Thursday, March 15, 2007

The Ides of March

Today is the famous Ides of March, of which the Soothsayer in Shakespeare's play warned Julius Caesar, and on which he was murdered in the Senate. Some years ago the insight came to me that I was born on the eve of the Ides of March, for what that's worth.

My fifty-third birthday was wonderful. Naturally! I had a brother and a sister-in-law with whom to celebrate it! Thanks, Patrick and La Rae!

The stage was set in that altho' it was overcast into the afternoon, there was no additional rain in San Antonio to the abundant gully-washers we got on Tuesday the Thirteenth. And by mid-afternoon the sun was definitely out and the weather very pleasant. After Patrick got off work at Fort Sam Houston, he and LaRae came and picked me up and asked where I wanted to have my birthday dinner.

"Mi Tierra," I replied. I chose this Mexican restaurant that's a landmark or institution of S.A., located in El Mercado or the Mexican Marketplace, because I've always told folks that if I had visitors from out of town to take out to dinner, I'd take them to Mi Tierra. It's extremely popular, and indeed the procedure upon entering is to sign up for a table and then wait, either in the lobby/bakery area or in the bar which is across the lobby from the actual restaurant.

So the three of us waited at a small table in the bar and had margaritas. A musician in guayabera shirt with a guitar came by and sang Las Mañanitas for my birthday. Then we were led back to our table, which just as I had hoped was beneath the spectacular mural of the back-most room. Right over our head in the crowd of people pictured in this mural were the late Congressman Henry B. Gonzalez and former Mayor Henry Cisneros -- both wearing dark suits, white dress shirts and red neckties.

Directly across from us (going away from the mural wall) was a large party, filling some long tables placed end-to-end, who were being entertained by a mariachi band dressed in the traditional charro apparel. They sang several songs for that party, while we, too, and other surrounding tables got to "listen-in". When they started to move away, I caught their attention and got them to sing two songs for Patrick, LaRae and me. These were "De Colores" and "El Son de la Negra". The first is sort of the world-wide anthem for all Christian renewal movements based upon the Cursillo de Cristiandad model (of an intense three-day "short-course in Christianity" followed by on-going fourth-day activities). Recently I learned that De Colores was also sort of an anthem for César Chávez and his United Farm Workers. The latter song is the "national anthem of mariachis", according to the leader of Los Caporales, who perform at Fiesta Texas.

Meanwhile, we got served and began to enjoy our meals. Mine was a new one to me -- what more appropriate way to celebrate one's birthday than to try something new in an old favorite cafe or restaurant. So, I had ordered a dinner centered on cabrito, Spanish for "little goat" or "kid". It was delicious and sort of sweet-tasting. I'd say it was a cross between beef and venison (it's been years since I've had lamb, even tho' that's one of my favorite meats, so I cannot compare kid with lamb). I gave bites to Patrick and LaRae; she didn't like it, and he remarked that it reminded him of llama, a domestic animal of Perú which he had tasted while he was there during a brief visit as part of a medical mission.

Early on the waitress presented me with three colorful balloons in observance of my birthday, and after the meals she placed a piece of cake before me. It was delicious, altho' I have to say that Patrick's cake at Good Time Charlie's back on Sunday evening was a bit more delicious. I shared bites with the other two, who considered it to be scrumptious, too.

After we left Mi Tierra restaurant I took the two new San Antonio residents on a short tour of the Westside, so they could see my church there, Mexican Christian Church, and also Lanier High School and the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center. And so ended a most satisfying birthday celebration -- my second family birthday party in just four days! Thank God for birthdays! Thank God for family!

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