Mexico in Color with Food Stylist Jillian Knox
I met Jill on a photoshoot a few years ago. She was on wardrobe, I was on props and the first thing she said to me was that she had this hobby of taking pictures of people’s shoes on set and would I be in this latest pic. It put a smile on my face and was a bright spot in a frenzied morning, and for the rest of the time I was on set with her, I’d watch her bringing life to every room she entered with the wardrobe of a self-actualized artist and a personality that made friends of everyone in vicinity.
Aside from all she’s got going on personally, she’s also an accomplished stylist with work for Bon Appétit, Facebook and a number of cookbooks under her belt as panel discussions in San Francisco & Mexico City and workshops at Apple. I asked Jill to be on the blog to talk about her time in Mexico city.
What first brought you to Mexico City?
I first visited Mexico for the first time in 2014 for our honeymoon in Cancun. We don’t really like resort life so we spent a lot of time venturing to other small towns nearby. Mexico is so much more than beaches and girls in bikinis holding trays of tequila. I wanted to see more. So in 2016, we went to Mexico City. We initially went to be rejuvenated, searching for something that our souls were craving; culture, a deep dive into language, culinary magic and a total immersion into art.
What was the first experience you had that made this place feel like a second home?
I felt like Mexico City was my second home after the second visit. We went back to some of the places that we first visited and the people who worked there remembered us… A WHOLE YEAR LATER. There are so many layers to this place, and it’s so busy I was shocked. Since then, I felt it was my duty to be a patron of those places and make it a point to connect with more people there. It’s really been beautiful.
Who do you spend your free time with?
We always spend time with friends and our extended family. But really, it’s not who you spend time with, but it’s where.You will always find someone cool no matter where you are; you can connect on a human level pretty easily. And whoever you are already with, you’ll need a place to go to spend time together.
I love spending my time eating all the vegan food I can get my hands on, fresh tropical fruits (papaya, pithaya, guavas, and coconuts) walking around the city and taking photos with my film cameras. I also love history and art, so just as I do in any city I visit, I have to go to museums (Museo Jumex is very very good) and during art week I hit the art shows (Salon Acmeand Material Fairare my favorites!).
How did you start to build a new community?
My husband and I have birthdays that are five days apart, and they fall during the same time period as art week there. So we really love bringing our friends with us. The crowd is different every time we go which makes it feel new and exciting each visit.
We bring our friends to our regular places we like to visit, and we do a big birthday dinner when we are there (family style, lots of laughter, and a ton of wine and mezcal) and look to support restaurants that are doing good things for the culture, and the local people. This year we had it at Masala y Maiz which is run by a husband and wife team who used to live in The Bay (they are woke AF and it’s AMAZING).
Every event we attend in the city, you’re bound to meet someone cool who does something even cooler. I’ve tried really hard to keep in touch with everyone we have met and had a real connection with. I met baker, Eliceo Lara, on an Airbnb Experience a few years ago (we baked conchas at his home) and we hung out a few days later (which happened to be February 16, 2018- the same day the 7.2 earthquake hit) and we have been friends ever since. He’s come to SF to hang, and when I’m down there, we make time for each other. He’s a really incredible person, and our mutual love for food keeps us talking for hours! I feel very lucky to call him a friend. I met my friend Angela through a mutual friend via Facebook, and I love her dearly. She’s one of my biggest cheerleaders, and this year she organized a talk in the city with two creative organizations (Matatuand Álgido) where we talked about Transterritorial Citizenship and creativity. Last year, I found a really cool photo of two young people (Alo and Adrian) posing next to an old car in the streets of CDMX and I reposted it on my IG stories. I found out they run a youth magazine called Way Magazine, and we collaborated on an editorial. This year, I met them in person for the first time, and it was like seeing old friends. I met my friend Andres at Salon Acme last year and we kept in touch all year through Instagram, and he met up for a drink on my birthday when I was there this year (a few days later I met his very cool girlfriend Sofia). We do a big rooftop soiree at Angela’s house every year too and everyone I just mentioned came out to party. Oh, my heart. Be still.
Basically, the relationships and community that I have built have been super organic and I have to thank technology and social media for keeping us together. WIth distance and time, it’s super easy to forget things and these folks are so special I really put the effort in to make sure our friendships remain solid.
