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Any Port in a Storm :: Around Town :: Waterfront Park :: Local color
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AuthorTopic: Local color (Read 6,229 times)
bixaorellana
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Re: Local color
« Reply #300 on Mar 2, 2012, 6:42pm »		[Quote]
Ha! Why would you think it's any different here? There is one man, a retired teacher, who makes my heart go gray with dread when he stands up to drone on and on and on, just regurgitating stuff that was already said.

I think I've told this story before, but ......... when I lived in Port Isabel I used to go to all the City Council meetings. This was partly because the area where I lived was all on canals dredged back in the 50s when there was even more laissez faire about raping Mother Earth. Because the lots there had become more valuable with time, a good bit of regulating, bickering, etc. had evolved. One neighbor had really worked himself up a week or so before one meeting, making notes & vowing he was going to tell Them what was what. The night of the meeting everything was going quite well, with reasonable discussion and agreeable compromises. Just as everyone was relaxing back into their chairs, the neighbor, who'd been actually moving his lips as he pored over his notes, leaped to his feet and blasted the Council with abuse that was not merited, as we'd already been granted what we wanted. :P

Well, I'm sorry not to see more of your fun take on Mardi Gras this year, but also glad that you ditched the camera and just had a good time. You look absolutely fabulous!!!
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tod2
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Re: Local color
« Reply #301 on Mar 16, 2012, 2:20pm »		[Quote]
Colourful shanty hairdressers - business must be brisk to have so much competition!

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Recognise who's who in the Zoo?
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And while you're at it, have them fix your shoes.
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kerouac2
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Re: Local color
« Reply #302 on Mar 16, 2012, 10:42pm »		[Quote]
So hard to choose my next look!
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bixaorellana
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Re: Local color
« Reply #303 on Mar 18, 2012, 3:07pm »		[Quote]
Tod is that common where you live -- to have several of one kind of business close together like that? I can think of one street here that has one "estética" after another, and often there are stationer or hardware or eatery zones.
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kerouac2
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Re: Local color
« Reply #304 on Mar 18, 2012, 9:41pm »		[Quote]
In Europe it is common, so I would imagine that it is common in other parts of the world. That's how a lot of medieval streets got names like "Butcher Street" or "Silk Conditioning Street." Obviously, it is a bit less common in modern times, and yet.... no. There is a whole new area in Paris devoted to computer equipment and another street devoted to electric guitars.
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bixaorellana
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Re: Local color
« Reply #305 on Mar 18, 2012, 11:43pm »		[Quote]
I'm pretty sure that it's not common in the US nor Canada, since it's something people from those countries always comment upon here.
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rikita
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Re: Local color
« Reply #306 on Mar 19, 2012, 1:16pm »		[Quote]
i don't think we have much of this in berlin - other than areas with many pubs or restaurants maybe. in those cases i suppose it makes sense to be close together, as people go to the area specifically to go from one bar to the next...

the village in peru where i did my field research was specialized in cuyerías (restaurants where you could buy cuy al horno, i.e. grilled guinea pig), while a neighbourvillage was specialized in bread, and another in chicharrones. when i asked people in my village what they'd do if they had some money, a lot replied they'd like to open a cuyería. it surprised me a bit, as even the ones that were there (about 20) were usually almost empty...
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bixaorellana
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Re: Local color
« Reply #307 on Mar 19, 2012, 3:47pm »		[Quote]
Interesting, Rikita, as that has also always been my perception about several of the same businesses crowded together. It's as though someone walks down a street, passes a locksmith then later thinks, "This would be a good location for a locksmith" and opens one. Then someone else does the same, etc.
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bixaorellana
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Re: Local color
« Reply #308 on Mar 20, 2012, 6:27am »		[Quote]
I was waiting for the bus by Llano park on Friday, when this parade came down the street. Benito Juárez's birthday (March 21) is a national holiday & of course also the beginning of Spring. The parade is covering all bets.

