Culture, Habits, and Tradition

For the past few weeks I have started a very enjoyable tradition here at work. On Tuesdays I have my bagpipe lessons at 7 pm so I always try to go under the radar so I won’t get dispatched to a lengthy call right before I go out of service for the bagpipe lessons and my solution has been to go out of service for dinner at 6 pm and after I eat I stay out of service. The past few weeks I have gone to the “Gallo de Lagos” restaurant where I have become good friends with the owner Alfredo. I have learned all about his youth playing professional soccer on different Mexican club teams including Chivas. How he was injured, how he came to the US and how he ended up being a restaurant owner. The good thing is that his food is really good (I always get the tacos al pastor) and the company is enjoyable. It’s great to just sit there and chat with someone whom I feel close to now and to reminisce of a culture I am a part of and that is part of me.

When other patrons enter the store it is fun too… This last week I sat next to a Hispanic family with a 2-3 year old boy and a 5-6 year old girl. It was so cute how the little boy was asking me if I was a good police or a bad one. I asked him what a bad police was like and he told me the bad police gave his dad a ticket when he ran the light. Haha. Dad was so embarrassed as I sat there and his kid spilled the beans. In those moments where I am back to Spanish speaking and in the culture, it is so enjoyable so have opportunities like that one to educate the people I am around and to show them to not be scared of us police officers. I know they have rough encounters at times but it’s good to go out to their world and to reach to them in a way they have never experienced before. Here is a white looking officer all alone having great interaction and communication with their whole family in their language eating their food talking about things relevant to their culture (world cup, etc…)

Anyway I have decided to make it a tradition and to keep up this habit of eating at “Gallo de Lagos” on Tuesday before my piping lesson. I also eat out at other Hispanic establishments such as hot dog stands along Broadway where the same opportunities exist to mingle and share and live!

Alfredo asked me if I would allow him to take a picture with me and put it up on his wall. He told me that he wants pictures of his clients who have become friends so that when he looks back one day he will remember the great friendships he made in the restaurant industry.