Mental Meanderings: Mexico City

Meanderings

Aug 18

MENTAL MEANDERINGS IS OUR ONGOING SERIES FOR ALL OF US WHO PROBABLY CAN’T HOP ON A PROPELLER PLANE TO BORNEO THIS WEEKEND BUT STILL NEEDS TO SATISFY OUR CHRONIC WANDERLUST.

We highlight a city somewhere around the world and give you all of the pieces you need to close your eyes and have a little 10-minute vacation. We hope you’ll be inspired to watch a movie, listen to a new song, pick up a book by a new author, or try cooking a new dish for dinner that brings a far-off corner of the world into your living room for a bit.

Happy daydreams!

HERE’S HOW YOU CAN GET A TASTE OF THE CITY, AND BRING IT INTO YOUR HOME…

LISTEN

If you close your eyes and try to HEAR Mexico, I think most people would start hearing the bright brass of a mariachi band. Mariachi music is at least unofficially the music of the country, and for me at least, if there’s one song I most think of as embodying the whole genre and the spirit of Mexico as a whole, it’s Cielito Lindo. If you’ve ever watched an Olympic ceremony, a national soccer game, or eaten at a Mexican restaurant, you’ve probably heard this iconic song. Over here at Km66 HQ though, we are absolutely digging this ethereal version interpreted by Marta Gomez, whose entire discography is well worth a listen. Close your eyes and be transported for a minute.

READ

Mexico is a country that’s rife with powerful stories, compelling non-fiction, and poetry that will make you feel all of the things. For this roundup, we went with a few favorites, some from Mexican authors and a few international classics, which really feature the city of Mexico City itself as a central character, and transport there you quickly, one way or another.

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WATCH

Mexico has such an incredible film-making tradition, and there are so many great films set in or around Mexico City itself that it’s just really hard to narrow down a recommendation for your mental vacation. The quintessential portrayal of the somewhat seedy portrayal back alleys of the city of Amores Perros, the meandering road trip of Y Tu Mama Tambien, one of my all-time favorite bio-pics of arguably Mexico’s most famous artist - Frida Kahlo - in Selma Hayek’s masterwork, Frida, or the spirit of Mexico City interpreted in the most adorable way in Pixar’s Coco.

But if we’re talking about a movie to transport you to a place and give you a window into a world, we really can’t go past the incredible, Oscar-winning, boundary-breaking mastery that is Roma. Hop on Netflix, get yourself settled, and take a journey.

EAT
When I think of Mexico City, my mind goes straight to street food. Some of the most fantastic street food you’ll find on earth. And the king of all of these amazing nibbles is unquestionably tacos al pastor. Fortunately, you can pretty easily replicate it at home. Here’s one of our favorite recipes, from Food and Wine. It’s a great, simple preparation for the grill as the weather gets warmer, or you can do the same thing on a grill pan if you want these Summery flavors any time of year. Bon Provecho!