Tuesday, May 15, 2007

BAVARIANS IN SAN MIGUEL


- I’m not feeling very social tonight, said L. Let’s go out and get some tacos.

It was around 10 pm, and we were sitting in Planta Baja, a recently opened restaurant in the center of San Miguel de Allende. We’d had some drinks but no food, except some free popcorn to accompany the liquor.

The night was cool and breezy; fortunately we didn’t have to walk far. The warm orange glow of the taco stand was beaconing from just a few blocks away. Remembering how crowded the place usually is, I was pleasantly surprised to see only a few people gathered around it.

I reached it first. My hunger intensified by the sight and aroma of freshly prepared food, I couldn’t wait for L and S approaching slowly, immersed in a dialogue.

- Dos tacos al pastor con mucho queso, por favor.

Only then did I realize that the four young men standing next to me were speaking German. Two of them were wearing typical Bavarian lederhosen made of brown suede. L, contrary to his earlier statement, immediately struck a conversation with them, and within a few minutes the show began. To the recorded sound of some Bavarian folk music, the young Germans performed a well rehearsed dance. Almost without moving the upper bodies, they gracefully followed a sequence of steps, clapping their thighs, shins, and feet with the palms of their hands. We were watching the spectacle with delight; even the Mexicans were mesmerized by the dance so different from the familiar salsa.

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