List 2—What I miss from LA

Okay, I miss my friends and family, that's a given, but here is a list of some of the other things that I miss. Probably the list will be a lot about food, but some other things too. Being away gives you perspective on your hometown.

MEXICAN FOOD—There is no Mexican food here. None. There are some places that claim to sell it, but I haven't tasted one yet—granted, I've only tried one—that can actually be called Mexican food. You don't really know what things you love until you don't have them. I never thought that I was much of a bean lover, but god how I miss frijoles now. I want burritos, I want tortas de carne asada, I want horchata y otras aguas frescas, I want tostadas...

MEXICAN PEOPLE—and Chicanos too...Another thing that I guess I took for granted being a Chicano in LA. I feel it sometimes when walking down the street here, eavesdropping on conversations—the people here, they are speaking Spanish, but they are so, I'm not sure how to describe it, then it hit's me, they are so not Mexican. It's hard to explain what I feel here sometimes—I miss being around Mexicans. I miss how we talk, an accent that I never paid much attention to before, it being all around me. I miss how we look: the crewcutted brown skinned boys, the dark skinned, indio-eyed girls, the middle-aged women selling tamales in front of Big Saver market on Broadway, the rancheros with their boots and cowboy hats, the punk, hip hop and rocker kids walking to Lincoln Heights high school...

OTHER PEOPLE OF COLOR—Besides missing Mexicans, it's hard going from one of the most diverse cities on the face of the earth, Los Angeles, to one that is not at all. There are no Black folks here. I mean, there's one or two, but really, nothing. The asian population is pretty decent, but you know, nothing like LA.

Well, I'll keep adding to this list later...