Back Off Mustache: Allen House Chicago’s Celebración Día de los Muertos

Reporting on Operation Decompression has slowed to a dribble in the toilet bowl that is the Back Off Mustache Blog. To make up for disrupting your ability to live vicariously through me I present to you (trumpets and kazoos playing the Drifters’ “Up on the Roof”) Allen House Chicago’s Celebración Día de los Muertos.

Margot looks swell, I am looking older and older in each photo.

The National Museum of Mexican Art’s (at 1852 W 19th St, Chicago, IL) Day of the Dead exhibits have had the definite pleasure of entertaining the Red Head for the past ten years. I joined in on the fun around year two. Back in the old days you would be lucky if there were three other people wandering about the galleries. With each year came more visitors, tighter spaces and less air to breathe. This is the only place in the world in which we are happy for the increased crowds.

Margot is Allen House Chicago's Docent at seven different Chicago institutions.
Here she is sharing the glory that is NMMA with Tory, Leslie and Roy.

Being complete museum junkies we have a shortlist of our favorite spots in the city, the NMMA is second only to the Chicago History Museum (1601 N Clark St) so its growing popularity is bittersweet. There were times that we wondered if they were even making enough money through donations and gift shop sales and thought that they would soon start charging admission. Thankfully it is still the free part of our annual adventure through Chicago’s Pilsen Neighborhood (Little Mexico).

This fun sculpture was a real downer. It represented some heavy subject
like overbearing government surveillance or some bull shit.
Nonetheless Margot and Tory looked like they were having fun.

Our day usually begins with meeting friends at one of the traditional restaurants within walking distance of the NMMA. On recommendation from Dr. Crapple’s cop friend we tried Cuernavaca. To begin the meal we were served bowls of corn flour noodles simmering in tomato broth joined iced orxata (a traditional nonalcoholic drink made of ground almonds, sesame seeds, rice, barley and chufas), fishbowls filled with margaritas and the customary chips with salsa. Be sure to try the salsa that can only be described as spicy Ranch dressing. Burritos are in jumbo pairs like those fat twins riding little motorcycles in the Guinness Book of World Records.

Corn flour noodles simmering in tomato broth.
An upscale version of Campbell's chicken noodle and tomato soups mixed.

Two sexy gals and their fishbowls filled with ritas.

Tory and his twin Mexican logs of wonderment.

I ordered a bowl of the seafood stew that was filled with crab legs, a clam, beautifully fatty fish steak, loads of shrimp, a ridiculously big clam and at least a colander full of vegetables with a side of rice and tortillas.

We ended the dandy meal peppered by mediocre service with an amazing plate of fried dough generously tossed in sugar and cinnamon.

Our favorite part of the annual Allen House Field Trip is introducing the absolutely fucking amazing Día de los Muertos exhibit to newbies. We like to think that they quickly go from assuming the Day of the Dead is a weird and creepy celebration to seeing its beauty and relevance in keeping fresh the memories of loved ones who have passed. It should not be scary, rather it is time to share funny stories, happy memories and what you truly loved about the departed.

This year we assembled our eighth Allen House Día de los Muertos altar complete with chalkware saints that I have hoarded, ten years’ worth of the Red Head’s NMMA gift shop purchases, photos of the expired (I am totally running out of words for dead people), objects that they owned or made, sugar skulls, our grandparents’ favorite snacks and drinks all bathed in the glow of candles lighting the way.