This Is What I Call a Real Chocolate ‘Belga’…

Walking around Bruge, Belgium this morning, I came across these chocolates, which –the locals assured me– are the real thing.

So… I guess that is what everybody meant when they talked about chocolate belga. Belga. Got it?

And that is not all. Barely a few blocks away I came across the Chocola-tits…

¡Ah… la sensualidad europea!

Mexican ‘Curious’ According to the North of France

Remember Cataluña’s Mexican hat?

Travelling to Europe is always a reminder of how fun Mexican things get on the other side of the Atlantic.

Walking around Lille, France this morning I bumped into Mexicali, a “typical” Mexican store, selling all sorts of Mexican things, including -of course- good ol’ Matryoshkas. Or, as we say in Mexico, Matrushkas.

Photo: Laura Martínez (Lille, France)

This Blog Will be on Hiatus Until After 06/27/2010

It’s only 4 days before the much awaited massacre match between Mexico and Argentina, and judging by some of my Facebook friends’ profiles, nobody is getting much work these days, or paying attention to non-soccer news.

So, in full solidarity with them -and with everybody else- this blogger is going offline for a while…at least until after we score 7-1 against the albicelestes.

Yeah, right.

The ‘Waka Waka Gate’ Heats Up. Vargas Says Shakira Plagiarized a Song He Took from Someone Else

[ UPDATED: Wilfrido Vargas this week came forward to deny reports of a potential lawsuit against Shakira.]

The Waka Waka Gate -which I am proud to have partly initiated- is about to become more interesting.

Turns out Dominican composer Wilfrido Vargas is, like, pissed. Now, he claims Shakira plagiarized his song, El negro no puede.

Truth be told, neither Wilfrido nor Shakira can claim ownership of the now infamous Waka Waka. As you have been reading in this blog -and everywhere else for that matter- the song precedes both Vargas and Shakira. It is, in fact a popular African song based on an African military melody, Zangalewa, popular throughout the continent.

So, if anyone is about to get rich (or richer) with the Waka Waka, let’s dig a bit deeper and see who owes what to whom. And if anything comes out of this whole mess, this blogger wants her share. LOL.

Hip-Shaking Liberian Kid Outdoes Shakira AND Las Chicas del Can in Waka Waka Rendition

Thanks to some loyal followers of this blog, I was able to find this jewel in the depths of YouTube. Turns out Waka Waka is not only not exclusive of Shakira, nor Las Chicas del Can, but apparently it’s as popular in Africa as the Happy Birthday.

So…until I find a version that tops this one, meet my favorite Waka Waka performer… so far.

Dominican Bodega Owner Knows Mexicans Dress Weirdly, Lurk Around ATM’s

New York City’s Hamilton Heights, the cradle of the Hispanic lettuce, is also home to “Superior Market,” a Dominican-owned bodega that now caters to an increasingly Mexican clientele.

Not only they offer Mexican produce, but they seem to know that hat-wearing Mexicans with pants à la Michael Jackson tend to lurk around the ATM machine.

Photo: Laura Martínez

Way Before Shakira Reached Puberty, the Waka Waka Was Called ‘El Negro no Puede’

If you are remotely familiar with Univision and it’s exclusive Spanish-language rights to the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, I’m certain you have heard the now ubiquitous Waka-Waka, a melody everybody wants us to believe was written from scratch by the super famous 33-year old Colombian singer Shakira.

Well… years before the hip-queen even reached puberty, the Waka-Waka was already a sensation, first performed live on Latin American television by the wonderful Las Chicas del Can, under the original title of Waka-Waka: El Negro no puede, freely translated by myself as: Waka-Waka The Black Guy Can’t Get it Up.

So, without further ado, here are both versions. Watch and judge for yourselves…

Which is your favorite Waka-Waka?

Hat tip: Carlitos [manito] Tropical

Chávez Chants About Requited Dislike for Clinton

Hugo Chávez knows Hillary Clinton is not particularly fond of him. So the Venezuelan leader decided to improvise a heartfelt melody about their mutual dislike for each other. Enjoy, and if you don’t understand the lyrics, read below:

Hillary Clinton doesn’t love me, but that’s OK, since I don’t like her either

Hat tip: Hispanic Tips

Mexico Loses to South Africa in Inaugural Match … And the Cup Hasn’t Even Started

Some blame it on the bad omen that Mr. Calderón will bring to South Africa this week, but in a rehearsal that took part this week at Soccer City to test all the technical details of the grand event, South Africa kicked Mexico’s butt 2 goals to 1.

Oh well, at least we got one goal, which is the very least we can expect this Friday.

Let’s pray!

It’s Tough Being a Cop in Arizona

One of the few good things about Arizona’s SB1070 (besides opening a world of business opportunities to this blogger) is that it has proven to be very good for the creative minds. On the heels of Zubi Advertising’s Gringo Mask, comes this year’s winner of the Círculo Creativo’s Not So Young Creatives contest.

Thanks to this piece, Flor Leibaschoff and Matías Sada, of Dallas-based Dieste, are now on their way to Cannes, where I am sure they will not be asked for their documents… [given they don't look like Algerian immigrants, that is.]

Mexico’s National Soccer Team Might Not Score Goals, But they Know How to Make a Good Sandwich

It is only eight days before Mexico faces South Africa in the first match of this year’s 2010 FIFA World Cup tournament. So, the folks from the Mexican national soccer team are busy making, well, Bimbo sandwiches… which is not at all bad, because they could be drinking and smoking…

Oh, wait, they are doing that, too!

oh, and one more thing: since when is a sandwich ‘el alimento ideal’?

Marketing to Hispanics Takes One Smart Tagline

We can talk forever about “cultural insights” and “smart” marketing strategies, but the organizers of this Latin single’s event in Queens, NY do know how to write one catchy tagline.

“Venga frío y salga caliente” has got to be, like, the most attractive, appealing and convincing branding slogan, ever. [So much so, I wouldn't even know how to translate it]

So, stop reading! What are waiting for? If you live in the New York City area, free on June 3rd and feel like leaving a party venue feeling positively horny, make sure to check out this Latin Single’s Hot Fiesta.

Hat tip: LatinVision

In a Sign of His Increasing Popularity, the Naked Cowboy Visits ‘El Show de Cristina’

[UPDATED: For reasons I do not know yet -but which I intend to investigate- Univision has removed that video from its site, so lucky those of you who managed to watch. Enjoy a photo of the Naked Cowboy sharing the stage with Ivy Queen and Cristina herself]

Too busy celebrating the long weekend that you missed El Show de Cristina last night? Do not despair. This blogger was there to document it all, including the surprising appearance by the one and only Naked Cowboy himself. ¡Ajúa!

more about “Naked Cowboy goes to Cristina“, posted with vodpod