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San Miguel de Allende -- Today is Saturday, September 04, 2010 12:03 at our loyal server in the USAI’ve written quite a bit about The Ugly American Syndrome. In my columns,
print and online magazines, and in every book I’ve written, I’ve
mentioned this topic. I get a lot of mail from readers, either praising and agreeing
with me or chiding and condemning me.
As of today, I think I will begin cutting Americans some slack, especially
American expats in Mexico, regarding The Ugly American Syndrome. My visit to
the bank today convinced me that maybe I’ve been too harsh and need to
lighten up a bit. I think my readers (the chiders and condemners) in San Miguel
de Allende might breathe a collective sigh of relief over this announcement.
What happened is something that should not have surprised or shocked me. I
guess I simply have reached the end of my expat rope—at least today. When
I get my quarterly royalty checks from my book publishers, I take them to my
Mexican bank and deposit them. Because they are drawn on a foreign account in
the States, there is understandably a hold on these checks.
I get that and it doesn’t bother me one bit.
But here is what I’ve been told ever since I began depositing royalty
checks into this account:
“There will be a two-week hold on this check.”
At the end of two weeks, the wife and I go off to the ATM to check the balance
and the funds are not there. We go back to the bank. The bank officer tells us:
“Oh, there is always a three-week hold on foreign checks.”
We wait another week, go to the ATM, and the funds aren’t there. So,
we go again to the bank.
“Oh, there is a 22-day hold on all foreign checks.”
The next day, we go to the ATM and the funds are not there. We go into the
bank:
“There must be some mistake. There is always a 25-day hold on all foreign
checks.”
We wait three more days and go to the ATM to check things out. There are no
funds. We drag ourselves into the bank with the wife trying to talk me out of
murdering someone.
“Oh my, my! There is always a 30-day hold on all foreign checks.”
In Mexico, as I have written before, nothing, and I mean absolutely nothing,
is as it seems. Nothing will work with any degree of logic or reason known to
the rest of the world. Here two weeks can mean pretty much any amount of time.
In Guanajuato, Mexico, two weeks means many things. It can mean three weeks,
twenty-two days, twenty-five days, or thirty days. And let me tell you, each
bank employee will tell you something different each time you make a deposit.
They will look you straight in the eye and tell you whatever comes to their minds,
whether it is the truth or not.
What I do not get is just why no bank employee knows how anything works! This
brings me to a conversation with an American expat who has lived in Mexico much
longer than I have. She said once that what Mexico needs is a Business Manager.
These people need a Business Manager in everything that has to do with anything
to show them how things work. This is because in all aspects of life, at least
in Guanajuato, no one who does anything that has to do with something knows just
how it is suppose to work.
Trying to do banking in Guanajuato is not the only thing that doesn’t
work. I would love to tell you that this is so but I would be lying.
Once we tried going to the movies. The theater manager was at a party and
was having too good of a time to show up with the keys to the box office to sell
tickets. She sent word that someone was welcome to come and get the keys and
sell tickets, otherwise we would all have to wait.
Can you begin to imagine what would have happened in America when this movie
theater manager finally showed up? She or he would have been lynched by the crowd.
Here is the really bad thing. This sort of “Qué Será,
Será, whatever will be, will be…” service is vastly tolerated
all over this country. The Mexican nationals, at least from my observation, seem
to tolerate a level of service from providers that Americans and Europeans would
not tolerate for a second!
Only those who have spent time internationally seem to be perturbed by those
of their fellow countrymen who settle for or offer this, “The future’s
not ours to see, Qué Será, Será…” service.
Well, the next time I see some American tourist or expat acting out The Ugly
American Syndrome, I am going to march up to them, pat them on the back, and
tell them, “I feel your pain, Bubba!”
by Douglas Bower
Article Source: EzineArticles.com | Another perspective on the state of Guanajuato from Guide2Mexico.
Guanajuato, set up in the mountains, is a twisted mess of narrow little alleys, streets and tunnels that seem designed to confuse and disorient you. But in reality it is just a product of the mountainous topography that sandwiches it along the old river bed. That is part of its charm though. At every turn you find yourself distracted by its picturesque beauty, and a constant temptation to snap a photograph. Founded in the mid 1500s, it was built along the meandering path of the Río Guanajuato. The town was plagued by floods that claimed many lives, but eventually the river was diverted. The old riverbed is now a twisting underground street that is sure to leave you without a clue about where you are on your first time through it.
