Barhopping: Random (Mexican) bar.

At this one random (Mexican) bar that’s just north of a bad (black) neighborhood and that I stopped through at like 4pm when it was fairly dead, I said hello and the (Mexican) bartender woman shrugged and was like, “No ingles.”

“Okay,” I was like, “Queria una cerveza” (‘I would like a beer’).

At that, the woman’s face got stony, and she looked straight at me very seriously and was like, “Qual?” (‘Which?’).

And, I responded, very seriously, “La cerveza que cuesta menos” (‘The beer that costs less’), which is a phrase that some (Mexicans) had taught me a few months ago when I was at a bar on the far south side of the city, on the opposite side of the ghetto.

At that, she was like, “Meeler, Meeler light, Bahd, Bahd light...”, and this very short, dark brown, and wizened middle-aged (Mexican) guy in a baseball cap who was a few seats down started tittering at our interaction.

“Un pocito” (‘A little’), I was like to him, holding up my hands to show the “little bit” gesture.

And, a few seats beyond him, this old guy (the owner?) called out to the woman and said something about ID.

She was like, “ID?”, and I gave her my driver’s license, and called out to the man something about “de maioridad” (‘of majority’, I think).

“Claro” (‘Of course’), I was like, jokingly, and gestured at my face.

Later, when I left, the bartender was talking to this tough-looking (Mexican) guy over by the end of the bar by the exit, so I said bye and “Gracia por todo” (‘Thanks for everything’).

Then, I added, “Hablo un pocito, pero puedo hablar todo que necessito” (which I hope means, ‘I speak a little, but I am able to say everything that I need’).

Then, I left.