Window Convenience Store

Everybody wants to have the recipe for the Guatemalan Identity. Adopting parents, ONGs, researchers, scientists, writers, poets and even Guatemalan bloggers want to have access to that recipe… The Holy Grail to understands and to make sense of this highly complex and messed up country. Some bloggers dig inside and around the last names for answers; others explore humor and anecdotes for clues. Yet others delve into the memory bank to bring forth the pieces that make up the Guatemalan Identity Puzzle. Such is the case of Chachi and her Babosadas mías y demás hierbas blog who recently published an entry under the name of Un suspiro {ñ} or A sigh. In Un suspiro, Chachi, webs together the random polaroids drawn from her childhood memories to build a case for la panadería, la tienda and la tienda de ventana (bakery, convenience store and window convenience store). With this entry, Chachi uncovers or identifies yet another piece the Guatemalan Identity Puzzle. Think of it, even La Antigua Guatemala Daily Photo is part of this futile exercise. 🙁

Carmen says:

March 15, 2008 at 12:53 pm

Which ice cream??? Hmmmm, I shall pick all of the above. Thank you. 🙂 Wow, I remember these type of stores. As a kid, one could go and buy with one’s “lenes” snacks (for me, it was the Duvalin thingies, half chocolate, half strawberry filling I believe) and also buy things for “el mandado.” Just like one could get an ice cream, one could also buy Vick’s Vapor Rub or Vicksvaporub in Spanish. 😀

coltrane_lives says:

March 15, 2008 at 3:51 pm

Rudy, you’re right Guatemala is highly complex and maybe that’s what I love about it. I would be in the category of “adopting parents”–having adopted two beautiful children from Guatemala. They challenge me daily (as I suppose do you through your site) to better understand this amazing country. As always, thanks for all you do. Ciao!

Manolo says:

March 15, 2008 at 4:51 pm

So, tiendas are the quintessential feature of any Guatemalan town or city. Thus LAG IS indeed Guatemala as long as it keeps these highly regarded institutions. I would expect a photo of those helados because “ice cream” they are not, at least not in the North American way. They are much better… I will have dreams of cream and blackberry helado… mmmmm.
Carmen, I recall that the brand of those treats was “Nucita”… which by the way is the nickname of a character that comes up at the end of “Ruido de Fondo” by Javier Payeras… I laugh my @$$ off when I read such an appropriate nickname. Nicknaming is almost a sport in Guatemala, another aspect of OUR identity, particularly politically incorrect nicknames or apodos
I hope to get extra LACA points for this comment 😉

chachi says:

March 17, 2008 at 7:28 pm

Thank you so much for the mention. I feel very flattered because I am great fan of this page.

I have English friends them, especially I write to them my stories in English, but I give them personally. They always encourage me to do my blog bilingual. Perhaps now.

Thanks again.

Window Convenience Store

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