If you have ever seen any drawings or paintings of Guanajuato, chances are good you have seen bits and pieces of this subterranean part of the city. During the colonial era the city was fabulously wealthy from mining. World famous mines such as La Valenciana, Mineral de Cata and Mineral de Rayas earned their wealthy owners titles of nobility. From the 16th through the 18th centuries, Guanajuato was one of Mexico's most important colonial cities, along with Queretaro, Zacatecas, San Miguel and San Luis Potosi. These cities accounted for 1/3 of the world's silver production, and with the immense wealth came elaborate architecture including many churches and mansions. In 1989 the city was declared a "World Heritage Zone".
The city remains the state's capitol, although not its largest city. Today, Guanajuato is alive with music that can regularly be heard eminating from its plazas. In the evening, groups of young people called estudiantinas stroll through town playng stringed instruments. During the Cervantinos, music seems to be coming from every corner of city. As home to a major university the city enjoys a large student population, so there is no shortage of nightlife. The bulletin boards at the university are a good place to look for news about art exibits, concerts, plays and lectures.
With a climate at an altitude of 6000 feet, Guanajuato enjoys pleasant temperatures year round. Winter evenings are cool, so a light jacket and a sweater are a good idea, but the day should bring temperatures in the 60s to 70s. The rainy season in from June to September, but that generally consist of afternoon showers and occasionally one in the evening. Otherwise expect daytime summer temperatures in the 70s.
Anytime of year is fine for visiting Guanajuato. Because of its year round popularity it is a good idea to call ahead for accommodations, but if you arrive early you can usually find somewhere to sleep. The one time of year that gets absolutely crazy is in October when the city celebrates the Festival Internacional Cervantino. During the festival, artists from all over the world come to perform their music, drama and dance. The festival is wonderful, but unless you are going to see the performances it is the most inconvenient time to visit the city. In recent years hordes of young people have turned it into a drunken street party. If that's your thing, then great. Otherwise hotels are jammed; you can't get a table at a restaurant or bar and it is even difficult to walk in some areas. | From the Vip Club Newsletter for San Miguel de Allende with information on discounts available for club members who have purchased the VIP Club Discount Card
- Accounting Services: Juan Manuel Orta,
044-415-101-1805, free consultation for first-timers
- Aqua Bell, purified water, call 120-3500, 19 liter jugs,
home delivered, no deposit charge, 12-pesos, 20% discount
- Art Print, San Francisco 11, upstairs, (quality full-color
digital printing, 10% minimum $400 pesos)
- BBQ Bob's, Salida de Celaya #6 organic produce, (10%, 100
peso minimum)
- Beatriz's Vacation Rental Apartments - 10% discount off rentals apartments.
- "Best of San Miguel" published by Joseph Harmes,
(10%), order by e-mail:
escritorsma@cybermatsa.com.mx
- Black & White Shop - "Tonina" - now located Loreto
28A, 20% off
- Camar Printing - 10% off all printing
services, minimum $500 pesos.
- Casa del Inquisidor, Aldama No. 1. Members may take 10% off marked goods. Casa del Inquisidor furniture & décor store, furniture, upholstery, rugs and hardware, in addition to Casa del Inquisidor's professional interior design.
- Casa Linda, Luxury Hotel - 15% off for cash, 5% when using credit
card.
- Casa Montana Hotel in Pozos - 20%.
- Chelo's Farmacia - 20% drugs, 15% off retail products except those
already marked down, $50 pesos minimum.
- Classes un LTD - VIP Club members may take 10% off continuous education
classes. For additional info visit their website, www.classesunlimited.com,
or call: 152-2483.
- Clinica Izuinapan Pet Care and Spa. Veterinario Dr. Rodrigo Garibay offers 10% off pet needs including spaying, neutering, grooming and SPA services. La Clinica secializes in alternative and preventive medical treatment & Professional Grooming for pets
Relampago #22 Col. La Lejona 2da. Seccion,
Cell: 044 415 151 9325.
- Darla's Jewelry, corner of Correo and Recreo, (15%)
- Dryclean USA, Salida A Celaya No.14, 185-8200,
Dry clean and laundry services, pick up and
delivery, 15% discount, 100 peso minimum.
