Abogados

It is the same with people from El Salvador who try the tacos for a week and then ask what the other items are. Not only Salvadoran, but also Guatemalans, Peruvians, Colombians, Puerto Ricans, and Mexicans spread the word about the wonderful cooking of Monica Galindo and her staff. In a way this place takes me back to my childhood, growing up on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. There the businesses were filled with my people and here this business is staffed by Mexicans. This has always been quite normal in small businesses.

Marcos Galindo, the son of the owner, came here in 1990 from Guadalajara when he was five years old. The family quickly moved from Brooklyn to Brentwood. Marcos excelled in school and he participated in American football, lacrosse, wrestling, and other after school activities. He says he never was a victim of discrimination in school, but other Mexicans whose race was different were mistreated in school. Fortunately, they all graduated from high school. He has even seen one of those Mexican schoolmates who came to his restaurant.

At home there was some culture, of course. He told me that they ate Mexican food, remembering the steak, onions, tortillas, and beans. He can remember songs that were popular in his parents’ time, songs he really enjoyed; however, outside the home he learned little of Mexican culture until he worked in Huntington where many people taught him a lot about his culture. There were no neighbors to teach him the culture of Mexico because his neighbors were almost always Italian.

Neighborhood people say they love the colors of the restaurant and the photographs that include famous Mexicans, including Pancho Villa, Emilio Zapata, members of the revolutionary armies, and Porfirio Diaz with other Mexican dignitaries. There is also a picture of the Plaza de Armas of Mexico City. The patrons of the restaurant often talk about their experiences in migrating to the United States, including crossing deserts, the dangers, and the robberies committed by people they came with.

The Mexicans, he says, usually have short term goals and they do work that they don’t really want to do. They do it because it brings in the steady income that they need to take care of their families back home. The men often come alone here and talk to the Galindos about their families. Many have gone back to Mexico, some want to go back, and some have returned again to Long Island. Some have stayed for fifteen years or more and bought houses for their families and are living the American dream.

Marcos was wondering what the Mexican government was doing to help these people. I was wondering how I could get the help of the Mexican president in my GED campaign. Those Mexicans who graduated from Brentwood High School were the exception to the rule. Two-thirds of Mexican immigrants quit American schools before graduating. Jose Galindo, his father, asked where he could get the GED book. If you check the Contemporary Books website you can find a list of salesmen and their contact number.

It is nice that Marcos has been respected all of his life in the United States, but when are people going to respect Mexicans and others in other towns of the United States?

Check out VIVA MEXICO in Central Islip, New York. It is right near the Long Island Railroad Station.

MARTIN N. DANENBERG
7 BLAZER DRIVE
ISLANDIA, NY 11749
GEDHOTLINE@AOL.COM
631-348-1341
www.geocities.com/gedhotline
www.ahorre.com/noticias

Mexico Travel