Welcoming the "Other" into our life

Well, I had a fabulous time this weekend in the windy city.  My brother Daniel, has introduced so much cultural experience, wealth of knowledge and depth to my life that has helped me shed so much of the unnecessary dogmas and social taboos I grew up with that had me locked in, so to speak.  I think when we are responsive to the so called 'other', we welcome magic, the unknown, openness, allowing room for growth and life to prosper.

For example, this weekend my brother allowed me to take him out for fine Mexican cuisine.  Not your typical Mexican restaurant with tacos, enchiladas, fajitas or burritos.  The place was called "Chilam Balam."  It is a four star restaurant that serves tapas, which is shared meals.  We had roasted duck meat plate, roasted scallops plate, vegetarian empanadas and ceviche plate.  These were four smallish dinner platters that we split up and share.  Recently, the head chef was on a TV show called "Cook off"(I think, not sure since I don't watch TV, so I am told) and he challenged a chef from either New York or L.A.  He happened to lose not because he was a bad chef, but just was not as good as the other person was.  Chilam Balam was named after some ancient 18th century Mayan texts named after small Yucatec towns. It literally translates to "The Jaguar Priest".  The food was phenomenal.

Two mornings after that he took me out for a breakfast in typical Hong Kong fashion called, Dim Sum.  This was a restaurant that I would describe as a moveable feast or buffet on wheels pushed by Chinese people who work there.  We had pot stickers, egg rolls, sweet rice in lotus leaf, steamed green beans that are deep fried in dough, dumplings, ribs, and several pastries.  It was different yet interesting.  I highly recommend it, but do not know if I would want it everyday, unless traveling in Hong Kong.  Chicago is renown for it not unlike San Francisco's Chinatown or New York.

Last night for my christmas present he took me to a Jane Birkin concert.  She was once married to the famous folk singer of France named Serge Gainsbourg.  Serge was considered the Bob Dylan of France.  She was seventy years old and full of life and passion.  She sang in French and I did not understand much, but the music was splendid.  Serge never made it to Chicago and him and her use to sing together.  So she decided it was time.  She is doing a nation wide tour and the money goes towards victims of the Japanese Tsunami.  We tend to slip into forgetfulness about what happens in the world and this tribute is to help us not to forget.  The band playing with her was all Japanese musicians; one was a piano maestro, a violinist, a trumpeter/trumbone player and percussionist.  These people gave up their careers for the next two months to do this.  It was awesome.

Ignoring the 'the other' has caused a lot of detriment to our society and world.  The other represents anything that is different than white, male, hetero-sexual, Anglo-Saxon.  This includes; Native Americans, Africans, Chinese, Japanese, Mexican, Islamist, women (at one time), homosexuals, people with tatooos, with piercings, tribal people and third-world peoples and even the earth and its four legged, two legged and winged creatures could be considered and the list goes on.  We have missed out on a lot of cultural knowledge, tribal and medicinal remedies and rituals by neglecting and subjugating people who were different.  This is unfortunate.  People who look different, act different or speak different should be welcomed into our lives because you will never know what we are missing out on if we continue to neglect or ignore 'the other'.

Today I embark on a journey.  I wish you all well and a thank you to all of you.  A tribute to you, family and friends.