- DuPont Paints, 152-39-87, (10%) off
Two locations Salida de Celaya #26 and, Libramiento a Dolores Hidalgo #46, 044-415-100-6552
- Elite Nails, waxing etc. Zacateros #29 (15%) 100 peso minimum
- ERA Gift Shop, Zacateros #39, (10%)
- Georgia Dering Massage Therapy, 044-415-103-3364 (10%)
- Goldie Designs, Canal #9, (10%)
- Helena Moreno Fine Arts Gallery, Jesus #18, (10% off marked
items)
- Hotel Casa Cafe on Hidalgo, (10%) coffee by the kilo, whole
bean or ground
- Intercam Casa de Cambio - (premium rate slightly above posted rate
when cashing in dollars).
- Joyous Heart represents, Shaklee, Mexico, Zamora Rios
#9, Colonia Allende, 152 1213. Deep discounts to VIP Club Members.
- La Morada Hotel - 20% off rooms and suites (some black out dates apply).
- Lavamagico laundry service (home delivery), Pila Seca
#5, 152-0899. (10)%
- Noel Propane Gas, home delivery, (6%) off retail price
154-8383 Special Instructions, must call in for cylinders or tanks
beforehand give card # and date of expiration. If encountering truck
on the street must call in when in house. laundry service (home delivery), Pila
Seca #5, 152-0899. (10)%
- The Leather Shop - Umarán #1, (10%)
- Moyshen Art Gallery Hidalgo #4, (10% off marked art)
- McDonalds Mail Box Service to US (10% discount for year
payment)
- Patricia's facial & body treatments, Ladrillera #1,
154-8104. (10%)
- Ren Ellis Leather Goods, Recreo 8A (10%)
- San Miguel Health and Fitness Center - 20% off first month's membership.
- Satellite Mexico TV - Welcome, SATELLITE MEXICO, VIP Club members
can take 10% off services, including installation. Contact Chuck for info: satellitemexico@yahoo.com
- 3 Señores - Camping and horseback riding. For reservations
call:
044-415-101-4976. 25% discount of regular rates.
- San Miguel Designs; (www.sanmigueldesigns.com).
(15%).
- Satellite Mexico TV (10%) off services, including installation
- Seventh Heaven Boutique - Sollano #13, Various discounts to members.
- Stilo Lamps and Furniture, Casada Aurora, (10% off marked
goods)
- Vista Real Hotel and Vista Real Hotel's Restaurant - (20%) Blackout
periods apply
Notice: Certain Restaurants and Businesses
may have restrictions that do not appear on this website. Please contact The
Restaurant Club directly for a complete list of participating businesses and
restrictions. Web site Questions/Corrections, contact web@vipsanmiguel.com and Lou Christine
VIP Questions, contact vipsma@cybermatsa.com.mx for the VIP
CLUB | Mexican Coke: The 'Real Thing?'
By TOM RAGAN
Sentinel staff writer
WATSONVILLE
It's popping up just about everywhere in Latino communities across the United States: Mexican-made Coca-Cola in those old glass bottles, somewhat of an anomaly in the age of the plastic liter and twist-off cap.
Slightly worn and a bit gritty from all the coming and going, the 12-ounce bottles, which sell for roughly $1.25 a pop, are being bought up and sucked dry at record clips in cities across the country with large Latino populations.
And Mexicans and Mexican-Americans aren't the only ones swigging down the soda bottled south of the border, claiming it tastes different from its American-made counterpart, that its fizz seems to last longer because it's in a glass bottle.
If running diaries on the Web in the form of blogs are any indication, just about everybody who likes the heft of a good old-fashioned soda bottle is looking for the Mexican-made pop in the thousands of ma and pa convenience stores that cater to Latinos.
"Mexican Coke is selling like crazy bro, and I can't keep up," says Rudy Mendoza of El Gordo Taqueria on Main Street. Last week the 20-something Mendoza, Salinas born and bred, was cursing the underground distributor under his breath as the slightly green tinted bottles, with the words "Hecho en Mexico," started to disappear from his refrigerator.
In somewhat of a conundrum, the Atlanta-based Coca-Cola Co. has condemned the recent imports across the country as a form of "bootlegging."
But at the same time the company has recognized that it would be remiss if it overlooked the Mexican pop craze, which is why it is now buying Coca-Cola in bottles from Mexico and importing them to Texas and Southern California, two of the largest Mexican markets in the country, according to Mart Martin, a spokesman for Coca-Cola's North American division in Atlanta.
