*gasp* They're gorgeous! I love apple blossoms :) I wish I had an apple tree...

Absolutely!! I'd love to answer any questions you have :) And I'd be fascinated to read more about Hawaii - I really enjoy learning about other places and cultures. Our whole Mexico/Hawaii conversation was so fun, I'm totally up for continuing it! :)

Lol your entire second paragraph is like you read my mind... I think plain grass is a little monotonous, whereas if you add clover and flowers, it looks so pretty and it's so much more ecological. When we first moved in, the garden was mainly grass, but over the years, all sorts of wildflowers have shown up, like the violets. Every spring they're some of the first flowers to bloom. I'm glad I was able to share them with you :)

Don't worry about having a lot of questions! I actually really like to answer questions, especially if they're about things I like, so feel free to ask as much as you want :) I'm going to make them into a list though to keep it clear which question I'm answering :)

1. Mexican foods I like: I like arroz rojo ("red rice"), which is rice cooked with tomato sauce and other seasonings. It tastes very flavorful in a mild, rich way. I eat a lot of quesadillas too. You've probably heard of them, but they're tortillas with cheese and other fillings - I always have mine with cheese and frijoles (beans). Sometimes I have molletes, toasted bread with frijoles and melted cheese. Also tacos are a classic. My favorites so far are "tacos de pastor", which have these really yummy pieces of beef for fillings. Other foods I like include fideos (which I believe are called egg noodles in English, but anyway they're like short mini-spaghetti pieces, cooked with tomato sauce, and they taste soooo good), and chicken legs with celery, and alegria bars (bars of amaranth, flavored with chocolate). There are also candies and drinks that I like, such as agua de lima, which is water with lime juice in it - it's very mild and almost sweet. Moving on to fruits, I absolutely love papayas - they make me happy just by tasting them - and guayabas (known as guavas in English, I think). Then there are lots of foods which aren't unique to Mexico, but which always taste better to me there - like the lemonade, super rich and sweet and lemony, and there's a cafe which has the best orange juice I've ever tasted. And an ice cream stand with super-good popsicles, and a restaurant which serves lemon ice cream in a cookie dish (that is to say, a dish which is a cookie) :)

Oddly enough, I haven't tried that many typical Mexican dishes. It's often really spicy, or "picoso," and I just never learned to like spicy food. Funny story, when we were visiting NYC one time, we passed a guy selling tacos, and I tried one and was instantly shocked by its spiciness and spent the rest of the meal gulping down water, so my mom ate the taco and she didn't drink any water at all, and I just sat there and was like "oh my gosh you must have spicy food superpowers!!" But I do like Mexican cuisine. It's really varied - lots of vegetables, meats, grains, fish, fruits. I think some staple foods would generally be tortillas, eggs (people cook them in all sorts of ways and eat them a lot, especially for breakfast), and maybe beans? At least that's how it used to be. Nowadays a lot of people eat junk food all the time, so you might be more likely to find a bag of potato chips or candy, sadly.

2. specific behaviors and manners:  ooff, there are a lot but let me try to choose some. I hope they're along the lines of what you wanted:

-everyone's very loving and caring? men are traditionally more reserved and reticent, but women are really openly loving. For instance, to say hello and goodbye, they'll usually hug and kiss if they're more than casual acquaintances. it's also usual (I think, I'm not sure) to say good night to your parents before going to bed, and give them a hug and a kiss.

-there are a whole lot of little social routines that you have to go through. For instance, if someone offers you something (like a ride home) you have to protest for a bit: "no no, I can take the bus, it's no bother, really, I don't want to disturb you." The other person has to insist: "but of course, I don't have anything else to do, and I still haven't finished telling you about the wedding anyway, and I'd love to drive you, it's fine". You have to be attentive to the way the other person is communicating so that you can decide whether you should accept or refuse (or if you're the one offering, whether you can withdraw your offer). It's customary to offer even if you don't mean it, just to be polite. If you don't mean it, then in the little back-and-forth, you somehow convey that you aren't too keen on the idea, and then the other person politely refuses. It's complicated :P Another one is that when you don't know someone, you use the formal way of addressing them. If you become closer, and your relationship becomes more informal, you can slip into using the informal form of address. It used to be that older family members and family friends were addressed formally by children, but by now that's changing. Still, it's always better to use the formal one if you're not sure.

