Lotería is a fun game to play just as it is, but Lotería needs to be updated to Lotería 2.0.
I’ve played lotería in both Mexico and the U.S. We need some new cards that reflect the influence of both Mexican and American culture to the game. There is nothing wrong with the cards now in use, but how about adding some new ones? I recommend: El Vato, La Gabacha, El Mariachi, La Abuelita, El Pachuco, La Malinche, El Macho, La Llorona, La Mamacita, El Maricón, La Jamona, El Cholo, and El Güero.
And then when you fill up your card, you have to shout, “¡Lotería 2.0!” That should liven things up a little. Do you have any other suggestions for other cards?
Northern Illinois Unrated Chess Champion, 1974. My proudest victory!
Avoid those who judge you by their own limitations.
I have learned this the hard way. Everyone judges us. And everyone expects us to please them. If he or she can’t do something, he or she assumes that I can’t do it either.
When I was younger, I never attempted to do things that people around me thought I couldn’t do. And why did they think I couldn’t do these things in the first place? Because they couldn’t do them. Either they tried and failed, or, worse yet, they never even bothered trying because they seemed impossible for them to accomplish.
So when I was ten, my parents and friends told me I couldn’t play the guitar. That was because none of them could play the guitar! My mother bought me a guitar for my tenth birthday, after much begging on my part. I was determined to prove everyone wrong! Unfortunately, I succumbed to all the negative criticism and gave up trying to play the guitar. I let everyone else judge me by their own limitations! Just because they couldn’t play the guitar, that automatically meant that I couldn’t play the guitar, either.
Most people demand that you please them in some shape, way, or form. As I got older, I learned to block out all this negative criticism to evaluate for myself what exactly my own abilities were. By the way, I still can’t play the guitar to this day. But I’ve learned that people who are impressed by shiny objects are not worth impressing at all.
What do you call someone of Hispanic descent? I am truly confused about what to call myself. I have heard a lot of terms, good and bad, to describe Spanish speakers or people from Spanish-speaking countries, for example, Latino, Hispanic, Latin-American, Mexican American, and on the negative side, beaner, spic, and wetback.
But what should I call myself? What term should I use to describe myself? None of the terms seem adequate. Latino, Hispanic, and Latin-American are too all-encompassing and include a lot of Spanish-speaking nations, but they don’t describe any of my individual characteristics. And let’s not forget that I have been born and raised in the United States of America as an American citizen.
When I think back to my childhood, I used to tell everyone, “I’m Mexican.” When I was a student at the Lithuanian Catholic grade school Holy Cross, the nuns would ask me what nationality I was and I would answer, “I’m Mexican.” Sometimes when visitors came to class, the nuns would tell the visitor, “This is David. He’s a nice Mexican boy.” Now that I look back, that seems to be the best term to use today in our politically correct times.
Let me explain. If I say that I am a Mexican American, that seems redundant. I was born in the USA to parents who emigrated from Mexico, and I speak fluent English. My parents were born in Mexico and were citizens of Mexico. My mother eventually became a naturalized U.S. citizen. If you asked my parents what they were, they would reply, “Somos mexicanos” in Spanish. So, when I say, “I’m Mexican” in English, without a Mexican accent–okay, perhaps a bit of a south side accent–, I imply that I am an American citizen of Mexican descent. If I were a Mexican national living in the USA, living and working here, legally or otherwise, I would say, “Soy mexicano,” perhaps even because I couldn’t speak English.
So, I say to you, “I am a Mexican,” in English, without a Mexican accent, but with a south side Chicago accent. Do you hear me? ¡I am a MEXICAN!
Chicago is the greatest city on earth! It’s a microcosm of the world. Many of the world’s languages are spoken in Chicago. My greatest regret in life is that I wasn’t born in Chicago. Unfortunately, I was born in a place far, far away, called Perth Amboy, New Jersey. Where my parents led, I followed. To be honest, I wasn’t in on the pre-natal decision-making process. I was conceived in Mexico, but I was born in the U.S.
I have lived in several neighborhoods in Chicago. My grandparents came to Chicago in the 1950s and lived in Pilsen. So, naturally, when my parents moved to Pilsen, so did I. We also lived in the Back of the Yards neighborhood. When my parents divorced, my mother, my brothers, my sister, and I moved to the Marquette Park area. My father moved back to his father’s house in Pilsen. I bought my first house in Bridgeport and lived there until I started my own family and moved to Ashburn on the southwest side. When I divorced, I bought my present house in Beverly. Some people have told me that I live in a black neighborhood, but that’s not true at all. This is one of the few Chicago neighborhoods that is truly integrated! This is the best neighborhood in which I have ever lived.
Hot dogs, chop suey, pizza, and burritos. What do all of these apparently different ethnic foods have in common? They are all American foods! As American as Mom, apple pie, and the Fourth of July. And while we’re on the topic of American foods: just how Italian is spaghetti? Marco Polo brought the noodles to Italy from China and there were no tomatoes in the tomato sauce until Columbus sailed to the New World.
My friend once returned from a vacation to Mexico and complained to me that Mexican restaurants in Mexico didn’t sell burritos. “I thought burritos were Mexican food!” he complained. Actually, burritos are just another American popular fast food that you can order to go and eat while you drive. Because real Mexican food is extremely messy to eat and must be eaten with your fingers at a table. Just try to imagine someone attempting to eat a chicken tostada while driving. It’s not a pretty sight, is it? By the way, if you ask for a burrito in Mexico, you will get some strange looks. A “burrito” is a small donkey and they’ll wonder what you plan on doing to that burrito. My point is that you won’t get a burrito in Mexico. So don’t order a burrito unless you really want a small donkey.
When I teach my college Spanish classes, students are amazed by the photograph of the Mexican dinner table in the Spanish textbook. They are shocked! “Where is the basket of tortilla chips?” they ask. Well, mis amigos, you will only see a basket of tortilla chips in a Mexican restaurant in the U.S. The last time I went to Mexico to visit mi familia, no one ate tortilla chips, Tostitos, Fritos, or Doritos! When mi familia visits me from Mexico, I never say, “You must be hungry for some real Mexican food. Let’s go to Taco Bell!” Because Taco Bell does not really sell Mexican food. However, Taco Bell has opened restaurants in Mexico and is planning on expanding there. I just wonder if they claim to sell authentic Mexican food in Mexico?
Chicago USA 