The sound of music rises in the ancient city. My gaze falls upon the small kiosk that has been set up on the sidewalk, blasting reggaeton music, decked out in anime decor, and where a couple of ladies are cooking up some ramen for the customers who wait on the small tables.
I'm walking along the colonial streets of one of the first cities in the Americas. To say it's old is to put it mildly. There's nothing Japanese about this Spanish jewel. So why is there a ramen shop right in the middle of it?
This is genius! I think to myself.
In my mind, my Spanish sounds flawless, but as soon as I open my mouth, no sabo. Thankfully, the menu was straight forward. After purchasing the seafood ramen, I sat on one of the little benches nearby with a bottle of Sprite. The music was joyful and livened up the quaint historic street.
"What a surreal place," I said.
If you're a fan of cyberpunk science fiction, you probably know that ramen shops are futuristic. I think we have to thank Blade Runner for that. Ramen is associated with Japanese culture, which is a high tech culture, thus creating a nice juxtaposition of the ultra modern with the archaic past.
But why is there one here smack in the middle of colonial Santo Domingo?
Besides the obvious entrepreneurial rationale, I think the answer has to do with the popularity of anime in Latin America. The way I understand it, certain Japanese animations were very popular among the general public in various LatAm countries; in contrast to North America where anime shows were popular mainly among the young. I could be wrong though. I should have asked the ladies, but bueno, usted comprende.
Me (in an alternate universe): Disculpe senoritas, porque pusieron este puesto de comida aqui y cuales son las raices historicas y culturales de esta accion? 😅
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