Feature: A Guide To Latino Cultural Survival in Iraq

From 1995 to 2005, the percentage of Hispanic soldiers serving in the United States Army nearly doubled, while the percentage of Black and White soldiers steadily declined.† In the Marines, Hispanics make up 15% of the work force and they make up 14% of the Navy.†† And the majority of all those Hispanics serve in active duty†† which makes for a whole lot of us running around the desert we call Iraq. Enter Guanabee’s Guide To Latino Cultural Survival In Iraq where Guanabee Editor Cindy Casares takes a look at all the ways that American Latinos, both military and civilian, are making it through one of the toughest challenges they’ll ever face with their unique culturual perspectives intact.

A fellow Texican friend of mine once said, “Traveling abroad is easy. Everywhere you go is like Mexico, but with different food.” Indeed, traveling outside the United States is probably far less of a culture shock for those of us exposed to Latin America from a young age. This is especially true when traveling to countries that are less “developed” in the Western sense of the word. Those of us who grew up exposed to countries populated largely by Brown people living amongst rubbled architecture, outdoor markets and street vendors galore are not phased by the old-worldliness of the Middle East. So, I thought, how tough can it be? Not having been there myself (the closest I’ve gotten is Morocco) I took to the internets to find out just how everyone is coping.

Before getting into the ins and out of how to get your Latino food and music on, let’s take a step back and realize the ways in which we are not so different. When looking at the unique experience of being Latino in the Middle East, one has to first acknowledge the big, brown elephant in the room. What I mean is, though we are raised as Westerners to believe our cultures are completely disparate, we sure do look a lot alike. In fact, there is a lot of shared history between Latinos and Arabs, even if it is ancient. The Moors did, after all, occupy Spain for 500 years. Why, even my own last name is a Moorish translation of the name Caesar. And it can be quite a mind fuck to arrive in this otherwise completely extrinsic land only to discover that, physically, you fit in better here than back home. One Latino journalist I came across on Hispanic Link called himself, “Carlos Al-Fulani” and had this to say about fitting in upon landing in Bagdhad in 2005 to cover the war:

I had let my beard grow out before I left, and bought second hand clothes, so now I look like any old Arab. People stopped me twice on the street in Amman to ask for directions, so I know I look like a local. My security team – six scary guys in two cars who carry submachine guns – congratulated me on my new look and said it would be easy to protect me.

Granted, military personnel don’t have the luxury of being able to blend in with their look, but we say never rule out the possibility, should you find yourself separated from the herd. In a P.O.W. camp, no one expects you to shave. Throw a smock over yourself and thank Allah you have a built-in disguise that doesn’t work for your fellow soldiers. Al-Fulani continues:

When you first see Baghdad, it looks like any crowded third world city, with tacky houses, potholes, uneven sidewalks, and trash all over the place. One difference is that its full of skeletons of buildings blown out during the war, and everything is covered with a centimeter of dust from the constant and brutal sand storms.

Who’s afraid of a little sand? After all, many of our ancestors walked across the Mojave for a week without food or water to get us where we are. Perhaps they even snuck into the country you’re defending inside the upholstery of a Chevy mini-van, barely able to breath. A little sand and heat ain’t no thang.

But what about sharing personal deets with your newfound friends, the Iraqi civilians? Let’s say you meet someone who speaks English, or are part of an intelligence unit that studies the local language. If you happen to be in civilian garb, you might want to forget telling locals that you’re an American. Al-Fulani has devised his own system:

[W]hen they ask me where I’m from, I always say I’m Peruvian, for security reasons.
Plus, any kidnapper with a bit of smarts would know that Alejandro Toledo’s government wouldn’t be able to pay much ransom for me, don’t you think?

Hardy har. Speaking of–a sense of humor is always an asset. Especially when mortars are firing over your head. But enough life or death talk. This is a survival guide of another kind. A culture guide to keeping your Latino sanity. If the people look the same and the landscape looks the same, chances are the food can’t be far behind. Right?

