I grew up observing All
Saints Day on November 1 and All Souls Day on November 2. Some years later, after
several trips to Mexico, I decided to celebrate Dia de los Muertos instead. The
holiday was more reflective and celebratory.
For 32 years, I’ve put up an altar. It
has always made me happy and peaceful but this year was different. No longer an
outsider, I was pulled in the high spirited celebration and it was
exhilarating. At times, I felt like I was in the animated fantasy-adventure The Book of Life, which I saw and loved at
the Guanajuato Film Festival this past fall.
The Dia de los Muertos
celebration in San Miguel de Allende was never recognized to be among the best
in Mexico. Experts say you have to go to Patzcuaro or Oaxaca in order to get
the real high points of the celebration. I can’t imagine a holiday more
meaningful than the one I just experienced last week.
Perhaps it was because I immersed myself in all the
traditions preparing for it. Throughout this process, every day brought great
joy and new discoveries. I was moved by the simplicity of it all. It was though
I woke up and finally got it.
In September, it was one fiesta and parade after another
so I was spiritually prepared for a new round of celebration.
Prior to the holiday, I made several trips to the cemetery of
Our Lady of Guadalupe at Camino Antiguo al Panteon and the San Juan de Dios
Cemetery at San Antonio Abad and Muertos.
San Juan de Dios Cemetery had not
been decked out like this for years. It was beautiful. What hit me was that
everything about the preparation was carried out with such immense joy and
anticipation.
There was a sense of festivity throughout the weekend
and when it was over, there was not the usual let-down. I packed away my altar with
the same love as when I put it up. The serenity that took hold of me the week
before Dia de los Muertos was there that day. In fact, I’m still feeling it a
week later.
I spent so much time at the sugar shacks on the top of Avenida
Insurgentes in awe of the alfeñique
figures that all of the women there knew me by name.
I stayed out well past midnight
and got up early the next day with the same enthusiasm I had the day before. There
was no sleep for the living that weekend … or the dead.
I ate Andy’s Tacos at
11:30 PM instead of 7:00 PM. and got a different take on street food as its
approaching midnight.
Watching the children
interact with their parents, you were continuously traveling back and forth on the
fine line of roaring with laughter and crying.
I loved the music, where mariachis and
local singers like Yoremem Jocobi performed songs that were favorites of those
who came back for a visit… just for the night.
Families danced on graves. I closed my
eyes long enough to make sure I wasn’t dreaming and then I danced with them.
Much to the family’s delight, I helped carry
water and wired pots of fresh flowers too big to stand up on their own. I
hugged hard and long at the end of the day and never let go until the cemetery
closed. No pun intended but for me, it was almost
an out-of-body experience.
As a photographer, it was magical.
I photographed the catrina parade and created images that have real
meaning for me personally. Long after it is over, the holiday will still be
with me.
As with just about everything in Mexico, food is a major
part of Dia de los Muertos.
When you leave food at the altar,
your dearly departed come back to enjoy the
aromas. The holiday heightened my sense of smell and I was aware of every scent
around me from the oversized bouquets of marigolds to the open bottles of
tequila and mezcal. I never paid attention to that one little detail before; that
the Dia de los Muertos world smelled this good.
I spent a lot of time thinking about the food that I would
want on my altar besides Michael Coon's Okonomiyaki
pancake and SMA tacos. I even wrote a letter to my son about it.
Dear
Tommy:
When
my soul returns for the night of Dia de los Muertos, you better have something
really good on my altar.
Large
quantities of bacon would be nice. Key Lime Pie, chocolate and chardonnay,
fried chicken, ice cream, tacos al pastor, ribs, a 3’ steak, gumbo and
cornbread, bread pudding. You
know… the usual.
Remember,
I can eat anything now, not that I didn’t before, so feel free to pass on a few
of your own pleasures. I taught you to appreciate good food and besides, Mama always
loves a surprise.
Tequila
and Mezcal would be good…they’re probably what killed me in the first place.
If
you’re going to do it right and make this culinary love in go on all night,
here are a few more I found lately that you can add to my stash:
Homemade Ice Cream with Yerba
Mate from Chef Mariano Alvarez at Buenos Aires Bistro
The Chilaquiles tower from Chef Gaby Green at Aguamiel
Artisan Cocktails from Mixologist
Miguel Bastida at ZUMO
Mole de Olla; Short Rib from Executive Chef Marko Antoine Cruz at B'UI - cocina de campo
Chocoflan from La Casa del Diezmo
BBQ Pork Panini from Dana at the Market
Huevos Mexicanas WITH Salchicha
Siciliano from Café Oso Azul
Deep Fried Strawberries from Chef Laura
Buccehri at La Cucina di Afrodita
Pina Ice Cream from
Gelatería Dulce Fusión
Bags of sugared Churros from outside Mercado Ignacio Ramirez
French Fries and Cosmos from Hanks New Orleans Cafe and Oyster Bar (yes, you read it right…my favorite happy hour combo)
As a tradition of my own,
during the month of November, I cook meals that my dearly departed loved to eat.
I happily overdose on Chinese
because it was my mother’s favorite.
I grill a steak or two or three because my dad was an expert on the BBQ.
My brother loved tequila so that gives me an excuse
to overindulge for 30 days. It’s also my birthday month; a reason to continue
the celebration until Christmas.
During Dia de los Muertos, I spent a lot of time in
restaurants eating and drinking with friends. Feasting together brought an additional
significance to every day of the celebration.
La Vida es Buena!
Buen Apetito!
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