M is for Mariachis, Mexican Food, and Margaritas.
Mariachi is a type of musical group, originally from Cocula, Jalisco, Mexico. Usually a mariachi consists of at least three violins, two trumpets, one Mexican guitar, one vihuela (a high-pitched, five-string guitar) and one guitarrón (a small-scaled acoustic bass). They dress in silver studded charro outfits with wide-brimmed hats. The original Mariachi were Mexican street musicians or buskers. Many mariachis are professional entertainers doing paid gigs in the mainstream entertainment industry. Professionals are normally skilled at more than one instrument, and they also sing.
Some of our Mexican Restaurants in Southern California have Mariachis strolling around the restaurant taking requests for songs to play and sing.
This Mariachi group played at my nephews wedding
I was born and raised in the East Los Angeles area of Southern California. The Mexican culture (these days if you are politically correct called “Hispanic” not “Mexican”) was all around me. We celebrated Mexican holidays at my elementary school, took field trips to Olvera Street in Los Angeles where the culture was further introduced to us. I have always enjoyed Mexican Food. There isn’t a Mexican restaurant in the Southern California area that calls itself Hispanic that I know of. They still all refer to themselves as Mexican restaurants.
Our favorite Mexican Restaurant in the Camarillo Area is El Tecolate. In Mexico El Tecolote means the Owl. Mexican Restaurants always serve chips and salsa at your table when you arrive. Sometimes we order guacamole to go with the chips too. Guacamole is a dip made with mashed avocados and other ingredients.
They have decorated the restaurant with many different types of owl “art”. This is just a fraction of the Owls you’ll see inside.
They serve your typical Mexican food here and other interesting dishes that are unique to this restaurant.
This is an open tamale
Carnitas (slow cooked pork) is another Mexican favorite. So yummy…
There are some Mexican restaurants that still hand make their tortillas. The restaurant where this Mexican lady is making tortillas is in Venice Beach, California (a district of Los Angeles).
And last but not least I leave you with a Margarita which is a classic Mexican Tequila and lime drink! You can have the double, I’m fine with the single.
We prefer ours on the rocks. A lot of people like the blended variety that gives you a brain freeze on your first sip. Muchas Gracias for visiting my M post mi amigos y amigas.
For more ABC Wednesday visit Mrs. Nesbitt.
Photobucket is holding all my photos from 2007-2015 hostage and they have blacked them all out. I’m slowly working at restoring my posts without their help. Such a tiresome bother!
The Happy Wonderer ~ ellen b. 
never heard of mariachis before so that’s another thing I’ve learnt today
fantsastic collection:)
my M is up here:
http://kajapildialbum.blogspot.com/2008/04/abc-wednesday-m-like-marathon.html
Hello:)
Very many nice photos here. It look’s like a very delicious food at that place. And I just love the beautiful lady at her kitchen. That’s a fantastic, wonderful and happy face:)
Have a nice and fun Abc-W:)
Boy could I use all of the above!!!! I’ll just switch the margarita for a merlot – mega merlot!
I love Mexican food, too! But we only seem to have Taco Bell and not many of them. When I was in Manhattan Beach, we went to a great Mexican restaurant (maybe you know it) where we had margueritas and fabulous food. I ordered a second marguerita to have with dinner but just as the food arrived, the first one hit me! Double whammy! So the 2nd one just sat there untouched. Good post. 😀
YUMMY El Tecolate ! I haven’t eaten there in years Thank for reminding me I’m going there on Friday! I work in Camarillo and live in Oxnard. Thanks for the memory. I used to love the old A & W too near there …gone maybe 15 years? Humpph!!!
I love Deda’s baseball cap. He’s cute 🙂
Man, I wish we had good access to authentic Mexican food. We hardly have any so-called Mexican or even Tex-Mex restaurants in Manitoba. Such a shame. This all looks so delicious!!
I could’ve grown up in East LA, too ~ had my parents decided to stay down there after they got married! They’re from here, but moved there temporarily for my dad to go to school. Think of all the wonderful food I could be eating right now, dang it. Not to mention the more favourable climate….
I really loved the owl artwork… that was really neat…. great post.
OHHHHH I love your choices…I want a Margarita and some Mexican food….yum!
This is a great “M”.
I had Mexican food for lunch today but no Marguerita. I had to work. This weekend is another story.
Obviously we have great Tex-Mex here in Ft. Worth, but I like California style also. When I was doing Engineering Consulting in Orange County, I had some fantastic meals.
One of the best Mexican Food meals was in Alaska (The lady was from Mexico and could she cook).
I ALWAYS order guacamole–I make a pretty decent guacamole myself. And I have left instructions that I am to have both mariachis and a bagpipe at my funeral. I know, it won’t happen, but I won’t be there to object.
You have such a downright educational site. I’m impressed!
A lot of information, a lot of photographs, marvellous post !Congratulations!
wow! Now I get hungry! I love the guacamole too. Nice photos today!
Very interesting – what a good M choice.
Mexican food is not big in my city & surrounds so have sadly little expereince but love margharita’s!
Great ABC post! 🙂
I love Guacamole! Home made, by the way. 😉
Lovely M-post,good photos and yes,I`ll have a Marguerita,pleace.
A very informative and interesting post; I have not heard of Mariachis so once again I have learnt something from ABC Wed.
Mmmm, Margaritas on the rocks is a summer favorite for me! Load it up with lime, please!
Plenty of “M” photo’s you are sharing with us. I will take some of the Mexican chips and salsa please. 😉
Thank you for the trip. All this was news to me – even the drink.
Thank you. You’ve made it all look very tempting!
I’m a native, too, Westside Long Beach. I always think of Mexican food as native Californian food. It just is. This is a great photo essay on the local culture. P.S. We always do our Margarita’s on the rocks, maybe it’s another Californian thing.
Ellen, what a great informative post!! I like all the owl renditions you’ve captured from your favorite restaurant. And that plate of carnitas? I think I’m going to have to rearrange my lunch plans………..
Many great choice for M!
Now I’m soooo hungry! I loved your post, and the owl art is beautiful.
Well I have learn something today, I didn’t know about Mariachi, thanks for the lesson in Mexican culture.
Interesting narrative accompanying your photos. I collect owls so I was most interested in then name and the owl photos.
There are so many M’s that didn’t even enter my mind. And we had chicken enchiladas for dinner! There is some spice or chile in some mexican food that makes Bill sweat. I must have used it last night!
I loved all your comments with your photos.
Great pictures. I actually had mexican food and a margarita for dinner last night!
Lovely M post. Mine’s a margarita!
thanks for visiting my blog.
Muey bien. You make me hunry. I think we’ll have to go get Mexican tomorrow night. 🙂 My father’s family moved from Monterrey, CA down into Mexico when he was in his teens so he spent his high school years in Mexico and is now quite picky about where he will eat “Mexican” food – a trait I have picked up on in turn. None of that Tex-Mex junk for me. If it ain’t authentic, we don’t want it. (I make exeptions for the occassional late-night Taco Bell run, haha… blame it on college, I guess.)
yummy!
mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!
I really like the look of that food!
Sorry I am a little late, been sorting out the blogroll!
Denise