A Day To Drink

Great moments in cross-cultural understanding:

In Staten Island and across the U.S., Cinco de Mayo often represents an opportunity for heavy-duty partying.

. . .

For the thousands of 20-somethings who fraternized under the enormous blow-up ornament of a Coors beer can in the New Dorp parking lot of Chevy’s Fresh Mex restaurant last night, Mexican heritage was summed up in two words: Tequila and cerveza.

“No one here cares that much what it is. It’s a holiday to drink,” said Sharon Conway, a Brooklyn resident and graduate of Port Richmond High School, who attended what was hailed as the “biggest party extravaganza in the tri-state area” with her brother Mike, of Bay Terrace. “It’s got to be something Mexican like Independence Day. I’m sure it’s a big deal there.”

She lifted her beer cup in a mock toast to the crowds of revelers in jeans and T-shirts, clingy tops and strappy sandals.

“It’s a little weird that I’m working and they’re celebrating,” said Jose Valencia of Port Richmond, as he flipped burgers at a food stand.

Valencia, who arrived from Mexico in his early teens and graduated from high school here, said he agreed to return for the night to his former job at Chevy’s, when the manager called looking for extra help to staff the celebration.

“They don’t really know what it means,” he said wiping his hands on his apron. “They’ll be coming up to you asking what Cinco de Mayo is all about.”