What’s something you can easily do here that would be impossible back home?
Ooh, that’s a good one. I feel like being an artist/creative there is appreciated much more there than here in The States. We have a lot to learn. The best ideas come from folks who are left-brained. The world needs us.
There are also so many renegade food spots there that I adore. Like if I wanted to run a pop up vegan corndog cart, I could do it and people would probably be really into it.
Do you like to share your travel experiences or do you prefer to fly solo?
Sharing is caring. Always. The first year we brought friends we had a group of 12, last year we had 16, and this year was 14. The more the merrier. But there is only one rule; positivity only.
Tell me about your Spanish language journey
I first learned in high school. Latin was mandatory until 9th grade, and then you had to either pick French or Spanish. I’m from DC so I grew up sneaking into punk shows with my friends and listening to Cafe Tacuba and Manu Chao on my Discman. I also did ballroom dancing in high school (yeah, what?!) so I loved Salsa, Cha Cha, etc. I have always gravitated towards the language. Then in 2007, I met my husband online and he’s Mexican. Lucky me! I was super rusty when I first met him, and his mom is shy speaking English. I was so embarrassed that I forgot so much, but with every visit to Mexico, it gets better!
What’s the last new word you learned and how?
Aside from all the bad words I enjoy so much (I have a potty mouth in both English and Spanish...sorry mom), there are some useful terms in the street.
Aguas.Yes it means waters-- but with an S on the end it means “watch out!” or “be careful” like for instance if a car is coming or if a biker zooms by you unexpectedly.
Lado means “side” you’ll use it a lot when getting or giving directions. “cruza este calle y la edificio amarillo en el otro lado” “este lado” etc.
Tamaño means “size.” When you’re shopping, it’s super helpful. Order a size for a drink or even when you’re buying a shirt.
When you have friends in town with you, what do you make sure that they experience?
We love taking them to El Chopo and La Lagunilla markets. El Chopo is next to this amazing library called Biblioteca Vasconcelos (named after the writer and philosopher) that looks like something out of a scifi movie. The market is only on Saturdays, so don’t miss it! It’s a punk flea market where everything is DIY, bootleg and there are vegan street food vendors. It’s wild, even just to people watch!
La Lagunilla is an amazing and HUGE outdoor antique market, only open on Sundays. We love these two markets because you can have a solid weekend. Great people watching, but also you can find some really beautiful things to bring home with you. But don’t sleep on this-- get a michelada. This one stand makes them the size of your head, and you can get all kinds of wild ass toppings on it including but not limited to: tamarind, sesame seeds, chile picante, cucumbers, poprocks (yes!), and even gummy candy skewers. It’s a MUST.
What’s something you haven’t done yet but would like to?
I need to visit more sites that Luis Barragan created. I went to his homeand to Tetetlan, and it was so special.There is a park that I really want to visit that he did. Also I haven’t been to the studio house of Frida and Diego-- you know, the one with the bridge.
There is so much there, that there is always an excuse to come back.
Photo by: Nader Khouri at Salón ACME in Mexico City
What’s a fun fact you’ve learned about Mexico City?
Mexico CIty is the largest city in North America and the fifth largest in the world! It is also a city that is completely landfilled, and the city is slowly sinking. You can really see this when you are in Zocalo. The doors and steps are and wonky. This is also why earthquakes there are so devastating. It’s like riding a bowl of jello. I experienced it a few years ago when my friend and I were in a mercado and an old lady yelled, “Esta temblando!” and pulled both of us into the street and we held onto a parked car for stability.
What’s the most beautiful thing you’ve seen here?
Valentines Day in Mexico City is really something. Everyone is holding hands, making out, grabbing their lovers butts hand-in-back-pocket-style, and embracing. Vendors
have huge handfuls of balloons like they are about to walk in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade, and other vendors make souvenirs out of palm leaves or they sell teddy bears and flowers on the streets. I love it. Everyone is hustling to make a buck, and others are just blindly in love. It’s wonderful.
If you’re as fascinated as I am by Jill, follow her on Instagram @JJoules and check out her beautiful work on her website www.JillianKnox.com.