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Use Cinco de Mayo as a reason to party, reflect

By RICK GERSHMAN
Published May 5, 2006

I don't want to be polarizing, exactly, but let's face the facts.

I know today is Cinco de Mayo. But what are we doing celebrating it?

I suppose the same argument could be made for St. Patrick's Day, or - okay, I'll admit, I can't think of any comparable holiday than St. Patrick's Day.

But here's my general notion:

Do we really need a holiday as an excuse to go get drunk?

Sure, we're a bunch of crazy Americans, and we're apt to get drunk on pretty much any occasion.

So on an actually appropriate occasion such as Independence Day, I understand the notion to toss down something like 37 Pabst Blue Ribbons - presuming you're not driving, of course - to numb the pain from losing 80 percent of your thumb from a prematurely exploded bottle rocket.

Now that's a holiday.

But Cinco de Mayo?

Needing some more perspective, I bothered the only Mexican-American friend I knew who I figured might be hanging out in a 1-mile radius of the office.

So at the jewel of downtown Tampa, The Hub, I found my friend Denise Padilla. She was born in Texas, but she's second-generation Mexican-American.

For Cinco de Mayo, Denise said, "I tell all Americans to get drunk and to think about what's going on in this country."

Perhaps she has a point, because it's not like much of the citizenry has been thinking about it any other time. Immigration and the rights of undocumented Mexican workers wasn't even a major discussion at the national level just a couple of months ago.

Anyway, what is Cinco de Mayo? Apparently it "commemorates the victory of Mexican forces led by General Ignacio Zaragoza over the French expeditionary forces in the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862."

Well, that's according to Wikipedia, at least, but it checks out across the board.

The online encyclopedia also notes that "many Americans have only a cursory understanding of the significance of this day; it is often mistakenly assumed to be Mexico's independence day, and in practice, is only seen as an excuse for drinking Margaritas and Mexican beer to excess."

That's unfortunate, but I also have to admit, I have no great objection to that game plan - as long as you at least hook up a designated driver. Or, if necessary, a designated keep-you-from-unintentionally-ending-up-in-a-Playboy-DVD buddy.

If you really want to celebrate the holiday - and face it, it's a Friday, so we're not keeping you away from the bay anyway - I have heard of a few things going on.

For example, as part of its "Cinco de Mayo Celebration," your local Chili's is pimping its Mexican shrimp scampi and Chambord 1800 margarita.

Floyd's at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino is running a Cinco de Mayo bash tonight from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m., so you might want to take a nap.

And, of course, you can expect various celebrations at pretty much any place you can get a shot of Jose Cuervo.

As for me, I'll just crack open a Corona or three. Why?

Because it's Friday. Who needs another reason?

Rick Gershman can be reached at rgershman@sptimes.com or 226-3431. His blog, the Ill Literate, is at www.sptimes.com/blogs/tampaarts/.

[Last modified May 5, 2006, 08:26:00]