Day Thirty-One: Fields de Futbol

When you fly over Guadalajara, something seems missing but it is difficult to figure out exactly what it is.  Then it hits you: there are no baseball diamonds.  It's a signature feature looking down at any part of the United States --- you will see dozens and dozens of ballfields.  This has been the case since the 1930s, when many thousands of baseball diamonds were laid out as Depression-era public works projects.  Baseball in those days was often heralded by politicians as a kind of panacea for the suffering morals of the nation's youths --- much as midnight basketball would be a similar stand-in during the Clinton administration.

Of course, baseball is not popular in southern Mexico.  Although it has a following in the country's northern border states, there are no more than a handful of baseball diamonds in the entire Guadalajara metropolitan area --- thus leading to that unsatisfactory feeling for any American looking down from above.

Instead, it is soccer, or rather football, or rather futbol, which is the default sport of Mexicans.  And it certainly owns a larger market share among the youth here than baseball does in America.  There is really no basketball, hockey or (American) football to compete with futbol here.  And sports like tennis and golf are seen (as they once were in the U.S.) as elitist sports.

Some Guadalajara soccer fields are actually made of cement.

And then soccer fields do not need the same upkeep as baseball fields.  There are no dugouts, baselines, infields, bases, or outfield walls to monitor.  This helps in a poor country.  Many soccer fields here are really just patches of grass --- or even dirt or concrete.  Often a rickety goal frame stands on each end.  Still, despite the harsh conditions, Mexicans make use of their soccer fields every bit as much as Americans use their baseball diamonds...perhaps even more so.

Day Thirty: Fast Food Invasion

Since the adoption of NAFTA, American fast food restaurants have headed south of the border...generally with some substantial success.  Among the chains you will find here are McDonalds, Subway, KFC, Burger King, Starbucks, Carls Jr., Dominoes, Dairy Queen and Pizza Hut.  Of course there are also American chains that have not come south.  Chinese food has not made much headway, for instance.  There are no Pandra Express or Mr. Chau's chains here.  Wendy's, Jack 'N the Box, Arby's, Dunkin' Donuts and White Castle are all absent as well.  And of course, Mexican restaurant chains have no business here.  Taco Bell is non-existent --- in fact, mention the very name and you will receive much derision.  No Del Taco, Green Burrito or Chipotle either...

Pizza Hut's extreme pizzas are a hit in Mexico.

Some of these chains replicate their American versions to a tee while others make small changes.  KFC in Mexico, for instance, seems to be in love with jalapeno sauce.  Good luck getting honey mustard or BBQ sauce with your Popcorn Chicken, but Jalapeno sauce --- well, they have tons of that.  McDonalds also has differences.  As John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson famously noted in Pulp Fiction in regard to France and the Quarter Pounder, there isn't one because "they have the Metric System."  Mexico is in the same boat.  Instead they have the Cuarto de Libra along with other specialties such as the McPollo, Pechuga Extreme and the McBurrito a la Mexicana.  This last one is a bit puzzling, since there are no burritos in Mexico --- at least not in Guadalajara.  Other chains have small differences as well.  Pizza Hut has a Mexican Pizza with Pico de Gallo sauce, for instance while KFC adds Mexican sodas such as Manzanita Sol and Miranda to their menu.

All in all, American fast food in Mexico is a little different, but if you really want something greasy that comes in a bag American-style, you will no doubt be able to find it.

Finger-licking good, in Mexico.

Day Twenty-Nine: An Unexpected Tip

In every society, tipping seems to be an imprecise science.  Who to tip?  How much to tip?  Is the tip a standard fee?  Does the tipper evaluate the tipee and tip accordingly?  Mexico has its own rules and a lot more people to tip.

Probably the most unexpected tipping situation here for Americans is in the grocery store.  The baggers tend to fall into one of two categories: a) extremely young or b) extremely old.  In both cases, you are generally supposed to tip.  Most grocery stores hire an incredibly large cadre of baggers.  They wear uniforms and are generally between the ages of about 11-16.  The surplus of workers is extensive.  In a large store like Walmart or Bodega Aurrera, there are usually ten to fifteen baggers working the checkout aisles while an equal number sit in a corner of the store jostling on one or two long benches as they await their shift.  Usually, they gossip, giggle and mess around while waiting to take over.

After a bagger has performed his or her task, a shopper usually will use some of the change they receive for their grocery payment to provide a tip.  Most baggers wear aprons with store logos and they put their tips in their apron pouch.  All this requires the shopper to think ahead.  For Americans who usually pay for groceries with credit or debit cards, having spare change on-hand is a necessity if one does not want to stiff their bagger.  In fact, it is generally advisable in Mexican society, with its large collection of daily hand-outs, donations and tips, to keep a neatly ordered packet of coins on hand at all times.

