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Last time I declared that chow mein was among the most “authentic” dishes in the Guatemalan gastronomy I got into trouble. Then, recently I declared that there was nothing more chapín (Guatemalan) than the chow mein tostada and once again some people disagreed with me, at least initially, because at the end everyone sees the light.

Let me share with you some comments I have received:

Luis: Chow Mein is not an authientic Guatemalan dish!

Javier: Sorry Luis, But Guatemalan Chow Mein is very different from the other chow meins.

Susanita: What do you mean that chow mein is not Guatemalan!!!!! My Daughter loves to eat it with lots and lots of CATSUP and soy sauce….and it’s not weird it’s traditional.

Ana: I am from Guatemala visiting my daughter in the USA and the first thing she asks me to cook every first time I see her in more than six years is Chow Mein Guatemalteco, it’s very unique, everyone has it’s own recipe with onions, carrots, “guisquil”

Miguel: jajaja, sera con guacamol o tomate o frijol, pero este chow mein se nacionalizo, bueno.

Miguel: Si, y a casi cualquier hora, incluso se llama ya “CHOMIN”

The other day on my way to the office I came across these interesting signs. The sign that pulled me in was the Facebook, Twitter and Youtube sheet glued to a near-by post as way of saying we provide internet access service. Nowadays, I guess, most people who need internet access will probably do it to check or update Facebook or Twitter, but Youtube? That was interesting. So, I began looking for the place that provided internet access because the post was in the middle of the road, near El Calvario church, and that’s when I found the zaguán business across the street selling chocobananos, chochofresas, chocomelones, chocopiñas, internet access and bathroom services. This one is going directly to the Only in LAG category.

Do you want to know what is a zaguán business? follow the white rabbit for the answer.

Sometimes you have to lose all the color to really appreciate the dramatic lighting of the cathedral of Antigua Guatemala. The picture above also happens to be a follow up to Antigua’s Cathedral at Sunset; follow the white rabbit to look at the cathedral during the afternoon.

Once again, you write the caption in a similar manner than yesterday’s Thinking Boy. What’s the little girl deliberating about?

Okay today you write the caption. What’s the little boy thinking about?

This morning Guatemala is taking baby steps towards justice by having a historic public hearing of retired General Efraín Ríos Montt on charges of genocide and crimes against humanity. The retired General Efraín Ríos Montt will be responding to charges of genocide and crimes against humanity done during his year in power between 1982-1983. This is just one more baby step to bring reconciliation and justice for the Guatemalan armed conflict which happened between 1960 and 1996 and was sparked by a coup orchestrated by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in the 1954 Guatemalan coup d’état which produced over 250,000 victims, 45,0000 disappeared persons and over one million of displaced people. (more…)

Calle del Arco is the place to be on the weekends in Antigua Guatemala if you want to listen to live music. For sure you can find live marimba music, either Maya or traditional Guatemalan songs, but sometimes you find blues, jazz or urban rock ensembles. This was the case for the past weekend.

Below you can watch a short video clip, if you can provide the name of the song, you win a post card. Good luck! (more…)

Let’s do an observation experiment. What things do you find interesting in the picture above?

One of the things about cultural and traditional events that I like is that they are people magnets and it’s so much easier to photograph people and situations that normally are difficult. Take as an example the photograph of the Guatemalan lady and the Maya man from yesterday or the ease with I was able to capture these Maya teenagers while they pay attention to the Mayan ceremony (see video clip from two days ago).

Oh what a culturally rich and diverse country is Guatemala for being such a small territory, don’t you think?

Here’s the essence of the Guatemalan dichotomy for you. On one side, those with very strong roots to their ancestors and on the other side those who want to be anything else, but themselves; fully alienated pues. On one hand, the man explaining the details and intricacies of a Maya ceremony and on the other hand the woman, after having learned the details, explaining that the Maya ceremony is very similar to what Hindus do. That’s Guatemala for you.

On January 21, Under the name of Subida por la vida, there were over 8,000 people climbing Volcán de Agua (Water Volcano) to form the largest heart in the world at 12,335 feet as part of campaign to bring awareness and to reduce domestic violence. The event will also be a party with music and foot ball matches (the real McCoy) in different venues in Antigua Guatemala. Subida por la vida also stands as manifestation for Peace where Guatemalans want to demonstrate and let the world know that we want peace and we will not tolerate violence any longer. (more…)

Tax evaders in Guatemala take the risk of having their business shut down temporarily and have a sign like the above posted on their main entrance. To be able to open again a business has to pay back the taxes evaded and a fine to the Superintendencia de Administración Tributaria (SAT); this is the tax collecting agency in Guatemala. In the mean time, the business is marked with these shameful posters which basically are designed to embarrassed the owners and managers of said company.

What do you think of this procedure and posters?

Sometimes you just don’t have the time to casaquear, chit-chat, but you still need your daily dose of the best coffee in the world, from Antigua Guatemala of course, so you don’t doze off and for that you head over to Café Condesa Express where you can get your caffeine fix very quickly. If you also need a sugar high, make sure order a pastelito to go with your coffee. Enjoy!

If you want to do street photography you have to be quick and be ready at all times because you never know when and where the fleeting images will appear.

Case in point is the image above, captured on my way back home while taking an alternate route through San Miguel Escobar. As I was driving up the road, I was surprised to see a whole bunch of colorful clown running on the direction of the mobile PA system, a truck really with several speakers blasting cumbia music. Without really understanding what was going on, I grabbed my camera with a swift move and before I knew, I took just one shot from the car without lowering the windows or anything because that’s all the time I had before the colorful parade and motorcade moved away. Of course, I was not able to get the 30 or so clowns in the frame, but I was satisfied I got enough of them to be representative.

At first I thought it was a convite. Only after looking at the photograph on the computer I was able to see this was a very clever and colorful FUNdraising. I still don’t know what was the fundraising cause, but I am sure it was a success. After I tweaked the photo a little, contrast and sharpness, I realized how much I enjoy the rhythm in this image; it almost feels like everything came into place all at once. I especially like the fraction that entitled “Garrick” and I am showing as a thumbnail here.

What do you think of it? (more…)

Guatemala has taken the concept of convenience store to new levels. Tienda is the Spanish word we use in Guatemala to refer for convenience store. The original definition of Tienda is tent as I imagine the original stores were actually tents. Tienditas, are smaller tiendas, or little convenience stores, which sometimes get to be as small as a window, must of the time is just a tiny room with just a door counter. The best thing about tienditas is that they are everywhere, almost every block has at least one, but often you can find more than two. Obviously, the most often bought products at a tiendita are junk food, soda drinks, chewing gum, canned juices and cigarettes, but you can also find chocobananos and hellos (ice creams).

What do you think is the most bought item at a tiendita?