Sunday, September 30, 2012

Difference Between a Kid Birthday Party In Iowa and Mexico

As the title hints, I took the younger nephew to a birthday party yesterday.  It was one of his classmate's 8th birthday.  And for some reason they decided to host it at a gymnasium in Timbuktu, the other side of the city, so I waited at the party rather than make another 60 minute round trip.  While twiddling my toes and becoming numb while the nerves vibrated up my spine up to the base of my skull from all the screaming, I remembered a few birthday parties in Mexico.

In Iowa, if the printed invitation says the party starts at 3:00, the party really starts at 3:00. And don't be late.  In Mexico, if the word-of-mouth party invitation starts at 3:00, show up at 4:00.  Or 5:00.  Or midnight.

In Iowa, do not even consider bringing along an uninvited guest. In Mexico, bring along your sister, your best friend, her mother-in-law, and the 15 cousins from the next town over.  The more the merrier.

In Iowa, alcohol is strictly verboten at a children's birthday party.  In Mexico, alcohol consumption is encouraged.

In Iowa, food is centered around the children's tastes.  Pizza, pop, hot dogs and cake.  In Mexico, fajitas, tortillas, salchichas, with a load of peel the paint hot salsa is common. Even the kids eat the stuff.  And a piñata.  Does anyone else besides me think it is sadistic to beat the hell out of a papier-mâché princess or Sponge Bob?

In Iowa when the party invitation says the party is over at 5:00, you better be there on time to pick up the child.  If you're 15 minutes late, Child Protective Services may be called to report an abandoned child. In Mexico, the party has just barely started.

Maybe I wouldn't be so cranky about yesterday's birthday party if the host would have offered me a piece of birthday cake.  Or better yet, a beer.


7 comments:

  1. You have clearly distinguished the differences in both area parties. do you have experience of attending kids birthday party Boca Raton ?

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  2. Hahahaha - Yes, birthday parties in Mexico are awesome!!! Beer, tons of food, and laid back attitude...Kinda nice... :)

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  3. Pretty much right on, Rita. I have to say, though, that it gives me great pleasure to see someone beating the snot out of Sponge Bob...sorry, Bob Esponga ;o) The birthday parties I've been to D.F. tend to be on the less picante side,menu-wise, but more than once at birthday parties as well as other events, I've had "espaghetti" which seems to be made by cooking a bunch of spaghetti and dumping a can of tomato sauce on top. Why do they hate Italy?

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    Replies
    1. Ok, I picked a bad example with Sponge Bob. But the princess? Or how about Dora the Explorer?

      No kidding about the espegueti or espaghetti or however weird way it is spelled. I wouldn't exactly call that tomato sauce they put on it. I am not sure what I would call it.

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  4. Looking forward for more amazing birthday vacations like this one.
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  5. Ok, this is definitely a lot different than how things are done in the states.
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