Day Twenty-Eight: The Richy Rich

Many Americans are surprised to find that Mexico has stores, malls and restaurants every bit as luxurious and upscale as the United States.  There may be fewer of them but they have no trouble finding a clientele to serve.  There are a number of plazas (malls) here in Guadalajara that cater to the rich.  Plaza Gallerias, Plaza Centro Magno and Gran Plaza Fashion Mall (with its anglicized name) all are popular hot spots.  But it is probably Plaza Andares which most personifies Guadalajara's bastion for the well-to-do.

Take a stroll through Plaza Andares and you are reminded of any American high-end mall.  There are all kinds of  fancy sights: pools of exotic swimming fish, water falls doing acrobatic tricks and perfectly manicured lawns.  America's chains are here too.  There is an Apple Store, a P.F. Chang's Chino Bistro, and Outback Steakhouse and many more.  The prices are equally American.  It may be cheaper to live in Mexico, but not if you shop at Plaza Andares.  The pricetags are every bit the same in this mall.

It feels rather strange to step into the world of Plaza Andares.  Visiting such a place in the middle of a third word country is a much harsher contrast than in an American suburb.  When you are face to face with poverty every day, seeing the beautful people ordering $25 entrees just seems a bit obscene.  Of course, it's an illogical point of view. Or at least it is no more obscene than in the United States where such poverty is simply more hidden.  But whatever the logic, a trip to Plaza Andares is a bit like stepping into a Mexican fantasy world.

Day Twenty-Seven: Feel the Noise

There is no two ways about it, Mexico is a loud country.  There are all sorts of reasons for this, from its late-night culture to taco stands to a lack of zoning, to trucks on residential streets.  But one Mexican phenomenon that considerably adds to the noise is the preponderance of speaker trucks.

Sometimes you see these types of vehicles in American movies about the 1950s or '40s.  They are usually a normal truck or car (Volkswagen Beatles often seem to be used here) with a loud speaker device on the roof.  They drive very slowly down residential streets and blare out a repetitive recorded message to anyone within hearing distance.  And because the messenger wants "hearing distance" to range as far as possible, the recording is extremely loud if you are nearby...such as any house along the street on which the truck passes.

This advertising technique in the U.S. has most often been associated with political campaigns, although it is banned in most of America these days.  But here in Mexico it is definitely permitted and used more often for mundane things...mattress sales, a new grocery store, sometimes a radio station.  While these ad trucks or cars come and go quickly enough, it is one more component adding to Mexico's noise pollution.

Day Twenty-Six: Dangerous Seating

The most shocking cultural differences between the United States and Mexico may be the differences in child safety --- especially in cars.  While there are car seat laws in Mexico, they are rarely followed.  Based on my own informal survey, it seems that a majority of Mexican children ride in cars without seat belts or in the passenger seat.  Many parents carry their babies in their arms and often childen are seen literally bouncing about in back seats.  Of all the differences in culture between the two countries, this seems the most difficult to explain and to put into context.  It seems unconscionable to many Americans that Mexican parents would allow such things to take place.

A mother holds her baby in the front seat as the driver backs into traffic.

But this is a lesson in cultural differences.  What is seen as "normal" in one country can be seen as reprehensible in another.  More to the point, it is amazing how quickly these cultural norms have changed in the United States.  While it may be difficult to remember, the wave of child safety laws in the U.S. are relatively recent.  Even thirty years ago children often rode in the front seat or in the back without seat belts.    While seat belts existed, they were often seen as optional and the multitude of baby chairs and child booster laws had not yet come to pass.  Attitudes and times were different.

Still progress was made.  While many American parents these days are probably over-protective in numerous facets of the lives of the children, on the subject of car seating they probably do set a better example.

Day Twenty-Five: Pan! Pan!

Supermarkets in Guadalajara are similar to U.S. markets, but one very noticitable difference is the panaderia, or bread section.  Every supermarket in Guadalajara has a large area offering a variety of pan.  Of course, pan means "bread" in Spanish but the definition here is a bit looser than what we are used to in the States.  It includes rolls, baguettes, muffins, bagels, croissants, pastries and a wide selection of so-called pan dulces, which are pretty much any type of pan that will ruin your diet.  As in an American bakery, the pan dulces (literally, sweet bread) include all types of frosting, sprinkles, chocolate, jellies, sugar and other such sweets.

The paneria is a requirement for every Mexican supermarket.

Mexicans are also a  bit more concerned with hygene in the supermarket.  In the bread section, touching the bread is definitely frowned upon, even if you are simply grabbing a roll to put in a bag.  Instead, there is a rather strict procedure that needs to be followed...  Each supermarket has a stack of wide circular metal trays --- almost like pizza pans. Next to the trays are a great many large metal tongs.  As you shop for your pan, you pick up each item with the tongs and place it on your tray.  You then bring the entire tray full of bread to a worker behind a counter who weighs, prices and puts the pan in a paper bag for you to carry to the main checkout.  The workers are equally hygiene conscious --- they wear plastic gloves and a nurse's-style mouth guard to cover their mouth.

Even given this perhaps overly-developed sense of bread sanitation, any Mexican supermarket out-pans it's American counterpart.

A man shops for pan in a supermarket in Cancun.