-this doesn't happen everywhere, but in the city I come from, at large gatherings, people separate into groups. The men all go off and talk with the other men. Idk what they talk about, but probably sports and work and stuff like that. The women all talk with the other women. The kids all go off and play together. Sometimes there are arranged games for them, like pinatas, but sometimes they just play whatever comes to mind. At family gatherings, I used to play hopscotch and hide-and-seek a lot.

-kids and families are included in everything. For instance (if you're a kid), if your mother is going to her friend's baby shower, she might perfectly well bring you along too. Or if you invite your best friend over, her siblings could show up as well. Or if your mother is taking you somewhere to meet your best friend, she'll probably stay and talk with your friend's mother.  This causes a lot of cultural clashes when Mexicans move somewhere else, because the expectations are different :/

-after an event, people usually stay around and chat and take their time. They don't just vanish like they sometimes do here.

-people are very clean, and always clean their houses and other buildings regularly. 

-people are openly emotional. Like for instance if you've been through a hard time and you're talking with your friend, you're perfectly justified in starting to cry, or in otherwise expressing how sad and upset you are. Sometimes around here, I've seen people say things like "I'm sorry for unloading all this onto you," and that concept just doesn't exist in Mexico. 

-ooh, this is an important one: you're not supposed to imply that you're rich, or boast. It's very badly seen indeed. Besides, it's not that safe, because  if it's generally known that you're rich, you're much more at risk of having someone break into your house and steal everything. For the same reason, I remember that when my family went on vacations, I could never tell anyone the exact date: you just never know who's going to say "oh good, on this date they're going to be out of town, let me grab the opportunity to break in and steal something!" Obviously there are very many trustworthy people, and you can always trust your friends and family. But there are just a lot of untrustworthy people hanging around on the sidelines, so to speak. That habit of being discreet about money and things would probably stick with a Mexican who had moved somewhere else.

-this one might strike you as kind of funny but it's true: people wear warm clothes when it's cold. I would have assumed that everyone did this, but when I came to the US, I noticed a lot of people jogging around in the snow in shorts, and stuff like that. Mexicans would definitely take precautions and wear at least a coat and pants when it's cold.

-in the mornings, people usually go to school or to work, or to college. Sometimes women stay home to take care of their children, instead of bopping them into daycare (I don't judge anyone's decisions, but I do think if you're going to have a child, you have to be committed enough to take care of that tiny, innocent little being yourself, every single day, for at least the first five years of its life). Anyway, lunch is at about 2 or 3 pm, and it's the main meal of the day. After that people do all the usual afternoon things (entertainment or extra work or socializing).

-people often dress uniquely - for instance, it's perfectly normal to see someone wearing a traditional Mexican blouse (usually white or brightly colored, with a square neckline and bright flowers embroidered on it). Also sometimes they have Native American names, like Xochitl.

-sometimes Mexicans get this inferiority complex and start thinking "oh dear but this is Mexican, I'm sure European/American traditions are so much better". I, on the other hand, want to advocate for National Pride in Our Customs!!!! Fortunately it does seem to be getting better of late.

-people often have really cute nicknames. I heard once about a guy who was called "the Chicken" (in Spanish, "chicken" doesn't have the same connotations of cowardice, so it's not insulting). German Dehesa, in his humorous essays, called his youngest son "the Tamal de Dulce" (the Sweet Tamal). I think one of his wife's friends went by "the Duckling" or something? Also, every once in a while, you'll hear someone referred to as "the [insert name]" instead of just going by his or her plain name. For instance, Cristiano Ronaldo (a famous soccer player) is sometimes called "el Cristiano" (or "the Cristiano"), though I have no idea why. It's only every once in a while, though, that you'll hear someone referred to that way, it's not a common thing at all (unless it's part of a nickname, like "the duckling.")

-people don't really go in for pets that much, or at least, families often have pets, but the pets aren't so important as they are for Americans. another thing is that they rarely give their pets human names.

