Mamoncillos at PUBLIX!!!

Soooo....

I was at the Publix by my parents house on 4th of July. Right off the bat I'm gonna say that this is the best Publix in Miami. The produce never ever disappoints. Its delicious and sweet every time. Unlike Winn Dixie. Also the selection is great, better than some other Publix stores (like the ones here in the gables). Anyway I was shopping for BBQ stuff and low and behold what should I find in the produce section but my wildest dream come true.





You may remember I blogged about Mamoncillos before and my quest to find them on the street.

So you can imagine my glee when I saw them at Publix!!! AHHHHHH!!! HOW AWESOME IS THAT?!! There were mamoncillos-a-plenty! But I'm sure thats the only Publix that has them.

So to anyone who wants mamoncillos go to the Publix in Miller Sqaure (Miller and 137th ave).

You're welcome.

Town Pride

So i'm on this whole In The Heights kick. I'm curious about this real life place. So I'm looking up stuff on youtube.

Here are some of he facts I've gathered:

-The south side has a large black population
-The west side has a large Jewish population
-Although there are a mix of latinos including Mexicans and Puerto Ricans, Dominicans seem to dominate.

Another thing I saw was that people who live there or have lived there all speak very fondly of their town. They love their town and those who have moved away miss it. Because they had that sense of community and a sense of belonging and culture.

Now...it reminds me of Boston. Because although I'm not from there, I lived there for 6 yrs, I miss it. Whenever people talk about Boston I always feel like I'm in on the joke because I'm a Bostonian. I feel a real sense of pride. And thats what was so special about Boston. Such community and such a sense of pride. From the Irish to the Italian to the Black to the Latino to the Asians. They had a local TV station BNN (Boston Neighborhood Network) and they were always doing stories on the different towns. They did stories on the communities and all the different things that were going on in the city from Theatre productions to Youth Programs to outdoor markets. People really cared and took part in their community as well as local politics. That is the greatest thing Boston ever gave me. A sense of community.

Although I missed Miami and my culture and my people, coming back wasn't the same. Sadly Miami just does not have that same sense of pride. Not to say that they don't have pride in their culture. They all do. They all think their own culture is the best. But there's no pride in the city itself. And certainly no sense of community. Down here its like every man for himself. People don't take pride in their work, or pride in their service, many don't take pride in their homes. We let parts of the city go to complete shit. and just leave it there. Why? Because we're too busy building condos that no one can afford! People here are selfish. It's all about money. Dog eat dog. When I hear people from Miami talk about Miami its always to complain. Complain about the people, the traffic, the politics, the housing market. Hell I am certainly guilty of this. I wish we could have what Boston has or what Washington Heights has.

Maybe one day I'll find a happy medium. A place with a sense of community and pride as well as a latino culture.