52nd City

mirasol on delmar also has delicious tres leches for dessert.

with all due respect, however, the start of this entry was one of the more offensive things i've read on the interweb in quite awhile. (in fact, baseball announcer steve lyons was fired for derogatory comments about "habla'ing espanol" just last week.)

cherokee street in general is one of the city's greatest assets in terms of food and culture, and the way this entry denigrated the customs and food there in such a flippant way -- i.e., "oh look, strange people and their weird food!" -- sort of astounded me and made me sad.

and people wonder why st. louis has such a reputation for being insular, parochial and averse to trying new things.

Come on, how PC does everyone have to be? Miss McG is just keeping it real. I'm sure there are other publications much more insular, parochial and averse to new things to which any said offense would be better directed.

imagine if this same post was directed at, say, african-americans or asians in the city.

then it would be called racist, not "keeping it real."

i'm as un-PC as the next person, but come on.

People do in fact have a lack of understanding about others. It is unfortunate and true. I appreciate Shannon fully admitting her prior ignorance on the subject and sharing her experience. Such discussions are how we move from being isolated to more mixed. I'm certain Shannon will return to Cherokee and will benefit from the culture the street offers.

I recall getting a really good pumpkin empanada at a bakery on Cherokee a couple of years ago but I haven't been back since. This has helped me remember that.

Now, about those guys with the big hats and pointed boots --- that is one of my favorite things about Cherokee. Recently they had a festival in the neighborhood and I talked with some of the guys you describe. It helped as I approached that I was wearing one of my many western shirts and my well worn cowboy boots. One of the group spoke english which was necessary as I don't recall a lick of my high school spanish. We talked about the latino music playing and how what I was hearing on stage at the time was basically their version of "pop" music, he pointed to some other latino guys with the baggy pants and such and said they liked mexican hip-hop. He and his friends, enjoy the mexican take on our American country & folk.

The diversity among the latino/mexican people that day was great. Those of us that are white, myself included, tend all too often to lump them all together. The same can be said for other ethic/racial groups, gays or any group that is different than our own. It is good to get out and mingle with others. It was very educational. I just wish I spoke enough spanish so that I could order vegetarian meals.

My intent was self-depricating humor, acknowledgement of my own limited experience and to illustrate how one small move out of my ordinary zone can have such a positive outcome.

Steve is right, I have returned to Cherokee Street several times since the cake purchsase and find myself more comfortable and educated after each visit.

Thanks for the feedback. I have removed the offending text.

I'm not offended by Shannon's post. After all, I live on the north side. People who expect others to know about Cherokee never use the same tone about business districts on the north side.

CSC: lighten up, Francis.

arguments aside, how big of a cake didja get for that price tag?