-there are lots of songs and games and nursery rhymes for younger kids. One classic is the "Tres Elefantes" song, which is all about elephants singing on spiderwebs until finally the spiderweb collapses. An example of a game would be "La vibora de la mar", which I've forgotten how to play but you might be able to find instructions online?

-in Spanish, there's a suffix, "ito", which is a diminutive - if you have a little dog, for instance, you say "perrito," as opposed to "perro." You can also say "perrote" if the dog is very big. Mexicans use that suffix a ton, more than Spaniards.

-people are not lazy, at all. BUT it is true that they don't obsessively throw themselves into work. For instance, let's say you're a boss trying to organize everyone for a project. You discover that Roberto is missing, and ask where he is. You're informed that Roberto went out for a late breakfast. You then have to wait around until Roberto comes back, and if the next day he wants to go out again, there's not really much you can do about it. Roberto isn't necessarily lazy or uncaring about the work he's doing, he just doesn't see any reason why he shouldn't enjoy the rest of life along with his work. And as such, he's going to work on his own schedule. It does make it difficult if you're a boss, but it contributes to a healthier and happier working atmosphere because people aren't obsessively stressing themselves out.

-families get along really well. They're generally really respectful and sweet to each other. Any book or movie which shows Mexican family members sniping or putting each other down, or being rude and uncooperative, is unrealistic. They're just not like that.

3. would a person from Mexico be shocked by cold weather: that would definitely be realistic. One thing to note is that in many areas of Mexico, it gets pretty chilly in the winter, and few houses have central heating. So it's not like a person from Mexico would be completely unused to coldness, if that makes sense - just unprepared for very cold weather.

4. customs for large holidays: For Christmas, people set up Nativity scenes showing the birth of Christ, with a stable, the shepherds, the wise men, and of course Mary and Joseph and Christ. And even the shopping malls put up Christmas trees. Poinsettias are red flowers that a lot of people buy around Christmastime :) A lot of people decorate their houses with strings of lights, so when you drive down a street at night, the houses are illuminated with yellow or multicolored lights, and sometimes there are other decorations like reindeer or inflatable Santa Clauses. I guess that's the same in a lot of countries, though. And people give each other presents. I think Santa Claus wasn't really a thing until recently - instead, kids were supposed to get presents from little Jesus - but by now the Santa Claus tradition has caught on. You might see people dressed up as Santa in the shopping malls, for instance. Another tradition is the Posada, when people re-enact Mary and Joseph's search for shelter in Bethlehem. They divide into two groups and sing a dialogue, one group taking the part of Mary and Joseph, and another group taking the part of the native town-dwellers, who refuse them shelter until they realize "oh wait it's Mary and Joseph who want shelter!" and let them in and everyone's happy. 

Christmas goes on for twelve days, up until January 6th, which is when the Wise Kings are supposed to come and leave presents for the children in each household. On that date, people eat a special cake (which I actually don't like that much...). The point of the cake is that it has a little figurine of the baby Jesus baked into it. Whoever gets the figurine has to make tamales for everyone on February 2nd, which is the day that the Nativity scenes are taken down. So Christmas traditions really last for a while...

Oh, and there are lots of songs that are sung at Christmas! Some of my favorites include "Los peces en el rio", "La marimorena," "Arre Borriquito" (I loveee that one), "Dime nino de quien eres", and "Venid pastorcillos". 

There are a lot of other religious traditions, like going to church regularly. In Catholicism, people don't read the Bible on their own - they go to church and the priest gives them a sermon based on a pre-chosen part of the Bible. (Given the violence and gore of a lot of Bible stories, I think it's a very good idea to have someone filter out the sensational stuff and try to find the meaningful religious parts instead.) And the New Testament is given a lot more importance than the Old Testament (the New one is about Christ, the Old one is about the Hebrew tribes and who killed whom and how did so-and-so cheat cheat his nephew out of marrying so-and-so [okay, it's not just about that, but it really does talk about all the stuff I mentioned! also no disrespect intended toward the Bible or those who read it]) Anyway, people go to church a lot. And sometimes they go in the afternoon just to pray. Usually they have rosaries, which are strings of beads, and use them to help keep track of how many prayers they've said already. It's usually older women who do this, though. I wasn't brought up going to church, but I like the atmosphere of a church on a hot, quiet afternoon - it's hushed and peaceful, and it makes it easier to think about or feel God.

