Sometime after the Zete petting zoo and the Mask and Wig naked show but before I passed out for the day, I found myself at the annual Latin Fling Barbecue on Saturday afternoon. I am neither Latin nor was I hungry, but my fabulous memories of salsa dancing with a Spanish-speaking friend who dragged me drunkenly in years past compelled me to attend again this year.
As I stumbled up the steps and into the backyard of 4006 Pine, all seemed well as Spanish melodies rang through the breezy air. But at the backyard gate, we were greeted by an unfriendly cover charge: a whopping 20 bucks. “Seriously?” we wondered. Though we were dismayed by the notion of charging that much for a party (“We have 1600 beers!” the friendly student at the de facto door explained), we found our way in. A friend let us pay $20 for three (it helps to have connections), and we made entrée into the massive fiesta.
We grooved to the sounds of Juanes (Sigh, remember him, from your teen tour to Barcelona?) and sipped on Presidente beers (far superior to Corona Dominican Lager). Though none of us could communicate in the host’s primary language, I’m fairly certain most of those in attendance were too inebriated to understand anyone anyway — so we were all in good company.
Though the soirée was shut down early due to some over-indulgent partygoer behavior, it’s safe to say that Latino or not, Penn kids still know how to throw down.
