You can't buy guacamole in México

First of all, it's not totally true, but almost.

Tuesday afternoon I was having a couple I met over for drinks. So naturally I wanted to put out some botanas [snacks]. In México, that means at the least guacamole, salsa, and tacitos - taco chips. Now while my apartment is very nice, the kitchen is utensil challenged. No good knife, no cutting board, certainly no molcajete. OK, no problem. I walked to Superlake market [3 K] and first had some wonderful pork tacos at Tony's.

There were actually three but something happened to one of them.

Having appeased my appetite I went to the supermarket and found taco chips, potato chips and chicharones. When I asked if they had any guacamole I got a blank look. You know, I said, like in a container...  No, she said and led me over to the avocados. No one buys guacamole in México - they don't sell it. Salsa the same. You don't buy it, you make it. Luckily, I remembered that Tony's where I ate lunch sells both, so I was set.

The renuión was very nice, and we're doing it again. Turns out we live about 100 meters from each other.

Sunday Film & Bruno: RIP

Sunday, like most of my mornings, began with some work. About noon I headed out to find the theatre where the Jewish Film Festival was being held. To make a long story short, I walked about two klicks further than that I had to, and to make it in time took a taxi back.

The reason I was going was that the film, in a major blast of Jungian synchronicity, was an Israeli work about a teenage by kicked out of his home by his parents for cross-dressing. Really. I'm not making that up.  The film is titled Melting Away, or more properly, .להימס הלאה

Simply put it was a beautiful film, and I highly recommend it. I really can't say more for that would be to give too much away. (Yes, one could cavil about yet another beautiful trans person film, but...)

Dinner

When Diane and I first came to Ajijic in 1996, one of the first restaurants we discovered was a steak and fish grill called Bruno's. We went there several times and became friends with the owner, Bruno. He was a real down to earth guy who reveled in the wild stories circulating about him. Most importantly, his steaks were to die for, and even his baked potatoes were some of the best I've ever eaten.

So I decided to have a nice steak at Bruno's Sunday night. I made a reservation 
and turned up at 6:30 with my appetite in gear.By the time I had ordered the place was full. A woman I recognized as Bruno's daughter came by and we realised we knew each other. I asked after her father and got a shock. Bruno, she told me, had died the night before of natural causes at age 90. We knew, she told me, that he would be very upset if we closed, so we didn't. She and her son Kelton are going to continue the tradition, and I'm glad for that. I felt sad, but honoured to be part of the first night of the new world.

My "lady" filet was excellent, as were the sides of baked potato, piece of corn and deep fried cauliflower.

The grill works full time and is extremely hot so you get a nicely crisp outside without an overdone inside.

I even found a nice amber beer I hadn't tried before.

Bottom line, if you're ever in Ajijic be sure to try Bruno's.

A Mexican Reunión

I'm going to tell you about a  family and friends dinner I was invited to, a reunión, but first, catch-up.

Friday night I attend the Chapala-Ajijic Jewish Congregation for Friday night services. I needed to say kaddish for my nephew Josh. As I expected, it was brutally hard, but also cathartic. The people there were warm, welcoming, supportive and, simply beautiful. I thank them for welcoming me and embracing me.

So much for hard stuff.  Today I had the privilege of being invited to the home of my dear friends Judith and Fernando. Judith wanted her friend to come for la comida so naturally she came with her brother, his wife and daughter, his sister and their mother. In México, when you invite people for dinner, unless they are all nortes, you are never sure how many will turn up. If Judith's guests had had several cousins dropping by when it was time to leave, they would have simply brought them along. Large pot meals and buffets are the norm.

Their house is beautiful, on a hill overlooking lake Chapala and the town of San Juan Cosala.

Everyone was expected by noon and all were there by 1. We sat at the table, had some cerveza [beer] or tequila [tequila] or pop or juice. A big bowl of fruit was placed on the table along with a sprinkler of chile, and a VERY hot hot sauce. Oh, and limes, of course.

That's the fruit bowl in the middle

In the meantime, the main courses were being finished and placed into serving bowls over clay heaters.

