Once there was a raven couple that followed Woman on her morning walks, because she fed them from a bag of treats. He was stout, with a hooked beak and a bold presence. She was smaller, cautious and demure. Woman named them Reginald and Regina.

Early one morning, they perched high on a leafless bough, waiting for Woman. Reginald's feathers shone iridescent in the light of the rising sun. He preened and said, “I remember my grandparents telling how People hung packets of seeds and dried fruit on trees like this for birds during the holidays.”

In the early 1950’s when you walked into the Restaurante Bellinghausen, the aroma of sauerkraut and the sounds of bistro dishes clanking filled the air. Yet the boisterous chatter of the German language was the real surprise. This flourishing Mexico City delicatessen, located in the posh zona-rosa district, teemed with curious tourists, wealthy residents, but mostly displaced Germans. The Bellinghausen name, however, didn’t prepare most diners for the overwhelming German clientelel.

After World War II had ended, a contingent from the Third Reich had paid their way to Mexico City to make it their home. Nazi war criminals hastened farther south to disappear in Latin American countries. But Germans who weren’t running away sank their boots with determination into this city.

The interior walls of the Bellinghausen displayed folk art of a pre-war Germany. This childlike display of memorabilia mingled with a clashing collection of photographs depicting officers standing next to aircraft and tanks.

1. Email a themed invitation (see example above - click to enlarge) and require a prompt RSVP so you can email your guests a ballot (see example below - click to enlarge.) Guests to arrive with ballots filled out (or emailed - if coming late). Require all guests bring a bottle of wine to be divided among the three winning guests.