Let me know if you want to know more about the other holidays, like Easter! I've written so much that I think I'd better leave it at that for now, but I'd love to let you know more if you'd like :)

5. favorite things about Mexico...I think for me personally, it's just the physical place in itself.  I think I mentioned on another thread that though the culture did shape me, of course, it's my native city in itself that means the most to me. A few of my favorite things about it are:

-it's so beautifully sunny!! And warm!! (it does get a little chilly in winter but still) The sky is just so blue, and the sunlight is warm and bright and strong, and it's wonderful. Also the days seem to last so much longer; it's like there's plenty of time, and the day won't end until you're good and ready for it to turn into nighttime...

-the sunsets

-the flowers, like bougainviillea

-the fountains and parks - almost everywhere you go, there's a little area of grass and trees and playgrounds and pathways. If you're a little kid living in Mexico, your entire world can consist of a) home; b) school); 3) the parks :) And some of the parks have fountains of stone, with blue and white tiles inside them, and they're so pretty and lovely. Another interesting thing is that a lot of the trees are trimmed into cubes or rectangular prisms, and the bottom parts of their trunks are painted white to deter ants.

-the mountains and the landscapes in general, like the Barranca de Oblatos

-the beaches! admittedly I didn't live on a beach, but we went there for trips sometimes, and they were so beautiful.

-the taxis!

-the music - living in Mexico, you're surrounded by music. Sometimes it's annoying - the neighbors might decide to have a party all night long, and therefore blast the latest dance music at a volume that keeps the entire block awake, and then you can't sleep. But a lot of times it's just nice. Sometimes a man will bring his girlfriend a serenata (serenade) at night - either he stands outside her window and sings beautiful songs, or he hires a band to do it for him. Either way, it's a lovely tradition, and of course all the neighbors benefit because they get to hear gorgeous music softly echoing through the night... Also sometimes, in the more traditional areas, people get together and sing and play music, and even hold contests where they have to communicate through rhymes that they make up on the spot. Some of my favorite songs are "El Colas" because it's just so happy and bouncy; "La Petenera" (a song about a mermaid); and "El Tilingo Lingo". I'd recommend looking them up just so you can ~experience~ something Mexican firsthand! Then there are artists like Paco Padilla and Alejandro Filio, who write their own songs and are really gifted.

-the way people have a good sense of humor (German Dehesa, a Mexican journalist, was one of the funniest people ever in my opinion). People are definitely okay with being laughed at and with laughing at others. Which I think is very healthy, as long as it's non-hurtful, because it helps you deal with the sad things of life and enjoy the good ones, as well as keeping arrogant people from getting too much power (how can an aspiring dictator get people to support him, if someone jumps up and starts making hilarious jokes about him? Maybe the US media should adopt that tactic). Here's an example: my family and I were going on a walk. My uncle, who always wants to look like "the cool guy," became very absorbed in his phone. I noticed this, and started imitating him - I was strutting around in circles, evidently self-important and swaggering, staring at an imaginary phone. That's the essence of Mexican humor - you notice when someone is trying to set himself up as "cool" or "powerful", and you turn it into something funny (in this case, by exaggerated imitation). There's actually a whole TV series that makes fun of the "superhero" idea.

-idk how to express this, but just the atmosphere. The feeling that life is colorful and rich and beautiful and glowing and full of surprises and love and safety... The feeling that everywhere you look there'll be something beautiful... The way you can go to a shopping mall with your parents and marvel at the escalators and the toys and the chocolate croissants that your mom surprised you with, and then drive home and see a gorgeous sunset behind the flowering trees, and maybe when you get home your grandma calls and invites you all over to lunch tomorrow, and you're surrounded by people who are interesting and kind and close to you and who will take care of you... maybe that's just childhood in general, but I do think that if you're a little kid in a middle-class family, a city in Mexico is the best place to be. (Ha ha. Until the drug dealers kidnap you. By now, I would not advise letting any little kid live in Mexico, it's so dangerous, which is just sad and awful. But back when I was little, it was still okay, and that's really the version of Mexico that I'm talking about throughout this post.) I really don't know why, but it's just like my native city has so much more soul and color than anywhere else I've been.

