ON EXPLAINING MYSELF AT LA PLACITA DE SANTURCE WHILE EATING AND DANCING

At La Placita de Santurce I do not have to explain myself or be on a “defensive mode” whenever I am in a conversation with the regulars or visitors who pass by the busy market and restaurant neighborhood in that area of San Juan. No one asks me where I am from or turn to somebody else to get the “correct” English pronunciation of my words, or repeat my Puerto Rican Spanish in order to express some kind of judgement or trigger a reaction. In New York or Miami or Washington or so many places in the States I had to do it so often, it became an annoyance. More so, if the ones asking the question or expressing some discomfort with Spanish-accented English sounds or my Puerto Rican Spanish had as much substance in their brains as one can find in a canned sweet pea. As someone said of somebody else who claimed to be a polyglot, "she speaks several languages, but has nothing to say in any of them." In La Placita I am another Puerto Rican senior citizen spending his afternoons, relaxing, eating a pastelillo here or an alcapurria over there, listening to music and, rarely, showing off my salsa mastery dancing steps. Once in a while, I have had to accept a lady’s invitation to dance with her. Some of the younger ones, have shown enough respect to use the formal “Don”, "usted" or call me “caballero” when addressing me, or have offered me their seats if the place is too crowded -old age has its social benefits in the island of enchantment. To this last act of courtesy, I usually say, “No, thanks”, in case I want to keep moving while deciding if I eat an alcapurria de yuca o guineo or a pastelillo made with masa de hojaldre, filled with jueyes, res, pollo, vegetales, bacalao or "ciegas" as the cheaper ones tend to be; checking the diversity of dancers and dancing styles. In Puerto Rican salsa dancing is not only about steps or pure pleasure, it is also about a particular language developed by the two dancers. From one pair to another different narratives are being expressed, created thru the movement of feet, hands, arms, shoulders, knees, hips; forming angles, circles, speed and pauses, talking to each other without saying a wprd. As one desciphers each couple's discourses someone might say, "Siéntese, Don". A "No gracias, muy amable" serves as a response, accompanied by a smile a lo Juan Ramón Jiménez's book on Puerto Ricans' "sonrisas"; then, keep moving, to make sure the old bones get some exercise. No further explanations needed.