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There he is, the Benemérito de las Americas, slurping on a sucker ~~
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Greeting his public. He really does look like Juárez!
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It takes more than a little sang-froid not to react to your mother's severed head riding in the truck with you.
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The head thing cracks me up, as it accidentally reflects the seal of
the city of Oaxaca, which is the severed head of the princess Donají:


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Queenly little thing, isn't she?
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kerouac2
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Re: Local color
« Reply #309 on Mar 20, 2012, 7:15am »		[Quote]
Children seem to be an extremely important part of all Mexican celebrations. :D
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bixaorellana
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Re: Local color
« Reply #310 on Mar 20, 2012, 9:05pm »		[Quote]
I think this was a specifically kid-based parade. However kids are included in everything, sometimes to the dismay of people not from this culture.
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kimby
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Re: Local color
« Reply #311 on Apr 5, 2012, 4:51am »		[Quote]
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Just another shop in the Haight.
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kimby
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Re: Local color
« Reply #312 on Apr 5, 2012, 3:38pm »		[Quote]
Local color that's also colorful!

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San Francisco's "Painted Ladies"
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bixaorellana
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Re: Local color
« Reply #313 on Apr 5, 2012, 10:18pm »		[Quote]
Ohmygawd ~~ the pink one! It's really wonderful.

I wonder if they've offered to repaint the hideous lavender one next door.
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kimby
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Re: Local color
« Reply #314 on Apr 6, 2012, 2:07pm »		[Quote]
And the one behind the tree is green.
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tod2
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Re: Local color
« Reply #315 on Apr 6, 2012, 2:32pm »		[Quote]
Wonderful parade Bixa - when you look at all the work gone into decorating the vehicles and the kids costumes, its really a terrific effort.

You asked about the same businesses being all clumped together like that. Not common except when an opportunity arises. I can see this might have happened when one person set up a hairdressers next to the taxi ranks and more followed because the space they're on is rent free - municipal land and in actual fact, the sidewalk! They may be paying a small fee.....?
Other businesses that have sprung up in my city are the corner 'tuck shop' variety where a vendor has a supermarket trolley, a chair and an umbrella. No rent, just catching the passers-by. Some stock to non-perishables like sweets and cigarettes, others try fruit selling. There is hardly a corner without one now.
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bixaorellana
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Re: Local color
« Reply #316 on Apr 17, 2012, 12:24am »		[Quote]
Kimby, the green next to the pink would be quite nice, I think. (I just generally hate lavender. *shudder*)

Interesting about the ad hoc commerce there, Tod. It's pretty much the same here, except for that odd thing of sometimes having several businesses of the same type quite close together. People here pay some kind of fee for their weekly spots in the market, & some markets are really strict about "vendedores ambulantes". Whenever there is any kind of people vs. govt. thing going on here (often), the vendors come out in force on the main square & the adjacent one in front of the cathedral.

Here's just a little part of what went on in front of my house all day yesterday. There was a kermis -- a fund-raising event for the chapel. I only learned the word kermis or kermiss when I came to this country. When I looked it up, I was amazed to find that it's originally a Dutch word.

At any rate, it started off with a child orchestra. All kinds of folk dancing followed. There were tables of food to buy and different bands, culminating in a dance which lasted until fairly late last night

Here's the kid orchestra. They did pretty well, although y'all might be wincing at some of the notes. That's my next door neighbor Abril in the pink stripes, playing with her cousins.

Keep your eye on the little girl in the olive green skirt with the red shawl -- she can really dance.
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lola
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Re: Local color
« Reply #317 on Apr 17, 2012, 1:35am »		[Quote]
Adorable, Bixa. How fun to be part of that community.

I guess the little girl in the top one is wearing tall black boots for style?
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tod2
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Re: Local color
« Reply #318 on Apr 17, 2012, 7:13am »		[Quote]
Bixa, I am fascinated to hear the word KERMIS is used in Mexico! It is most definitely a Dutch word and here in S.A. the Afrikaaners call Christmas - KERSFEES. Which translated is 'Xmas Feast'.
I am not 100% sure but I think the word Kermis here refers to Easter OR if I'm wrong, could also be the word used for a Fete. I'll try and find out just for mos.

