LaLaList

There's a film I like, which other people don't like, which is not unusual, but hey. The film in question is "A Day Without a Mexican," and the scenario is that all the Latinos vanish from Los Angeles for 24-hours. Needless to say, the city stops dead. What I enjoyed about the film is not just the premise (imagine - you're a racist bastard and you don't know your husband is of Latino heritage, and he and your kids disappear!), but the cute informative subtitles that pop up at the bottom of the screen to sort of chide the audience into mindfulness. For example, one reads something to the effect of: "There are more than 20 countries south of the United States. They are not all named 'Mexico.'"

That rocks. People think Peru and Mexico are synonymous; I risk having to explain the difference each time I say I conduct research in Peru. This is especially the case among ignorant Anglos.

Having just traveled from Peru to Merida, Yucatan, Mexico (with a quick suitcase-changing layover in Los Angeles), I would like to delineate some important differences (barring the obvious geographical distance).

1. While people in both countries speak Spanish, they sometimes use different words. Words for peanut, monkey, avocado, for example, and lots of slang, are different and not interchangeable.

2. In Merida, a touristic Colonial city of about 1 million people, the taxi drivers don't give a damn where you're from. In Peru, they want to know "de donde eres," and all about you, and why you don't have kids.

3. In Mexico, there is no set price for anything. You can't just go shopping for, say, a shirt. It's a big, annoying game. Nothing has a price tag. You ask how much something costs, and they ask how much you want to pay. You have no clue how much you should pay for, say, a guayabera. Should you start at 100 pesos? 500 pesos? Shit. JUST TELL ME HOW MUCH THE SHIRT COSTS. In Peru, the price is marked or at least pretty firm. You can ask for a discount, but no means no and that's ok. Typical bargaining happens upon entering taxis, whose prices are set in Merida. Backasswards.

4. Policemen are NOT your friend in Mexico. They are only slightly your friend in Peru.

5. Don't tell Peruvians you like Mexican food. To Peruvians, all things Mexican are crap.

6. To Peruvians, all things non-Peruvian are crap.

7. Mexican food is diverse. Mexico has 32 states. It is a big country with lots of geographical diversity. There is corn, wheat, mole, chocolate, coffee, habañero, jalapeño, goat, huitlacoche. There is fish. There is beef.

8. Peruvian food is diverse. There is an amazing revitalization of Andean cuisine happening throughout Peru and South America in general. Pre-Spanish contact food included high protein grains, potatoes unlike any you've had before, cuy (guinea pig), alpaca and fish. The flavors are very, very different from Mexico, though now since the Spanish came there are similarities too.

9. The Maya and Aztec were the main prehistoric groups to affect Mexican behavior and language; the Inca were the main pre-Spanish people to affect Peruvian behavior and language. There may have been trade throughout the region before Spain arrived and stole everything from everyone. But the words and the customs and the art and all remain noticeably different.

10. Mexico has Speedy Gonzalez and other completely racist stereotypical ignorant cultural icons. Peru really doesn't.

11. You probably can't name a famous Peruvian person.

12. Peru is a lot poorer than Mexico. Lima is the fastest growing city in South America, though.