Job Discussion Forums

[cscx]

How's your husband in the machismo department?

[GueroPaz]

Before Melee answers, I am going out on a limb about indigena men, and say that the more they become like mestizos, the more macho they become. But the indigena men I knew in Chiapas, who kept their customs and uses, were not overtly macho like your worst Chiapanecos. In other states, I do not know.

[MO39]

[MO39]

OOOPS!

[MELEE]

My husband is not very far down the machista scale for two main reasons, as Guero illuded to, my husband is actually bicultural--strattling the indigina and mestizo worlds. In mother-in-law's hometown women hold property rights and participate as equals in assemblies. More and more so as the town continues to depopulate. The second factor was that he was raised by a poor working mother. He and his brothers washed their own clothes from a young age and cooked and did all manner of house work that middle and upper middle class males probably have never even seen done much less participate in.
However, I think it would be nearly impossible to have grown up in Mexico (I'd even go as far to say, children of foriegn embassy staff or other expats) without having some machista ideas in the background. Kind of like growning up in America and being materialistic--of course many of us are less so than others, and many of us have chosen to remain outside of the US because we don't like that or other aspects of our culture, but on some level it's there and more so than people who grew up in very different places.

As for MO's comment, holding sterotypes about people from foriegn countries does not make one machista.

[MO39]

[tagastelum]

I just bought this book last week and I read it on the flight back to Monterrey from California. The author's background is as a journalist and as such, it is the lens through which he views the city. The book does not take the approach that a social scientist might, meaning that he does not strive to be completely free of bias. But he is honest about this, and his reporting makes for a fun read. It made me want to hop on the next Vivaaerobus flight to El DF to get a dose of real urbanity.

Although written about Mexico City, many of David Lida's cultural observations can be applied to urban Mexicans in general. Certainly, his chapters about sexuality, food and class structure also apply to Monterrey.

And while I still dream of relocating to Mexico City, Lida has me thinking now that the attitudes of the people that I would encounter there are really not much different from the Regios I live with here. On top of that, I'd have the traffic and chewy air to contend with. Hmmm...but still, you have all of those museums and fruit and vegetable markets!

I heartily recommend that anyone living in urban Mexico read Lida's book. Even if you don't agree with what he writes, you'll get a kick out of it.

On another note, if any of you like graphic novels, I recommend "La Perdida" by Jessica Abel (ISBN 9780375714719). Abel is brilliant, telling the story of a young Mexican-American woman who travels to Mexico City to "find her roots." (What a relief...I used to feel embarrassed thinking that I was the only one who had such a lame reason for coming here!) The narrative is entertaining and her presentations of different types of expatriates is interesting to say the least.

And no, I am not receiving any money from any publisher to make these claims. I just like to share a good thing when I come across it!

[MO39]

[tagastelum]

To clarify my comment about "Regio attitudes," I really should have specified that I was thinking about the middle class/upper class attitudes of the locals here in Monterrey.

After 4 years here and many discussions with both locals and transplants, I am not alone in describing the attitudes here as provincial and stifling. I don't know if it's because a small number of "important" (read: wealthy industrialist) families have left an indelible mark on the culture--which has trickled down to affect the middle class as well--but this is an overwhelmingly conservative city where appearances count. El doble moral is alive and well here and it seems as if there is nothing we can do to change it.

Many of you may think that this applies to all of Mexico, but my friends from surrounding small towns and other cities both along the border and further south also insist that there is something about Monterrey which is prickly. There is a superior attitude ("We work hard, unlike those lazy Mexicans in the south...") combined with a lack of sophistication ("IHOP has the best breakfast in the city...") and obsessiveness about appearances ("Everyone knows that Erick is gay, but he married Mony at his family's insistence...").

Maybe we're all wrong to describe the attitudes here as being more provincial and conservative than elsewhere in Mexico. Maybe the rest of the republic is the same as La Sultana del Norte. Is it as bad in Mexico City? Guadalajara? Oaxaca City?

One last point: the museum situation here is much better than it was in the wake of the Forum de las Culturas 2007. We have several new museums and an arts scene which continues to grow and diversify. BUT...it can never compare with the offerings in 20-million-strong Mexico City.

And HEB and Soriana will NEVER compare to the tianguis de frutas y verduras!

[tagastelum]

One of the most interesting parts of Lida's book (for me, a foodie of sorts) was his discussion of food and dining habits.

He interviews Diana Kennedy, one of the foremost authorities on Mexican cuisine. She bemoaned the restaurant scene. Again, the following was written about Mexico City, but it applies 100% to Monterrey as well.

"Kennedy outlined certain problems: that the most well-known chefs in Mexico City, as they go around the world promoting themselves at conferences and cooking classes, leave their kitchens in the hands of less-talented underlings. But she claimed that the worst offenders are Mexico City's residents. 'There aren't many cultivated palates here,' she said. 'The situation won't change until the people learn to taste food and not just swallow it. With few exceptions, they don't go out to eat seriously. They go out to have a good time, in search of sensations and to be with their friends.'"

I have often wondered why there are so few truly good restaurants in Monterrey. Sure there are expensive places which resemble art galleries and trendy clubs, but often the food is lackluster and/or inconsistent. I agree with Kennedy and also maintain that the public simply doesn't require outstanding food. They don't ask for it because what they really want is to have a good time out with their friends.

Now, before anyone jumps all over me...I am not referring to cheap eats. For me, eating delicious food on the street and in little hole-in-the-wall places provides me with extreme joy. This is one of Mexico's strengths. But what about other restaurants? Am I the only one whose palate is unimpressed?

What are your thoughts on the restaurant scene throughout Mexico?

[sweeney66]

As to "First Stop..." I was really hoping for an equivalent to Mike Davis' City of Quartz, about Los Angeles, CA. It examined every possible facet from sociology to geology to history... I mean, everything! Mexico City is so layered and complex that it deserves no less, IMO. Sigh, well, I guess it's up to me! lol. FS just seemed kind of superficial to me and didn't look like it would tell me anything I hadn't already figured out from just living here and reading the newspapers. But it is probably a good read for someone thinking about coming here.
Oh, and I thought La Perdita was really good!

[MELEE]