-do Mexican Americans throw parties: hmm, I think it really depends. Sometimes it's a matter of preference, sometimes it depends on how much the family has abandoned its former traditions. Honestly though, I don't actually know many Mexican Americans; all my family's friends are still in Mexico, and where I live there aren't many immigrants.

Ooh, look up 4K travel tour videos! I've seen some for Paris, and they're fascinating, a great way to experience a city if you can't go there. I just checked, and there are a bunch of good ones for Guadalajara and Mexico City! Like. Yes. If you want to see the cities' beauty, take a look! you will not regret it I promise

Anyway I wrote wayyyy more than I should've but my desire to talk always runs away with me whenever I get settled down at the computer... sorry if this was too much. I'd better save my reply to your description of Hawai'i (which was lovely btw!) for another post :)

Haha, the baked manju thing does sound funny :) I think it's great that you're trying to represent your Japanese characters more authentically! I know how it feels to have the media always represent characters in ways that you disagree with. Similarly to the way Japanese characters are usually in internment camps (which I agree, doesn't sound like light reading), it feels like Mexican characters are generally immigrants running through the desert trying to escape the border patrol... and yes, it's important to show the harshness of the US policy towards immigrants. But there are a lot of other facets to the immigrant experience - like why not show them trying to escape the drug dealers, which are the real problem? Anyway, on the bright side, it leaves a lot of important work for us to do as writers, which is very motivating :)

Ooh, which Kyngdom character were you thinking of (if you don't mind my asking?)?

I looked up mochiko chicken and chocolate haupia pie... when I saw the photos of the pie, I was instantly like "oh gosh this looks so good" and it looks like its ingredients shouldn't be too hard to get, so I'll definitely keep it in mind for the next time I want to try a new dessert! Thanks for mentioning it :) Oh, and I looked up the shells too - they're so pretty! I can't find any sort of a story about opihi shells, except that apparently they're dangerous to harvest because they're found on rocks surrounded by dangerous waves. But if there's any sort of folklore about them I guess it's probably not found on the internet.

Oh, okay, that makes sense about the Buddhist and Shinto religions. I think I'd heard about Buddhist temples, it sounds familiar. 

Oh my goodness i'iwi are very cute, I love their expressions :) And the humuhumunukunukuapua’a fish are amazing! And monk seals are obviously adorable :)

I looked up Haleakala... the mountain looks really different than I'd imagined, almost like it's in a desert, but maybe that's just the way the photos make it look? Anyway, wow. And I found some photos of the windmills :)

Goodness, imagine being killed by a falling coconut... of all the ways to go :/ I can imagine it would be pretty dangerous, though. The waterfalls sound amazing. It must be so nice to have sun all the time!!  And yeah, hurricanes and earthquakes and the like are much more entertaining when you're young and naive XD

I love the cardinals! they look so elegant. Haha, I looked up ae'o and you know what it gave me? Pictures of skyscrapers. There's just one lone picture of a bird... let me try searching for "ae'o bird"... there we go. they look so cute!! and so incongruous with those long legs. I like the amakihi and the myna too, especially the amakihi, they're so fluffy and yellow. It seems like birds in warmer areas are usually more brightly colored than the ones we have around here...

I actually have another question, if you don't mind: how did Hawaii become so influenced by Japanese culture? I could probably just look it up or read a book about Hawaiian history, but I wanted to know if you had any thoughts on the topic.

Thanks for writing so much! It was really interesting :))

It sounds like your garden is doing so well! And your plans for next year sound great - one of the nice things about gardens is how there's always a new project to think about. And native plants, yay! I'm glad your lemon balm recovered :) Mine is really happy so far, and it smells so. good. Every time I smell it, it's amazing. All lemony and tart and just wonderful. One of my favorite smells :) oh and green tea with matcha sounds really nice!