I noticed the little girl you pointed out had the most incredibly L O N G braids! Her hair must go all the way down to her bottom :D
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bjd
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Re: Local color
« Reply #319 on Apr 17, 2012, 11:23am »		[Quote]
"Kermesse" is used in France for a Fete -- like at the end of the school year in many primary schools when there are draws for prizes and performances to show off some school activities.
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fumobici
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Re: Local color
« Reply #320 on Apr 17, 2012, 2:18pm »		[Quote]
Kermesse in Italy means a meet-up or show of some sort. It's a little different from the French meaning and a reasonably common word.
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kerouac2
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Re: Local color
« Reply #321 on Apr 17, 2012, 5:09pm »		[Quote]
I looked up kermesse in my Robert historical dictionary, and it says that the word arrived in France in 1397 from the Flemish kerkmisse ('church mass') and the meaning quickly spread to describe church bazaars and later on to any charity bazaar.
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rikita
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Re: Local color
« Reply #322 on Apr 17, 2012, 7:59pm »		[Quote]
in german we have the word kirmes... from kirchmesse or kirchweih - i think originally celebrating the day a church was inaugurated...
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kimby
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Re: Local color
« Reply #323 on Apr 17, 2012, 8:17pm »		[Quote]

Apr 17, 2012, 12:24am, bixaorellana wrote:
Kimby, the green next to the pink would be quite nice, I think. (I just generally hate lavender. *shudder*)

I'm not a fan of ANY of the Easter egg colors, including pink AND lavendar.
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Breeze
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Re: Local color
« Reply #324 on Apr 17, 2012, 8:47pm »		[Quote]
Brueghel has a painting called The kermesse, and I never knew exactly what that meant.

Now I know it's a church fundraiser involving kids doing Mexican folk dances. Somehow the artist failed to convey that as clearly as Bixa did.
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bixaorellana
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Re: Local color
« Reply #325 on Apr 18, 2012, 7:18am »		[Quote]
Thanks, Lola! Yeah, that bunch of little girls is fashion conscious. One of them passed by today wearing some slouch brown leather boots that I quite coveted.

Interesting, Tod, along with the other comments about the word kermis. Kerouac, that entry from the historical dictionary really explains it.

Tod, the little girl might really have long hair, but if she does or not, she's almost certainly using "braid extenders". They're extremely common here and older women, especially, might still use them, even if they no longer wear traditional dress. For this kind of dance event, the braids might be extended even further with black yarn. Check out the headdresses in these women from Yalálag starting at the 6th picture in #5, here. They are yarn "hair" coronets. I was told once that the ribbons are supposed to make the braids grow, but I don't know if that's a common belief or not.

And now that Breeze has gotten her art history straight ( ;D), here are some more pics of the dancing. I have to admit that there were a bunch more dancing groups after this one, but due to my extreme boredom in the face of folk dancing, I only photographed this group. The colors are pretty & the girls are darling.

Braid close-up:
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tod2
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Re: Local color
« Reply #326 on Apr 18, 2012, 8:09am »		[Quote]
Breeze .... ;D
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kerouac2
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Re: Local color
« Reply #327 on Apr 20, 2012, 5:48pm »		[Quote]
I left the office as usual at 4pm today (our special Friday closing time) and saw this unexpected crowd in front of the Virgin Megastore.

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I didn't know what star they were waiting for. Elton John? Alicia Keys? Youssou N'Dour?

So I looked it up. They were waiting for CM PUNK, THE MIZ and DIVA EVE at 17:30.

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CM Punk

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The Miz

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Diva Eve


They are professional American wrestlers. What is the world coming to? :-/
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casimira
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Re: Local color
« Reply #328 on Apr 20, 2012, 8:49pm »		[Quote]
:-X, sad indeed.
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kimby
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Re: Local color
« Reply #329 on Apr 23, 2012, 7:55pm »		[Quote]
The end of the ski season is usually good for some local color, especially if it's a beautiful day

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(They are not posing for me, but for the photographer crouched almost below the skyline at right.)
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