Mexican Food for White People

Pittsburgh isn't exactly known for it's diversity of ethnic cuisine and what's here is often either highly franchised or just plain bad and often both. Today some friends and I went to a Baja Fresh - what counts for Mexican food out here. My white friend ordered before me and was presented with one of those frequent patron cards that entitles him to free food after he eats four more burritos. Baja Fresh hasn't been doing so well with the lunchtime crowd because of their other franchised competitor down the street, Qdoba.

After my friend finished, I stepped up to have my order taken by a distinctly non-Mexican cashier. After I placed my order and paid, this person made no attempt to offer me the same frequent patron card that had been offered my friend just before me even though a neat little stack of them were sitting next to the register. As I put my change in my wallet, the cashier noticed me eyeing the cards. Without any attempt to obscure what he was doing, he quickly slid the cards behind a display so that the cards were out of sight.

I think I've been lucky for the past two years that I haven't really encountered a lot of overt racism directed at my way - it helps that I don't really get around much beyond school. This blatant and transparent display, however, was so obvious that it took me by surprise. I'm not really angry about it, just confused - what is it about my money that's not as good as my friends? I guess in the end, that's all racism is about. It doesn't make any sense - it's just a preference for one over the other despite the fact that they are both equal.

This might just be sour grapes but I also noticed that the Mexican-appearing individuals all worked in the kitchen while there were several people-of-color whose jobs were to wipe tables, hold open waste containers for customers, and mop floors. Yep, you guessed it - only the white people were manning the registers - white men, no less.

To all the dumbasses who think racism is over, it isn't. It just continues to play itself out in all sorts of stupid and bewildering circumstances that make you wonder what all this talk about equality and justice is about. Baja Fresh can keep their white customers - I'm eating at Qdoba.

Comments

[billyfrombelfast]

You should write head office a letter explaining your choice. The vast majority of corporations will see immigrant/minority/pink money as equal to anyone else's (and in some neighbourhoods - more valuable), the opinions of a six buck an hour cashier or twelve buck an hour assistant manager notwithstanding. I would also describe him, as I'd like to see the little punk get called into the office over this incident, but I'm vindictive like that.

[Maribel]

The Spanish blood that Mexicans have are from the Southern (Andalucian) Spaniards. They look similar, except that Spaniards have very light complexion. If you see a white-looking mexican, it's because they have more European blood. That's what I am. The dark-skinned ones are the natives.