Food:

We did a little research and it turns out the food in Iraq is all about lentils. Guess what? Those are beans! You’ve got it made, ese. Hummus equals bean dip, pitas ain’t nothing but flatbread and, hello? That’s just a gringo word for tortillas. And if you’re missing your Sunday afternoon churrasco, the Iraqis are all about kebab. Sure it’s lamb, but is that really so different from cabrito? Squint your eyes and all those brown guys at the kebab cart will have you believing you’re bar-b-queing at your Tío Lencho’s in no time. Especially when you’re surrounded by palm trees. It’s just like being home on the island. Or maybe with the gunfire, it’s more like East Los Angeles. Whatever works!

Here’s something those of you who enjoy tacos de trompo are not going to believe. Tacos de trompo or tacos arabes as they’re called in Mexico, (where taco filling is shaved off a beehive shaped lump of meat), were invented by an Iraqi immigrant in Mexico in the 1930’s! Says The Big Apple:

The dish was supposedly first served in the city of Puebla, Mexico, in the 1930s, when an Iraqi immigrant named Jorge Tabe opened an eatery that advertised both “tacos arabes” and “tacos estilo Doneraky.” However, the term “al pastor (shepherd style) [the term used in Texas] pre-dates the 1930s.

“Doneraky” somehow translates to döner kebab which comes from Turkey, another country that’s currently housing a lot of our service people. Can you tell the difference in these pictures? That’s döner kebab on the left. Trompo on the right.

And finally, under any other circumstances I would never suggest this, but it is wartime after all, and desperate times call for desperate measures: there’s a Taco Bell at Camp Taji, Iraq.

If this is your only option, I personally suggest you wait till you get home. First of all, it’ll make your homecoming that much sweeter if you wait and secondly, if, God forbid, you don’t make it back, do you really want your last Mexican meal to be an Enchirito? Besides, if you can’t eat Latino, you can definitely dance it.

Music:

Latin rhythms are at the heart of most Latinos whether they realize it or not. And if they don’t know it before they leave for Iraq, they certainly find that out when they are traveling so far from home. Many of them for the first time in their lives. And even though the goal of any military, especially in wartime, is to remove all sense of individuality from its soldiers, that doesn’t change the fact that if you are a Latino, deep down, your soul yearns for creature comforts that the good old U.S.O., in its infinite wisdom, will never think to supply. Or will it? How’s this for proof that Latinos are taking over the U.S. military? A military base tour by Tejano/Conjunto Grupo Lumbre. Here’s a video of some soldiers at a base in Kirkuk, enjoying a good, old-fashioned pachanga.

If Tejano’s not your style, perhaps you enjoy merengue. This guy has found a way to carry a one-man music machine with him at all times for spontaneous baile:

Seriously, that guy should put out an album. And you don’t even have to be Latino to enjoy Latin rhythms, either. Just look at these young, White soldiers enjoying a little “War”. [Ed. Note: Rimshot!]:

All this dancing is great, but there’s still one more thing missing from this Latino cultural mish-mash. Unlike most young people, no Latino is happy without a little family time. It’s weird, but it’s kind of integral to who we are. Which is why it’s important you have all the contact with them you can muster because an entire tour of duty without them can really fuck with your morale.

Family:

Thanks to YouTube, you can get the whole family sent to you whenever you want. Just like Osvaldo from Boston did.

We don’t even know what to say except when’s the next cook out and how do we get there? After all that familial loving, you’re gonna be set to make it through the home stretch of your tour. All you need now is a little creative ingenuity to squeak through those long hours in the desert.

Creativity:
Like this young Puerto Rican, Specialist Gonzales aka Papito Francisco, who uses his very special Puerto Rican contact lenses to spot traffic accidents miles away and then report them on something called “Desert Diaries.”

God speed, Papito. There are clearly as many ways to divert oneself in Iraq as there are Latinos serving there. And with the kind of work you’re doing, it’s important you figure out your own unique way to keep your spirits up. Because blowing off steam in a healthy way during your downtime is as important as covering your ass when missiles are flying. And like Osvaldo’s tía says, “Don’g Be Superman, OKAAAY?” Just do your job, cuidate and come home soon. And be sure to send us any uniquely Latino ways you have of passing the time. (Sorry, no porn. Okay, who are we kidding? We love porn! Send it on over.) We can’t wait!

†Army Profile FY05 [U.S. Army-PDF]
††Latinos Claim Larger Share of U.S. Military Personnel [Population Reference Bureau]
Cholo Land [Hispanic Link]