garden Grove Police Department, stated Nguyen ” has demonstrated and verbalized a substantial threat to children in Garden Grove and he is committed to harming children at this school.” Raney also notified the general public and all law enforcement that Nguyen verbalized his desire to be placed into a, “suicide by cop scenario.”
Alert Message: Wanted Person: Norris Phuoc Nguyen, 23 Year Old, Male, Asian Last seen: Bristol and Warner in Santa Ana.
Santa Ana Police Department Advising Community of an “ESCAPEE” from a mental health facility:
Norris Phuoc Nguyen, 23 Year Old, Male, Asian
Last seen: Bristol and Warner in Santa Ana
Alert Information for the General Public and ALL Orange County Law Enforcement. Police are seeking assistance in locating Norris Phuoc Nguyen who is believed to be a danger to the community and specific children at a Garden Grove School. Nguyen escaped the custody of a mental health facility in Santa Ana on Friday. Chief Raney, of the Garden Grove Police Department, stated Nguyen ” has demonstrated and verbalized a substantial threat to children in Garden Grove and he is committed to harming children at this school.” Raney also notified the general public and all law enforcement that Nguyen verbalized his desire to be placed into a, “suicide by cop scenario.”
Instructions:
If you have information that can assist in helping locate Norris Phuoc Nguyen, please call 911 or contact the police.
Advisory Message: Santa Ana Public Works Agency Announces Civic Center Drive Street Closure
SANTA ANA, CA (May 3, 2013) – Santa Ana Public Works Agency advises that Civic Center Drive will be temporarily closed between Pacific and Bristol for storm drain construction on Saturday, 5/4/2013. All westbound Civic Center traffic will be diverted onto north and southbound Bristol and all eastbound traffic will be diverted at Fairview and Raitt.
Civic Center will be closed from the hours of 7:00 am to 5:00 pm and will return to full service after the work is complete. Motorists are advised to take alternate routes as traffic may be heavier than normal.
L.A. Times Drops “Illegal Immigrant”
The Los Angeles Times drops the term “illegal immigrant” from its writing in a sign of true progressive thought. L.A. is not first in doing so, they’re following the New York Times’ and the Associated Press’ lead.
The Times’ Deirdre Edgar says,
The Los Angeles Times has announced new guidelines for covering immigration.
The goal is to “provide relevance and context and to avoid labels.”
That means stories will no longer refer to individuals as “illegal immigrants” or “undocumented immigrants,” but instead will describe a person’s circumstances.
A memo from The Times’ Standards and Practices Committee announcing the change explains the move away from labels:
” ‘Illegal immigrants’ is overly broad and does not accurately apply in every situation. The alternative suggested by the 1995 guidelines, ‘undocumented immigrants,’ similarly falls short of our goal of precision. It is also untrue in many cases, as with immigrants who possess passports or other documentation but lack valid visas.”
Santiago Creek Bike Trail to be Completed
Bruce Bauer, a Santa Ana resident informs:
“Your support for the trail “missing link” of the Santiago Creek Bike trail is much appreciated. Consultants have come in and made proposals on the bike trail plan and your review and recommendations are needed.
The City of Santa Ana will host two open houses for residents to review and comment on concepts and recommendations contained in the city’s draft update of the General Plan Circulation Element and ways to improve neighborhoods, housing affordability, and mobility as part of the General Plan Housing Element.”
The open houses will be held on:
• Saturday, April 27, from 9:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at the Southwest Senior Center, 2201 W. McFadden Avenue, and
• Thursday, May 9 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the Santa Ana Senior Center, 424 West Third Street.
The Circulation Element contains new and exciting proposals for the city’s streets, bike routes and sidewalks.
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