Some of my earliest memories are that of lying on the grass in my grandparents’ front yard above Lincoln Heights, Los Angeles, surrounded by decaying Christmas lights and rusting buckets turned into plant containers. My Nana was roasting some immense side of pork in the monstrous, fire-breathing barbecue contraption they use to have and my Grandpa, parents, tias, tios, cousins, great aunts and uncles, and friends of the family were all over the place eating, drinking, and playing music well after the hot LA sun had dipped below the horizon and the lights in the downtown skyscrapers flickered on.
A few years ago I found myself in another immense metropolis, equally smoggy and full of life. Mexico DF feels like the center of the universe. The barrio culture is insane and beautiful. The camoteros selling sweet potatoes out of their steaming bins, the intricately coiffed neighbourhood couples making out near the metro station, ten kids dressed as clowns standing on top of each others shoulders in the middle of traffic just to get a couple of pesos, and just like in LA, the thrown-together parties held in a driveway, or a vacant lot with cold beer, a boom box and some cheap piece of meat on the grill.
Champagne by any other name still tastes so sweet.
Since last year, my friends Rosa, Carlos and I decided we wanted to marry all these things and our collective histories together for the gente of San Pancho. That is how the evolution of ¡Chicharrones! came to be – our little afternoon dance party held every first Saturday, at my sometime employer El Rio. Like its namesake, it’s cheap and delicious and features the deft musical fancies of Rosa and Carlos. We have a free barbecue, and perhaps, most importantly, it features $10 ALL YOU CAN DRINK MILLER HIGH LIFE. Yes, dear comrades, ten dollars gets you glass after glass of the Champagne of Beers.
To boot, all proceeds of the High Life go to a local LGBT Latino non-profit. This first one will be benefiting local studs Aguilas.
So slap on your tenis guey and get on down to El Rio this Saturday. The early gusano get the chicharron.
¡CHICHARRONES!
1st Summer Saturdays Monthly
3pm-8pm
$10 ALL-U-CAN DRINK MILLER HIGH LIFE
$1 cover
@ El Rio…your dive!
3158 Mission Street
www.elriosf.com
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Tags: BBQ, beer, Chicharones, El Rio, free, Los Angeles, Mexico, San Francisco
First Fridays appear to be good for free museums entries and self-promotion for us! Kudos Second-hand, Broke-Ass and myself, Whorespondent.
I loved this post. :]
Indeed! Bringing cheap booze to the people.
Aw, thanks!
This is by far one of the best dive clubs!
[...] general rule, I feel odd writing about events going on at my place of employment. One because its redundant and two..well, best leave that one [...]