Transgenerational Communion: Pepe's Defiance of the Worm

I was driving to work this morning, Memphis traffic crawling as usual, when a thought hit me clear as day: Pepe Magallanes is still alive in my head—vibrant, skydiving, passionate, thumbing his nose at death itself.

Pepe owns Las Tortugas Deli Mexicana, a place I've eaten at hundreds of times over the years. It's not just a restaurant; it's a full embrace. Walk in and you're hit with aromas that wrap around you like family. Walls covered in photos—Pepe skydiving from thousands of jumps, motorcycle adventures, even posing with Muhammad Ali. Handwritten notes from the community, expressing love for the food, the man, the experience. Guy Fieri featured it on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives a while back, spotlighting those peerless Mexico City-style dishes. No Tex-Mex compromises here: fresh ingredients sourced daily, premium prices, inventive plates that surprise every visit.

Pepe treats his staff like family, cooks with intense care, educates with those signs explaining why no cheese dip or fajitas. Every meal consistent, magnificent. I always leave smiling, nourished deeper than hunger.

And this morning, reflecting about my last encounter with Pepe at Deli Mexicana as I drove by his place on the way to surgery, his life force extended into my thoughts, making me smile like a kid on Christmas morning, though Pepe himself was no where near. That's the magic.

The Worm at the Core

Ernest Becker called it the terror of the worm: our knowledge of mortality, the gnawing awareness we'll rot despite our yearnings. Most deny it through partial living—small, safe, repressed. But some stare it down and create lavishly anyway.

Otto Rank, in Art and the Artist, saw creativity as our bargain with death. The artist pours unique will into work that outlives the body. But true immortality comes through resonance—union with the collective. The creation must be received, loved, transmitted.

Pepe embodies this. Retired from mining, he could've rested. Instead, he channeled vitality into authentic Mexican food for Memphis. Passionate refusal of mediocrity. Every plate an assertion: "I am here, fully."

Communion Across Time

I call it transgenerational communion: the generous creator (Pepe) extends life force forward, receivers feel it, carry it on. Pepe's food isn't just sustenance; it's his personality transmitted—joy, adventure, care. You taste the love he and his team pour in. Immediate communion with diners, employees, community. Transgenerational as stories spread, regulars return with kids, influence lingers. This morning proved it. Pepe was alive in my mind, his energy hopping bodies, transcending time and distance. The worm gets flesh, but the feast continues.

Rank's productive artist: strong individual will, balanced with generosity. Pepe could've served bland, cheap. Instead, he gives fully—lifts you, surprises, embraces.

Defiance in the Everyday

Contrast the ugly car—contemptuous, withholding. Or a bland, safe, common meal of Domino carry-out—partial death, denial through numbness.

Pepe chooses the opposite. Embracing the worm: "You'll come, but until then, I'll burn bright." Creation defies terror, makes death demoted—irrelevant in transmission. He doesn't block or phone it in. Open, passionate, connected. His restaurant a sustained "I AM HERE"—through aromas, flavors, smiles.

The Generous Path

We all trade finite days for something that will outlast us. There are basically two options - Small trade: repression, partial living. Generous trade: pour unique self into world, create communion.

Pepe's proof - no gallery needed - deli where love palpable, consistency surprising, vitality extends.

I've felt it hundreds times. You feel it reading this, maybe hungry for beauty.

The worm waits. But creators like Pepe rob its sting. Life force circulates—smiles, stories, memories.

That's the path. Full embrace. Transgenerational communion.

Next time in Memphis, I'll eat there again. I'll leave smiling, carrying Pepe forward.

What creation transmits your aliveness?

Faramarz Hidaji, MD

Live the Path