By Olivia Scheck
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
GREENWICH VILLAGE — Greenwich Village was awash in margaritas Thursday, as local workers celebrated Cinco de Mayo with extended lunch breaks.
"It’s a really beautiful day, and we work together but we’re also friends so we decided to skip out of work," Stefani, 26, who declined to give her last name, explained as she sipped drinks at Caliente Cab Co. on Seventh Avenue South and Bleecker street.
The art industry professional and her colleague Aless, 26, who work in the Village, said their workday celebration kicked off at 12:30 p.m.
Two-and-a-half hours later, the women were still at it.
While neither Stefani nor Aless has any Mexican ancestry, both women said they were big fans of Cinco de Mayo, which commemorates the 1862 Mexican victory over the French at the Battle of Puebla.
"St. Patrick’s Day is such a gross holiday — a bunch of drunk frat guys vomiting on each other and girls trying to hook up with firemen," Stefani, an Upper East Sider, said. "Cinco de Mayo is much more sophisticated."
At Benny’s Burritos on Greenwich Aveneue, another AWOL worker, Andy, 26, said he loves holidays for the alcohol.
"Americans need more drinking holidays," the Brooklynite explained. "We were joking that we should start celebrating every country’s independence day. Like how awesome would it be if we had Ukranian Independence Day…or Russian Independence Day and everybody drank a lot of vodka?"
Mexican native Saul Montiel, executive chef at Gusto Ristorante e Bar Americano, on Greenwich Avenue, said he believed that America's enthusiasm for Cinco de Mayo is largely an invention of the liquor industry.
"In Mexico, it’s just a battle we won. It’s not really a big deal," Montiel explained.
Still, the chef said he sees Cinco de Mayo as an opportunity to share his heritage with others.
About 11 a.m. Thursday, Montiel was just putting the finishing touches on a one-day-only Mexican revamp of his Italian restaurant, featuring Mexican flags on every table.
"I’ve been here since 7 a.m. baking tamales," Montiel said. "I’m very proud."
