We’ll just call the theme this month “Shameless Promotion.” On the bright side, at least no one can say I’m being selfish, because it isn’t self-promotion. Nope. Instead, I’d like to call attention to some culture in the Portland area that might give you a taste of diversity. And God willing, help keep that diversity around.
I’m having some serious food cravings lately, despite the fact I stopped being pregnant nine months ago, so let me start with the stomach. And my stomach is going south of the border.
No, not making a “run for the border.” I don’t like Taco Bell’s version of Mexican food so much that I’d try to drive people to their doors in this column. But Mexican is on my mind.
Of course, Mexican and other Latino cultures are on everyone’s mind lately with the rallies and marches nationwide, including a couple here in Maine, protesting federal government policies regarding immigration and undocumented workers. But I’m still trying to sort out how I feel about that issue, so for now, I’m going to be shallow and keep my Latino-related comments to telling you: Please, please go eat at Hacienda Pancho Villa, 671 Main Street, in South Portland. (See "Best Tribute to a Pioneering Revolutionary," April 21.)
I’ve waited four years for a real Mexican joint to show up in the Portland area. Apologies to the restaurants that were already touting themselves as Mexican, but I grew up in Chicago, which has a huge Latino contingent, and my husband grew up in California, and the existing places just don’t spice up my taste buds.
Much as I love Thai, Indian, and other non-Caucasian cuisines, I have literally pined for the lack of good Mexican here. The proprietors of South Portland’s Hacienda Pancho Villa (this is actually their second location in Maine) came all the way over here to Maine from the Pacific Northwest to set up shop. I’m begging you to do your part to keep them in business and keep them from taking their enchiladas and other tasties elsewhere.
On a more political and musical bent, I move on to my second bit of promotion: hip hop. This is a genre of music better associated with the inner cities of our nation and more specifically folks of color, especially black folks. Of course, an awful lot of hip hop is bought by white folks nowadays, but it still has a perception of being a black thang, and it still resonates as a medium to communicate political and social messages.
Yeah, it’s more than just fly beats, folks. It’s the music of a generation, the voice of the voiceless struggling to be heard. My first concert back in the 1980s was Public Enemy, back before Flavor Flav, one of the members of that great band, became a mere caricature on VH1. Back when the group had serious statements to make.
So why am I on about this? Well, while hip hop has taken some twists and turns over the years, it still remains the voice of the voiceless, and the beats that keep folks grooving have mixed with the League of Young Voters here.
