Men and Women in Mexico

The great game of male and female is alive and well in Mexico. A few glimpses:

Shopping alone one day in a little shop in Guanajuato, I got to talking with the man running it. I hadn't met him before. He was about 40, I'd guess. I'm 62 but do look a little younger. Anyway, we were having an animated conversation about how much I liked the city and so forth, and I could understand his Spanish pretty well. Suddenly he said something about how cute I was. I was a bit flattered but didn't let on that I understood what he had said.

Another conversation with a shopkeeper was interesting. She was someone I enjoyed talking with, as she had a reflective mind. One day while buying bread, I commented that there were many problems between men and women in the United States. She nodded -- it seemed she knew that. I asked her thoughts on the subject in Mexico. She said she thought things were better here. "Hay respecto," she said: There is respect between men and women.

As I thought of that conversation later, I couldn't help but remember a contrasting viewpoint: one time two years ago Kelly and I went into a gas station that had an all-woman crew, something we see from time to time. I commented on it to the very pretty and lively woman who was helping us, and she went into a hilarious monologue about how men ("except you, of course, sir," she said to Kelly) were good for one thing only.

Quite a variety of impressions. And speaking of variety, one thing I really like about Mexico is that it is considerably more gay-friendly than most parts of the United States. So I've been told by both gays and lesbians here.