"We believe that the appeal of Mexican Coke is as much about nostalgia as it is about anything," says Martin. "It's like getting a piece of home in a bottle. You can't deny the fact that it's in a tall glass bottle, something you just can't find in most parts of the United States."
But it's the "same exact product," and Mexican bottlers are buying the ingredients straight from the company, says Martin.
"It's not like they're stirring it up in some backyard," he adds. "Coke is Coke is Coke."
The company, however, rarely elaborates on Coke's ingredients, and the secret formula is actually in a vault in a bank in Atlanta. Instead, the company line all along has been that there is "no perceptible taste difference" between Mexican Coke and the American-made Classic Coke.
As Martin says, "You have to consider the circumstances: the packaging, whether there's ice over it, the temperature, or whether it's in a can or a bottle. But what often happens is people think it tastes different because it comes in a bottle, and that's what we're trying to get our arms around. The 'why?' It could just be psychological."
Yet there is one kicker, and it's a fairly large one: Mexican Coke may contain the same secret syrup, but its sweetener is entirely different.
It's made from sugar cane, not corn syrup.
'The Real Thing'
Latinos are the fastest-growing population segment in the United States, and Mexico accounts for well over half of the roughly 33 million Latinos who live in the country, according to the 2000 census.
Certainly, this is not the first time the Mexican market has flexed its muscle, with an occasional borrowing from U.S. popular culture.
Look closely at the Mexican man wearing that Texas Longhorns cap or the World Series-winning Chicago White Sox hat. There's a chance it came from a market just off the plaza in Any Town, Mexico.
But then there's the real Mexican deal, like tequila, which has anchored many a margarita happy hour; or tacos, as popular as hamburgers, without which there'd be no Taco Bell.
Mexico's a country that's put the popularity of chips and salsa right up there with ketchup and french fries.
And in yet another nod to the lucrative Latino market, Frito-Lay just came out with a "fiery habañero" flavor of Doritos that all but requires a bottle of water during consumption.
It's no secret that the meteoric rise in the Mexican population in the past few decades in the United States has given rise to all products Mexican, which has made its way into the mainstream of the American psyche — from canned jalapeños to cheaper laundry soaps to the corn tortilla.
But taking a brand name like Coca-Cola and undercutting the American-made Coca-Cola distributors on their own turf hasn't gone over well with the largest soft drink supplier in the world, according to Martin.
Although the bottlers in Mexico are authorized and are making the cola above board, it's the non-Coca-Cola distributors — the guys who are wheeling and dealing it in an underground market — that are causing all the problems.
Lawsuits have been filed, but no dispositions as of yet.
"They're trespassing on the territory rights of many U.S. bottlers," said Coke spokesman Martin. "Bringing it into the country is not illegal. But what it does do from the Coca-Cola standpoint is it violates contractual rights that we have with our bottlers. And it has potential trademark right infringements as well."
The controversy has even bubbled to the surface in several blogs.
Ordinary Joes are mixing their thoughts and opinions with the best of the high-browed corporate types who've made careers out of analyzing products that sell and those that don't.
Grant McCracken, a noted anthropologist with a doctorate from the University of Chicago, wrote: "Some consumers now insist that Mexican Coke is a more robust brand than American Coke, not least because it is charged with meanings that American Coke never had, or long ago gave up. In particular, Mexican Coke is charged with a powerful nostalgia, a remembrance of childhood south of the border."
Karina Alejandre, 22, a recently arrived immigrant from Mexico who now cooks at El Gordo Taqueria in Watsonville, remembers her first sip of Coca-Cola.
And guess what?
It didn't even come from a bottle.
"We'd drink from plastic sandwich bags with straws inside," she said in Spanish, an imaginary straw in her hand. "We couldn't leave the store with the bottles."
Since Coca-Cola was founded in the late 1880s as a syrup mixed with carbonated water, it's gone from the soda fountain to the bottle to the aluminum can to the plastic liter.
And now it's back to the bottle, courtesy of Mexico, a country that's usually a few years behind the times, often fashionably retro because of it.
And in the backrooms of some Mexican tiendas in Watsonville, from El Gordo to D'La Colmena, cases upon cases of the Mexican Coke bottles sit, proof that there's a demand, which is causing a stir but saturating a Latino and non-Latino thirst across the country.
