SF FOGHORN issue 6_F (3)

06
THURSDAY
OCT. 13,
2022
SCENE
CONTINUED FROM FRONT PAGE
To the right of the entrance is a service window
for people to grab their takeout orders. Customers were
scattered around the restaurant's entrance, waiting for
their order numbers to be called from a small service
window.
This is where I caught Hugo, a long-time customer,
loading up his car with various bags of food. Hugo
estimated that he has eaten at La Palma for the last two
decades. Hugo keeps coming back for the restaurant's
“authentic traditional Mexican food, good service,
good people,” he said. “Family run, family owned, best
tortillas in town.”
La Palma is known for their fresh masa, a cornmeal
based dough. According to their website, the restaurant
makes their masa daily with dried, GMO (genetically
modified organism) free corn used to make tamales,
tortillas, and a variety of other dishes. The restaurant
produces a myriad of masa, most notably white corn,
blue corn, and cactus. La Palma also makes strawberry
and cinnamon masa for dessert tamales.
Although most customers decided to opt for takeout,
father-son duo Tom and Henry enjoyed an early
lunch on the restaurant’s side patio. Tom has been
coming to La Palma for over 15 years and absolutely
loves it, “Gosh, just everything, especially the chips and
salsa. All the little side things you can get here are so
wonderful.” Tom explained all the dishes they bought
while Henry sat patiently. “I got the chili verde burrito
today, he gets a bean and cheese — plain. We also
picked up a bit of this thing, it's called carne de cerdo
chicharrones.” Tom suggested getting the refried beans
and Henry likes the chicharrones and drinks.
Like Tom and Henry, I will be back for more.
La Palma's selection of housemade to-go items. PHOTO BY ELISE EMARD/
SF FOGHORN
Delicious potato taco from La Palma. PHOTO BY
ELISE EMARD/SF FOGHORN
Acción Latina:
Matter in the Mission
ANIJAH MCLAURIN
ContributingWriter
The ‘80s
With walls adorned with vibrant murals and the rich scent
of Latine food, San Francisco’s Mission District is a celebration of
Latine history and culture. However, the people who laid the foundation
of today’s Mission are often overlooked. The latest SFMO-
MA art installation by Acción Latina, “The ‘80s Matter in the Mission,''
was celebrated at its opening event just in time for the end
of National Hispanic Heritage Month. The exhibit honors Latine
artists and organizers who advocated during the AIDS epidemic
and the immigration of Central American refugees to the Mission.
Most notably, the exhibit pays homage to queer Latine artist
and advocate, Juan Pablo Gutiérrez Sánchez, who passed away
last December. Dedicated to bettering the lives of Latine immigrants
and queer Latine folks, Gutiérrez pushed for AIDS education,
served as one of the first gay directors of the Mission Cultural
Center, and made sure Día de los Muertos was celebrated in San
Francisco.
Guitierrez’s life was honored through a mural by Mexican-American
artist Elizabeth Blancas that was the focal point of
the exhibit. Blancas’ mural, “Nuestros Muertos No Se Venden,” or,
Our Dead Are Not for Sale, is a nod to Guitierrez’s motto speaking
to parties trying to profit off of Día de los Muertos.
One of the event's curators and speakers, Paul S. Flores was
overjoyed to “make the past come to life through art.” Flores, who is
a Latine advocate, poet, and professor at USF, hopes for viewers to
not only remember the past, but to, “listen to it. Watch it. Experience
the visual memories and the voices of the time.”
When they weren’t looking at art, viewers dug deep into the
archives of California’s longest running bilingual newspaper, El
Tecolote. Co-curator Fátima Ramirez, executive director at Acción
Latina and former Foghorn news editor, wanted people to immerse
themselves in and experience all aspects of the Mission in the ‘80s
through the newspapers from the time.
El Grupo Maiz delighted the crowd with an El Salvadorian
Baile Folklórico performance halfway through the event and audience
members danced, sang, and clapped along.
Viewer Isabel Raskin was moved by the presence of culture and
solidarity at the event. “I just love seeing so much energy, spirit, and
a sense of community and support.”
Another audience member, Christos Eugen said he felt, “sadness
and happiness because we’re trying to remember all what happened
to all the Latinos during the ‘80s and ‘90s in the Mission and
in the whole San Francisco.”
Muralist Josué Rojas made two pieces that hug the book shelves
and play on his Central American heritage as a child growing up in
the Mission. His piece “Mission Pie” is a personal recollection of the
neighborhood in the 1980s. Tanya Orellana’s neon and vinyl print
installation “19th & Valencia” is inspired by her childhood memories
of growing up near the Mission Playground Pool and when the
Lexington Club transitioned from a Latine bar to a lesbian stronghold
in the Mission.
“It’s important to know our history and to remember the people
who gave a lot of effort to change the political and social realities
in our neighborhood and community,” said Flores.
The exhibit will be featured at the SFMOMA through June
23, 2023.
Jordan Premmer contributed to the reporting of this story.
07
SCENE
Grupo Maíz presents Baile Folklorico from El Salvador. PHOTO COURTESY OF NICK DERENZI