Dear Readers: Since it’s the end of the year and the Mexican is on his 18th tamale (made by the mujeres in his family, of course), behold some letters from angry readers (and one fan), along with my answers. May your 2014 involve more cousins smuggled into los Estados Unidos…
Dear Readers: Behold your favorite Mexican’s annual Christmas gift guide, where I give shout-outs to some of my favorite books that deserve your money this holiday season! And for once, I won’t recommend my books — ¡Ask a Mexican!, Orange County: A Personal History and Taco USA: How Mexican Food…
Dear Mexican: You mocked and didn’t answer the legitimate questions raised in a letter to you a couple of weeks ago, from the guy who didn’t see a rosy future for a Mexican-led America. The writer correctly referred to serious problems in the Hispanic community, such as poor academic performance…
Dear Mexican: I find myself at odds with my peers because I don’t like coffee or coffee drinks. I need to find a substitute beverage that will be tasty yet somehow hip. I’ve heard that Mexicans have magical chocolate drinks called atole, champurrado and chocolate, but I don’t know what…
Dear Mexican: I watched the brown pride marches of the early 1970s and heard the shouts of “La Raza” and how it was going to be different now that the “Chicano” had arrived. I remember when President Ronald Wilson Reagan gave amnesty to some 5 million illegal Mexican immigrants and…
Dear Mexican: Could it really be possible for a terrorist to sneak into the U.S. through the southern border, or is that just more fear-mongering from the conservatives? Not Crazy about Quds Dear Gabacho: Of course it’s possible, but we’re really not going to know until we find out, right?…
Dear Mexican: I’m a pocha immigration attorney. Why do Mexicans seem to want me to lie to them and steal their money, and tell them they can become residents even when it’s hopeless? Why can’t Mexicans answer yes or no questions with a yes or no? Why do they have…
Dear Mexican: My hometown of El Paso is getting a new AAA baseball team. The owning group just announced the name: the El Paso Chihuahuas. Reasons given? The origins of the dog and the city’s location in the Chihuahua desert, and that it was family-friendly. Many in this city are…
Dear Mexican: I was surprised, on a trip to Mexico earlier this month, that I only ever found the holiday referred to as “Día de Muertos,” whereas in the States, I’ve only ever heard it referred to as “Día de los Muertos.” I’m really curious as to WHY there’s a…
Dear Mexican: My wife and I are looking to buy our first house. Being young(ish) and hip(ish), we’re looking into buying in Santa Ana. It’s amazing how much house and land you can get for $350K compared with the two-bedroom stacked cracker boxes in South O.C. My question is two-fold:…
Dear Mexican: A friend says she read that only 20 percent of Mexican men go down on their ladies. Can you “spread” some light on the subject? El Gabacho Guapo Dear Handsome Gabacho: Let me refer her to The International Encyclopedia of Sexuality, a set of studies on the world’s…
Dear Mexican: I’m a Mexican-American Catholic who is really upset about something I saw after Mass last night. As I waited for my son to come out of confirmation class (yes, I had already attended Mass myself), I noticed something really odd. I saw a grocery cart parked by a…
Dear Mexican: With the current state and federal prison system spitting out even harder criminals due to overcrowding and gang activity allowed to a certain degree by the “system,” and considering the small percentage of inmates who actually make it out and live positive lives … why are some legislators,…
Dear Mexican: Can I “Ask a Mexican” why El Tri sucks so much? And why a little stadium in Columbus, Ohio, was louder and more passionate than Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, which seats more than 100,000? Can I also ask why a country that lives and breathes soccer/fútbol always…
Dear Mexican: I have a Mexican friend at work, and we happened to get in a discussion that started off fine — but I believe that I offended her as the discussion progressed. We were talking about an upcoming celebration, and I asked if she knew the true meaning behind…
Dear Readers: The Mexican wants to beat you to the carne asada case this Labor Day fin de semana, so behold two oldies-but-goodies I amazingly haven’t yet passed off as new in this columna. The first one is extant and one of the favorite questions the Mexican ever got; for…
Dear Mexican: In a nutshell, you inspired me to rediscover my culture, my pride as a Mexican and love for my people (though it’s hard to love my own people at times). I’m writing a college paper on Mexican apathy, which is deeply rooted here in my city of El…
Dear Mexican: This pregunta has been simmering in my brain for a while, and the recent question about whether saying “Viva la Raza” is racist reminded me to ask you. According to José Vasconcelos, the Mexican people are La Raza Cósmica (Cosmic Race), which, to me at least, seems like…
Dear Mexican: My coworker was driving to work this morning when she realized she was being followed by a Mexican in his vehicle. He followed her for at least three miles on the road, and during this time he waved at her, smiled when she frowned and even puckered his…
Dear Mexican: I’m curious as to the meaning of the term “Viva la Raza” that I have often heard expressed by my friends and family. I know what it translates to, but I don’t know why we say it. I happen to be what some call a “half-breed,” and therein…
Dear Mexican: I had a conversation today with an 18-year-old Mexican co-worker that blew me away. She has a 3-month-old with her 19-year-old (also Mexican) unemployed boyfriend. They just found out she is pregnant again. After listening to her sob about it, I asked if she was going to keep…
My recent columna about whether Aztec savagery influences violence in Mexico today drew muchos responses. Here are two: Dear Mexican: I grew up in Huntington Beach and am a “brown man” (Iranian descent). I’m currently in Shitzona finishing up pharmacy school and made an observation today. The reason Mexicans are…