As McCracken notes, "The bigger challenge of the Coca-Cola Co. is to admit that even the magnificent corporation that has created and preserved the 'real thing' authenticity must now admit to the possibility that there are many authenticities. This is the lesson of plenitude. This is the lesson of the long tail."
Miguel Perez and Leticia Martinez, Watsonville residents, don't know anything about corporate lessons learned.
They just know what they like.
"When we run out," says Martinez, "I buy the smaller American-made bottles. They cost more, but they're worth it. I love drinking Coke from the bottle."
from www.santacruzsentinel.com | November 21, 2006
Greetings:
Your VIP Club welcomes ROMANOS RESTAURANT BAR into the club.
Romanos, Hernandez Macias #93, 152-7454. Romanos has become a San Miguel landmark
restaurant. Now under new ownership, Dave and Patrice Brucia offer the same hearty
menu with good-sized portions as beforehand while adding some new entries. Romanos
is open for dinner Tuesday through Saturday. VIP Club members may take 10% off
their bill. Romanos does not take credit cards.
VIP Club member Beatriz provides Tango lessons at her studio,
located at Zacateros 21. She offers members a 10% discount when paying for a
month's worth of lessons.
VIP Club member Ross MacDonald wants members to know that
beginning November 24 the San Miguel Fitness Center and MacDonalds Casa de La
Salud are having their first annual membership drive with many discounts and
price reductions for the gym, vitamins, chocolates etc. Ross also will soon have
a new website under San Miguel Fitness that will provide discount coupons, a
medical referral service and other valuable and diverse services to sanmiguelenses.
Do know that the San Miguel Fitness Centers offers 20% off to VIP Club members.
VIP Club participating boutique and fashion center, "Goldies" has
moved off Canal and is now located at Zacateros #19, in the old Clan Destino
location. Hours are daily: 10:00-am-6pm, 154-7521.
Maru Riba, owner of VIP Club participating restaurant
La Princesa, on Recreo, would like members to know La Pricesa has a new chef,
Angel Flores, who comes with sterling credentials earned at Camino Real Hotel
in Mexico City and while in Cancun. La Princesa
now offers a new and diverse menu with many various specialties.
Silvia, of L'invito fame, has opened another local pizzeria
with wood burning oven located on the corner of Calzada de la Luz and Calzada
de la Aurora. Her other location is Ancha de San Antonio,
32B. Both are open everyday providing home delivery. Call 154-6228 or
154-1000.
Members do know, if you are in business or an artist,
who might be having an event or even a garage sale, Your Club will be more than
glad to post your event in our newsflashes. Yet do know, if your event is time
sensitive, we can not guarantee we can send your notice out right away because
we only send out newsflashes that are germane to new club business, so get your
notice to us early. Do know that the VIP Club website is being viewed more and
more by our robust membership <www.vipsanmiguel.com>.
Your Club's site's advertising rates are very reasonable.
Brrrrrr . . . everybody is talking about the weather.
All will use more propane. Remember Your Club's discount from Noel Gas. So far
the reports are good with many members saving big time on their propane bill.
One member, who has three properties, says they paid or their VIP membership
just with the savings. Also, with the weather getting colder, the poor out in
the campo lack warm clothing. Both Biblioteca Publica and our local post of the
American Legion have drives to collect coats and sweaters to give to the less
fortunate. Why not look in your closet and permit your older garb to warm the
needy.
Your Club wants to wish our American membership a Happy Thanksgiving.
It goes without saying how much we all have to be thankful for here in San Miguel.
A belated Happy Thanksgiving to our Canadian members.
Thank you for the good turn out and VIP Club members
who attended my reading at the Authors Sala on November 10, and special thanks
to Susan Page and the steering committee who were thoughtful enough to invite
me to read excerpts from my work, it warmed my heart.
Please include, member Arden O'Rourke, in your
prayers and good thoughts. Arden, a fine lady, was involved in a horrific auto
crash with an 18 wheeler up at the border. Presently she is in a coma in San
Antonio, Texas, and she's in trouble. A silver lining might be that, as of today,
it has been reported she has moved her arms and legs and periodically
has opened her eyes before slipping back in unconsciousness. Get back with us,
Arden!
Members and friends, please don't sleep with open flame
heaters operating in bedrooms or you just might not wake up!!!
RIP: Elfie Guillen.
Thank you for your continuous and loyal support.
Your San Miguel VIP Club
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