Cinco de Mayo: Official Patron Saint of the Librotraficantes

[EFerrari]

Quantum Demographics

by Tony Diaz, El Librotraficante

Cinco de Mayo is the perfect holiday for book smugglers.


We celebrate Cinco de Mayo by eating Binh Mai Sandwiches at our favorite Librotraficante hole-in-the-wall-Vietnamese-Taco-Shop.

But to enjoy the full impact of this exquisite Vietnamese sandwich, you have to eat it just the right way, in just the right place.

I recommend the 2 a.m./2 p.m. parallel universe.

I’m here indulging in Quantum Demographics at Cali Café in Downtown Houston, in a little strip mall from whose parking lot the valet attendant retrieved my car at 2:15 am after I enjoyed the Cinco de Mayo festivities at the Über chic club Fifth Amendment across the street. Right now at 2:15 p.m., visitors to the yoga, or a tax joint next door have to park their own cars.

Of course Cali Café would vehemently deny that it’s a Taco Shop. But this shop looks really familiar, and not just because we were dancing to tribál music across the street earlier. The shop is non descript. So I’ll describe it: one foot by one foot, large, plain square tiles, all scuffed; basic tables, with hard edges, thin legs, easy to wipe plastic coated tops; thin steel framed chairs with a thick padding covered in red plastic; those not quite ceramic or plastic plates; those multi beveled clear plastic cups that get scratched easy and quick or those red, clear plastic glasses with a coating of raised red dots for easy gripping.

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