The fuck is Bodeiiga?

I think its crucial I explain the conception of the name to fully comprehend where does it all come from. I believe this text does that.

"In the heartbeat of the concrete jungle, where the city's pulse races, you'll find the unsung heroes of New York – the bodegas. These are the gritty, no-nonsense havens where dreams are served with a side of attitude. Imagine this: a corner store that's not just a store; it's a love letter to every late-night craving, every spontaneous hangout, and every diverse soul that calls this city home.

Bodegas are like the street poets of NYC, slinging snacks and stories, surviving the urban jungle's chaos. They're owned by the dreamers, the hustlers, and the ones who know the city's heartbeat intimately. Immigrant spirits infuse the aisles, turning a simple storefront into a mosaic of global flavors.

Picture this: it's 3 AM, the city lights flicker, and you stroll into a bodega. The owner, an immigrant with dreams as bold as the skyline, hands you a bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich, wrapped in a foil masterpiece. The bodega is more than just a place; it's a character in the city's story, a rhythm in the chaotic symphony of New York.

And yeah, it's a bit rough around the edges, a little crude, but that's the beauty of it. These bodegas are the heartbeat, the lifeline, and the gritty romance of New York. In a city that never sleeps, the bodega is the quiet whisper, 'I got you, no matter the hour.' That's love, my friend – served chilled with a side of street wisdom."

You see, for me, a bodega is a vehicle for cultural interplay, it represents an ecosystem for creation, may that be for music what started as jazz, blues and evolved to be rap, where people introduce foreign slang to their vocabulary, where you get to try whats different but delicious, its a vehicle where newness can thrive.

For me, being an unapologetic Gaijin is not only good, but necessary, to have a foreigners perspective to new things and not seeing limitations but endless opportunities. Fuck tradition for nostalgia. Italians keeping traditions; Fuck Tomatoes. Elvis keeping traditions; Fuck rock n´roll. Tarantino keeping traditions; Fuck good storytelling. Embrace weird, new, risk, have fun, embrace Shoshin friend, shoshin.

So….. what the fuck is Bodeiiga? Honestly I cant explain it in a comprehensive way, what I do know is whats our mission and what are we going to do about it. Our mission is to create community and incite culture, in any shape or form, may that be food, music, people, and places; although food is the foundation and main protagonist.

Why Bodeiiga and not Bodega? If you are hispanic, like me, you pronounce bodega as BOH-DEH-GAH. If you are not hispanic, chances are you pronounce it BOH-DEI-GAH. Since I want to reference NYC Bodegas, then Bodeiiga suits best.

Bodeiiga is a community, not a person; if you share interests or identify with the project and want to participate in any way hmu , may that be in producing a series (in any media/format), collab on a pop up, make a video, event, blog, playlist, conversation, there are no limitations. The goal is to integrate several collaborators in different areas of Bodeiiga and form a collective.

How are doing this?

Digital
- Across our socials we will be creating content in different formats about food, music, people, stories, culture. Our main communications platforms for now will be our English content IG , this substack BODEIIGA, groove with our playlists or you can also find our Spanish content IG.

Physical
- For now, hosting pop up dinners & events in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, México (in a near future, in other cities) Have a good time, eat good food. Find out about pop ups & events at our instagram Bodeiiga.
-Takeout delivery service food in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon. We will be experimenting with different concepts and styles. Find out about takeout at our instagram Bodeiiga and our webpage (coming very soon) to make an order.

Join the crew

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