CP #5: Tailgating as a Concept, Shu Shu, and Flea Market Wanderings

September 14, 2013

Brothers Navigating

            While casting around for ideas of what to show my partners in Tallahassee, I thought of the flea market. I’ve only gone there a couple times, and it definitely has its own flavor. Luis and Isabella were able to join my brothers and me on a Saturday afternoon before the first home game. The game made itself apparent immediately. Hordes of Noles fans in garnet and gold clogged the sidewalks and roads, while traffic impeded our arriving quickly at the flea market. Between picking Luis up and finally getting to the flea market, we were in the car 45 minutes! This left ample time for me to point out different aspects of American football culture.

            “See those tents? Where people have set up chairs, fans, tables, and food? That’s called tailgating,” I told them both. I explained that (I think) it comes from people backing up their trucks to the tent and using the back as storage and an extra surface. Just as I was explaining, we were pulled up next to a gas station parking lot with a truck doing exactly that. It was great timing.

            My partners were very patient during the drive. I only wish my brothers had reached out more to them. One was driving and another was helping him navigate, but the third was just reading on his phone. I think he was shy. Still, we used the time to talk, so it wasn’t a waste. Luis and I talked about ecology! He surprised me by asking, “What is the ecosystem here? Is it forest?”

            I looked out onto the empty lots, low-slung buildings, and intermittent forest on Southwest Capital Circle. I was kind of at a loss.

            “I mean, there’s forest, rainforest…This isn’t rainforest, no?”

            “No, it’s definitely not rainforest,” I assured him. “It must be forest. The thing is that this ecosystem used to be a pine forest. See those pines? There was a specific one, the longleaf pine, that was very common here before.” I pointed out the occasional longleaf pines where I could. “Florida naturally had those pines...and palm trees,” I added. “Isabella, do you remember palm trees?”

Plenty of fresh produce

            “Yes,” Isabella smiled knowingly. “I remember!” I must have showed her so many palm trees on the way to St. George Island, poor thing.

            I continued my mini-ecology lecture to Luis. “The longleaf pines like fire.”

            “Really?”

            “Yes, because it kept the area clear so the baby pines could get enough sun.”

            “So that way they didn’t have to fight with other trees, no? They didn’t have to compete.”

            “Exactly!” I was thrilled to discuss ecological topics with Luis. He really does seem environmentally-minded. He’s told me before about grassroots movements to protect sea turtle hatchlings on Cancun’s beaches, and he enjoys exploring the rainforests and beaches near him in Mexico.

Isabella's shu shu!

            It was a hot, muggy day in Tallahassee, and the heat hit us like a wall when we got out of the van. The flea market is open-air, though it does have a roof and many fans. We first perused the fresh produce. Isabella gasped with recognition as we were passing a stand filled with imports from Mexico. “A shu shu!” she trilled, clasping one to her. It’s a bell pepper-sized, pale green vegetable that is apparently like squash. In Brazil, it’s known as shu shu, but in Mexico it’s called chayote. In English, it’s apparently called the pear squash. Isabella assured me they were delicious, so I bought one. “Make sure to eat it with other vegetables,” Luis told me. “It’s best in a mix.”

            We continued wandering down the rows of goods. There were so many cheap, manufactured things! Everything from underwear to dishes to computer mice was there, in boxes marked with a price. Even though Isabella and Luis spent a while talking to each other while I floated between my partners and my brothers (I am the oldest sister), I was content that they were speaking English. I overheard Luis assuring Isabella that she would improve the adequate amount in 4 months to not have to return to Brazil. She had a halfhearted smile on, though, and kept shaking her head. “No, I go back to Brazil,” she said. I jumped in.

            “Isabella, you can do this! You are so smart; you are going to keep improving!” She just shook her head.

            She explained to me later, “Language is hard for me. I’m an engineer! I prefer counts.” She’s much more comfortable with math and physics as a civil engineer, and if I understood correctly on the beach, she was planning to study in Portugal to finish her bachelor’s. Isabella only found out she would be studying at a US university in June!

            Isabella and I bought nail polish. She got the colors of the Brazilian flag. Luis found a pencil holder for his desk as well as some bracelets for his friends. My brothers bought carved wooden swords to hold mock battles. It was my 20-year-old brother’s idea. Luis was concerned about getting back in time for the game, and the taxi that he called said it would be a 45 minute wait. I assured him we could get him back faster than that, so we headed out. Due to the traffic, the best place to leave Isabella and Luis turned out to be a traffic light close to the stadium. They thanked us for the ride and found their way together. My brothers told me my partners seemed nice. I’m hoping the prior contact will ease the atmosphere when they come over to our house this Friday.