Huevos con Chorizo: The Meaning of Hispanic Belongingness.

Saturdays are usually a good day to have huevos con chorizo and beans. Unfortunately, that Saturday I ran out of chorizo, which is a kind of Mexican sausage, so I decide to get on my green and black motorcycle and go in search of chorizo in this “all American city.” Not long after rambling around for a while in the streets of Tallahassee, the sign of a store, “La Moreliana,” appeared next to the CompUSA sign. I promptly parked my two-wheeled vehicle and went into the store.

A warm “Buenas” welcomed me, as the people in the store realized that I was Mexican and therefore spoke Spanish. I, with a friendly tone replied: “Buenas, como le va?” Soon after that my eyes went all over the place recognizing all the Mexican brands and foods that I grew up with and with which I am familiar: bread, soup, tortillas, candy, mole, chiles, and even boots and music CDs. But I couldn’t find at first sight the precious chorizo for my Saturday breakfast, so I asked the man behind the counter: “Tiene chorizo, amigo?” Either because of the bond that phrase generates in Spanish, or because he was just happy, said: “Claro, en el refrigerador” (Of course, in the fridge). I turned my eyes to the fridge, and next to the chorizo I found one of my favorite drinks back in Mexico, so I decided to take one and have a little chit-chat with the employee while I drank my Boing.

Soon we were talking of things, weather, traffic, and all those subjects that people talk about when they have some time to waste. Suddenly, I saw an advertisement of a musical band playing in Quincy, so I directed the conversation to the subject of music. I asked the employee if he knew about bands performing Mexican music, and after thinking for a couple of seconds, he referred me to Alejandro Bautista, grabbing a piece of paper to write his phone number.

After preparing and having the traditional huevos con chorizo I decided to call Alejandro. When I called him for the first time, the conversation was a little weird, probably because I did not know exactly what I was looking for, and also because he was not sure why I was calling. However, he politely invited me to one of his rehearsals, and agreed to meet. On that day, I got my stuff ready and headed to the place he described as a “white house in front of a store.” The address without street name or number made me wander around for a few minutes in Quincy looking at many white houses. Luckily for me I was able to hear in the distance the deep sound of an electric bass. Following the sound waves, I got to the house but entered by the wrong door, which made my initial appearance a little awkward. Nevertheless, after standing in the corner for the duration of more than three songs, I was able to introduce myself formally. Whenever I run into a co-national in the United States, the formal presentation is followed by the question of what part of the country (Mexico) are you? As soon as they know that I’m from Mexico City, a moment of awkwardness arises. Many of the people who have migrated to work in the United States come from the most rural and poorest areas of Mexico. People who have experienced the unfavorable end of the disparity of wealth distribution have feelings of rancor toward “city slickers.” This was also an issue the first time I met with Alejandro and his group and after being identified as a Chilango, which is the term applied to inhabitants of Mexico City. I was therefore forced to prove that I am a good Chilango.

After observing and talking to different members of the band for a little while, I soon realized that Alejandro is the leader and lead vocalist of the band. His brother is also in the band and performs second voice, usually a third above. Alejandro and his brother migrated to the United States five years ago. They came from a small rural community in the state of Guerrero, Mexico. They have a sister in the United States, but they have not seen their parents in five years. Both of them stare at the ground when I mention the word family. This is, no doubt, a sensitive and sad topic.

Alejandro and his brother work in the construction industry. They used to live in Dallas, Texas, but were sent to a special job in Tallahassee, and after that they decided to stay here. When I asked them why, they replied that it was because they liked it, “it is more quiet and relaxed, not like those big cities” (like Dallas). As I mentioned before, Alejandro and his brother came from a rural area of Guerrero. Therefore, it is not surprising to that they would rather live in a small city such as Quincy than a larger one.

While talking to Alejandro, the process of the interview became more and more informal. Somehow during the friendly conversation I was able to ask questions in the native-language. Being able to conduct interviews in the native language of the informant was a significant advantage. I was able to detect even the slightest inflections of the voices, which sometimes say more than the words themselves. For example, when I asked them (Alejandro and his brother) when was the last time they saw their families they both stared at the ground and mumbled a couple of words barely intelligible. They were saying something with words, but at that time the words were not important. Their facial expressions and the inflection of their voices told me what I wanted to know.

Also through language I was able to capture most of the jokes that were made during rehearsals and concerts, jokes that many times have a deep meaning that the one in the surface of just making someone laugh. One time one of the members of the band asked another why he wasn’t wearing his boots for the concert, and started to tease him. Later I realized that it was a friendly criticism of one band member letting another know that he should take the performance more seriously, and making him understand that appearance and proper dressing for the concert was important. This happened in a very rapid moment, and if I were not fluent in Spanish I would have never been able to understand that. Without a doubt, my position as a native speaker helps me be an insider of the group that I am studying.

By: León García
Hispanic Marketing Communication
Student
Center for Hispanic Marketing Communication
Florida State University