Caras Vemos:
The subtitle is (corazones no sabemos) – okay, one expression, not two, “Faces we’ve seen, hearts we don’t know.” Makes a better title if it’s broken up.
At the Alameda – Market Square (San Antonio – Bexar County).
I’ve seen the reference point before to the unseen people. The invisible people. To me, though, they are not invisible.
The bigger problem, from strictly my own seat in the house? I can’t recall, it was either here in the web journal, or buried in a horoscope, or in my copious notes for later? Someplace I’ve made comment about the invisible people, and that was about the homeless. A local artist was showing me a piece of art, painting, and the art included a tag about the invisible people. Can’t find my entry now (translation: unwilling to dig for it).
The collection on display at the Alameda is breath-taking in its scope. While the immigration issue is a thorny patch I’m unwilling to traverse, the artwork, from both sides, is excellent.
Favorite pieces? Two come to mind. Both are “pop-art-like” and the first one was a two painting set of two frames each, all as one canvas. Sort of meaty looking piece, all very pop-art and fun, in colors, shapes, textures of the brush strokes. Crayon-looking. Very upbeat. Two frames with meat, maybe a sexual shape, and two frames with a knife in each frame. The message was about dominating a culture (arrival of the Spanish) by cutting off the native tongue. Message ran around the twin frames as a scrolled sentence. Pop-art contrasted to a stark, harsh, even brutal and bloody message.
The second one, I visited twice, a curvy, middle of the last century car-shape, driven by, or painted, with an Aztec-like, slope-headed god/priest Mayan glyph. The shape and metaphor extended all around the car, which was labeled “chevy.” Vibrant color, feather, serpents and headdresses, all the elements of the traditional Aztec art. Marked in a stylized letters, “Azatlan.”
What was promised and what I didn’t see a lot of, was border issues. One piece was an excellent installation, a tiny border swatch, a video running on the wall behind it, and tiny “Luchadore” figures crawling over the wall to make to into the USA.
Alternate Art Installation:
The first part is really this image.
Then there’s Part One, which should be titled “part two.”
Finally, the most curious image of all, at the foot. I’m guessing an art installation. Or ravings of a lunatic.
Road Food:
Harlandale, TX: Southside BBQ. There are three topics most hotly debated in Texas: Politics, Religion and BBQ. Of the three? It’s obvious, isn’t it? BBQ is the most important. Enter that guy who opened a place in the largely Hispanic neighborhood of South San Antonio, a true BBQ “joint.”
Took two tries for the guy to get it right, all I asked for was a sample of the pork shoulder. Just a different cut than I’m used to – not bad – just different. He’s an oak man, as in, he uses hard oak for his pit. The brisket is tender. Very tender. Excellent, rates with the best. The pork ribs were dry and crunchy, the way I like them, one time, and tender and juicy the next. Not a problem, just an observation. As far as I’m concerned, the way to tell if a BBQ place is any good is the pork ribs. Make or break deal. The pork shoulder, when I finally got some? I picked up a pound, after that first taste.
An early lunch? The place was empty except for me, the odd white guy. I’m odd and in that neighborhood, as much as I’d like to think I’m colorblind? I’m obviously white.
Then a late weekend afternoon, and that time, the place was crowded. Good news. Good food is always popular.
Two serious points to consider, first of all, the name. Good name for the place. The problem? Any search for that name defaults to a place in Elgin (pronounced El-gin, hard G), home to the original Elgin Hotlink (legendary sausage). Two BBQ places with the same name? Could be problematic.
The BBQ sauce. Again, there’s the standard issue stuff, looks like a tomato-paste base, and then, the only place I’ve seen the other stuff is another legend, The Salt Lick (Dripping Springs & Austin Airport). It’s more of a (something) base, kind of mustard color, maybe orange. Really good flavor. Just different enough to make it stand out in a crowded market.
Southside BBQ.
6020 South Flores
San Antonio, TX.
Post Script:
El Paso, TX.
Stay tuned for details.
