Cinco de Nada, Baby

Mass cancellations of events due to swine flu fears + free guacamole dip recipe.

By Fred Mills

So much for gettin' on the good foot next Tuesday: the word for this year's Cinco de Mayo is "cancellation." Hello, swine flu paranoia (but to be fair, a big salute as well to proactive health officials).

As expected, pretty much anything that involved people gathering together in a group in Mexico has had the plug pulled; Billboard.com is reporting that scores of concert events in Mexico have been postponed or completed cancelled and promoters are "scrambling" to reschedule. The big Mexico City rock festival Vive Latino, for example, slated for May 16 and 17 and featuring Kinky, Los Fabulosos Cadillacs and others, has been bumped to June 27 and 28.

"Ticketmaster's Mexican Web site," writes Billboard.com, "resembled an airport departure screen during a snow storm, with rows of concert listings followed by the same word: ‘Cancelado.'"

And lest you think this is strictly a Mexican problem, guess again: in various cities across the U.S., city officials are already pondering cancelling their own events, with some already getting the axe. In New York City, for example, a scheduled Cinco de Mayo festival in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park and the Ranchera Music Festival have been cancelled in the interest of "prudence" in the face of potential risks posed by large gatherings of people. Said an event organizer, "We are not saying that the outbreak is something out of the ordinary, but given the circumstances it is better to have solidarity, as much with the community here as with Mexico."

BLURT's ADVICE: Time to hit the liquor stores, stock up on Tequila, and host your own house party with the Pinkertons, Mexican Institute of Sound and others as the soundtrack. Here's a little guacamole dip recipe we spotted at Cooks.com on the web - just add frog skin!

2 avocados, peeled
1/3 cup onion, chopped
1/2 jalapeno chile pepper, chopped fine
1 medium tomato, peeled and quartered
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 1/4 teaspoons sugar
1/4 cup sour cream

Prepare all ingredients. Place the avocados, onions, jalepeno, tomato, and lime juice in a food processor and process on pulse till blended. Add sugar and sour cream and mix well. Place pit from avocado back into bowl to prevent browning.

If you want a chunkier guacamole, mash the avocado by hand with a fork, then add the other ingredients.