Literature and Food / "La Bella Italia" in "Las Batallas en el Desierto"

By: Youyi Mayora Eng

Photos courtesy of: Google Maps, Wikipedia

La Bella Italia, now gone and dearly missed, was the ice cream parlor that sweetened our childhood and inspired dreams of impossible love in José Emilio Pacheco’s "Las batallas en el desierto."

Who could forget Carlitos? The precocious kid who sighed for the daring Mariana. And let’s not forget Mama Jim, his American friend! Mariana, a woman who navigated between the charm of a maternal figure and the Oedipal complex of her son's friend.

What times those were, even if it was only a few years ago! Stepping into La Bella Italia was like being transported to a more innocent era, where problems were solved with a vanilla ice cream and a stolen kiss. The vintage tables, silver chairs, and the jukebox that never stopped playing were witnesses to our first dreams, first disappointments, and first mischief.

Some still remember summer afternoons at La Bella Italia, where “well-bred” young ladies from the Renaissance and Anglo Español schools flaunted their rivalry. All of them flirting with the corner’s heartthrobs, all with chocolate ice cream in hand. With the sun blazing on their backs and sweat trickling down their foreheads, nothing mattered because they were in the ice cream paradise. Chocolate, strawberry, vanilla, pistachio... there was something for everyone!

In "Las batallas en el desierto," La Bella Italia is more than just an ice cream parlor. It represents Carlitos’ redemption as he becomes aware of class separation. Lorenzo (the cleaning lady’s son) evokes a sense of pity, prompting Carlitos to invite him for ice cream—a memorable and noble gesture. Of course, Lorenzo declines the invitation because he wanted a simple, plain sandwich; desserts were for the vain and those who had already satisfied their hunger.

Just as the novella came to an end, so did La Bella Italia. Modernity swept it away. What hurts is that the ice cream parlor is no longer there, and that Carlitos is no longer visiting. That precocious Carlitos who was in love with Mariana.

But La Bella Italia lives on in our memory, in the pages of "Las batallas en el desierto," and in the hearts of all who were lucky enough to enjoy its ice cream and dreams.

Next time you pass by Orizaba 110 in Colonia Roma, close your eyes and remember those glorious days. And if you're lucky, you might just hear the echo of the jukebox, Carlitos’ voice, Mariana’s kiss, and the seventies girls from Renaissance and Anglo.