So today I decided to get some Pan de Muerto to celebrate the Dia de Muertos holiday in Mexico.
It’s a holiday that goes on every November 1st and November 2nd and my time eating the Pan de Muerto can be read about here.
Anyway, as I went to get some food today, I stopped by a nearby OXXO close to the Lindavista Mall in northern Mexico City.
As I went inside, I found myself behind some dude taking forever to send some money to someone.
I swear to you that I have the worst luck with this.
Every time I go into an OXXO, there is ALWAYS someone trying to send money in front of me.
For some reason, I just can’t catch the right time to walk in to buy what I want without a 5 minute wait for some random dude to take his sweet ass time giving out the information to send money.
Anyway, the guy eventually get his business done and walks out with a few bags of chips also.
Then it’s finally my turn.
Right away, I ask the employee for some El Presidente Brandy.
He tells me “we only have the big bottles.”
“Yeah, that’s perfectly OK.”
Which – as a side question – who the hell buys the small bottles of liquor?
Maybe an alcoholic who is out of money but needs a quick drink?
Still, if that was the case, they’d probably be buying Tonayan instead.
Like the cheapest shit you can get in Mexico basically that, according to this source here, might even make you blind!
But I can’t verify that.
I did drink it once and turned out perfectly OK.
Now where’s my glasses?
I can’t see the keyboard very well to type this article…
Anyway, I ask the guy for two large bottles for a total of 304 pesos.
I give him a 500 peso bill and 4 pesos to buy it.
Immediately, the guy then asks me “do you have identification?”
Which, when he asked that, I asked him to repeat himself because I thought I misheard him.
Like who asks me for ID here in Mexico?
It literally never happens outside of maybe one time when I went to a bar years ago.
And then he asks kindly for any ID explaining that “he doesn’t want to get into any trouble. Just to be safe.”
Then I do a “fake check” in my pockets and say “no, no soy de aqui.”
Or, in English, “I’m not from here.”
Which, funny enough, the dude then repeats what I said “no eres de aqui?”
Then asks me “where are you from?” in Spanish.
Because sometimes locals down here are overly insistent on practicing English if you are a foreigner, I just tell him that I’m from Russia like usual.
Which, in that moment, I found it funny that he seemingly thought I was Mexican?
I have doubts that he believed that because I have an obvious accent although there are plenty of Mexicans who are white like me.
But, if he did think I was a Mexican, that’d be one in a blue moon occurrences.
Never happens really.
But, given this is Lindavista, it might be the case that the dude simply hasn’t ever seen any other foreigners in the area.
As I wrote here, I’ve found the folks in Lindavista to be more curious about what I’m doing here when compared to locals in other parts of the city.
Anyway, the lady next to him then looks up and says “pasaporte? Tienes pasaporte?”
And I tell her that “I don’t have my passport. It’s at my house.”
Which is true – I’m not going to carry my passport outside given how important it is but sometimes these folks do accept copies of a passport.
Anyway, the guy goes on again about how “you know, I don’t want to take risks here.”
Which is also funny that he says that since, as you can read here, I literally bought brandy from this same OXXO just 3 days ago.
And I didn’t need an ID.
Plus, in Mexico, I believe you only have to be 18 to buy liquor? Not 21 in the US?
Don’t quote me on that but this source here says so.
And so do I really look under 18 to this guy?
I’m not sure if that’s a compliment or an insult.
On one hand, as I get closer to 30, I don’t mind being taken for someone 3 years younger perhaps.
But a whole decade looking like a teenager?
I’m confident that I don’t look anything like a teenager.
Anyway, I didn’t give the guy any attitude about it but, for some reason, I felt the need to show him my metro transportation card.
Which doesn’t have my name, my date of birth or any identifying information on it.
It literally just looks like this.
So, for whatever reason, I pulled it out of my pockets and said “this is all I got.”
Before I even finished my sentence, the dude literally just says “perfecto” and immediately begins looking for my change for the bottles.
What?
Is the Mexico City metro card some new form of ID to get liquor?
Although the dude said “perfecto” right away before I even finished the sentence, I did see him glance at the card that I pulled out of my pocket.
So it’s not like he could’ve confused it for a driver’s license.
Part of me also wondered as I walked away if he was going to keep the 500 bill and insist he can’t give it back to me for “trying to buy liquor without an ID.”
Could they do that here in Mexico?
No.
But enough time in Mexico has made me accept that a bad local knows no limits when it comes to doing stupid shit for an extra buck.
Still, that’s just the pessimistic in me.
I doubt he really was trying to fuck with me.
My best guess is that they must’ve gotten into trouble just a few days ago for selling some kid liquor and now have to be extra careful.
And, as the guy thought about it, he probably just thought “ah fuck it, sure. You can have the bottles.”
Probably with the realization that no foreigner from “Russia” or the US would come to Mexico to illegally buy liquor.
Unless maybe we’re talking of some American kid whose 18 and not 21 who decides to cross from El Paso to Ciudad Juarez?
No idea if that’d work but I’d guess since you only have to be 18 in Mexico.
Anyway, I found it funny all the same that the dude accepted this new form of ID that I never knew worked in Mexico.
The Mexico City Metro Card!
With no name or birth of date on it, it is now the newest way to get liquor!
Still, it’s a rare occurrence as I said to be asked for ID.
It’s a topic I wrote about here actually.
Anyway, that’s all I got to say.
It’s slightly curious story but not much else to add from my end.
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Thanks for reading.
Best regards,
Matt