Habanero Man

Barfly, I am. Ever since graduating from bartending school, I'm much more likely to suggest going to a bar than to a coffee shop. I love watching bartenders work and for a while, I just liked staring at all the different liquors. Yup. Bartending *geek*.

At most coffee shops, people are immersed in their own world. Walked into a cafe one morning and was greeted with a dozen iMac laptops. Not unusual I guess, but it definitely encourages you to bring a book, invite a friend, or invest in a laptop.

For conversation and unexpected encounters with people - I prefer sitting at the bar, before the crowd comes in. Fred and I ventured out late Saturday night for a beer. We found a small local bar in El Monte and Habanero man.

He took it upon himself to introduce us to the Mexican beers lined up behind the bar and treated us to a few. Dos Equis - sweet. Modelo - too light for me.

And Tecate. I had to try Tecate. It reminds me of Kriztal's father. Always the red Tecate can set atop a small white plate, with a slice of Mexican lemon on the side and a tiny salt shaker. Habanero man explained that it's best in a can. Squeeze the Mexican lemon generously on the top of the can, add salt and it stays there, you taste just the right amount with every sip. And the slight crunch of salt. Very nice.

He loves hot sauce - the kind he says, that makes his ears want to explode. Habanero is the best - next to the hottest hot sauce in the world, the one he found at a BBQ place down on Crenshaw, where just the tip of a toothpick dipped in the stuff knocked him off his feet. He gave us his number and offered to take us there, anytime.

He was once a crystal meth cook. The fumes he said, burned holes through his clothing, blinded him temporarily and shaved 20 pounds off him. I felt uncomfortable hearing about the growing meth epidemic from someone who fueled it, but I suppose, it was his candor that put me at ease. When someone is that honest, I usually lose the ability to judge them. Maybe it was his eyes. He looked like he had seen too much. I figure he had his reasons, like we all do, for doing what we should or should not do.

On March 25th, he walked with the half million people that flooded downtown L.A., in white, protesting against the Sensenbrener bill. He was also at the service in memory of Cesar Chavez at the Cathedral of our Lady of Angels the next Sunday. It was nice to think that Fred and I were also there with him that same Sunday.

We stayed until 1:30 a.m. drinking and talking with Habanero man. So there's actually more - something about the medicinal benefits of eating possum...I'll leave that for another time =)

He made Saturday night worth writing about. This is my thanks to him for the Tecate how to, his generosity and willingness to share.