Judith says it's almost ready

The main courses were chicken molé [chocolate sauce], chicharones in a green tomato sauce, and rice. Of course, there were also fresh tortillas, salsa, and a salad of nopales [cactus]. ¡Estaba muy rico! It was really delicious!

Mexican parties, whether small reunións, fiestas or pachangas [wild fiestas], tend to be inter-generational. There's always kids and elders in the mix, and everyone is interested in everyone.

There are few people missing here

The conversation was primarily in Spanish, and I did OK, though I found the more tequila I drank, the more I understood. When I was really lost, or thought I'd missed a good joke, I asked Fernando who's fluent in Yanqui.

 The reunión broke up at at 5 ish, and it was a wonderful time.

La comida

In México the big meal is mid-day, usually at one or one-thirty. It is called La comida, which, oddly enough literally means, the food, but really means, the meal. This practice is also true of many hot countries as it also allows people to get out of the mid-day heat. In the greater part of México people work near their homes so they are able to return for la comida, unlike us Nortes who typically commute.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, some days I do comida, and others a light lunch or even brunch. When I have la comida, I don't eat again, as is the custom, till eight or nine at night, and then a simple taco or two. In México city you'll see the local taco stands quite busy at late night, much more so than during the day.

Today I had la comida with an old friend Jim. We went to Tony's, an Ajijic institution serving first-rate Mexican food.I had BBQ ribs which were delicious, as were the frijoles and guacamole.

 

La comida is intended as a large meal.  After la comida everyone goes back to work, and children go back to school. The kids are not home before seven, and most worker not till eight or nine. When I ate at the Beer Garden on the Chapala malecon last Sunday, the tacos shown here weere listed as an appetizer. They sure did me in.

You probably noticed that I mentioned that the food at Tony's was Mexican. What, you said, what else would it be? I mean, you're in México, right?  Good question. Every Mexican town or city of any size has several restaurants that are not Mexican but, perhaps, Thai, Chinese, African, German among others. (Though, come to think of it, I haven't seen any Indian restaurants. Odd, that.) The higher the socio-economic status of the Mexican community and the larger the Canadian/American community, the more range you will find. After all,  people live here full-time, and especially the ex-pats will seek a change. Whence my burger last night.

Tomorrow's going to be a photo day of central Ajijic, so look for it. You  can often find more photos by looking at the links to the right of the blog at the top.

Wednesday is market day

Every Wednesday the street along the Bull Ring [not used for that anymore,] becomes the tianguis, the market place. For about the length of three long avenue blocks there are innumerable stalls selling everything from chiles to brassieres. It's packed with people getting their week's supplies of veggies, any needed gifts or treats, missing parts from your mixer or blender, clothes, and more. Also, great tacos. here you can see brassieres, health supplements and vitamins, chiles, and fish. (To see more click on the link to the right that says, MX jan 22 Tianguis.)

It was great fun, and I enjoyed the hustle and bustle.

I had brunch this morning at Cafe B&W after discovering that the coffee I'd been making at home was decaf. Grrr.  Fixed that on my way home from the tianguis.

My eating is falling into a pattern, If I have la comida at 1:30, then I just snack at home or make a bacon cheese tortilla for myself at night. Or, if the spirit moves me I have a light lunch and a real dinner at yanqui time. Tonight I ended up dining at 7 at Merendero where I actually had a very nice hamburger.

Walking today: 3.5 K

I also during the afternoon, had to spend about 3 and 1/2 hours dealing with airlines to change my flights so I could go to Sacramento on family business on the way home. So, if you're looking for me, I won't be in TO until 6 March.

Double delight & a new day

So last night, Monday night, I got peckish and strolled up to El Sarape thinking I'd just get a bowl of tortilla soup. Marcos, the owner, came over and told me the special of the night was tamales. Couldn't say no. I love tamales, and they were delicious. (Tourist note: tamales are very safe to eat, even from a street vendor, since they come right out of a steamer.)

The other delight was to run into an old friend, Steve, who was leaving not long after I sat down. He joined me while I dined and we had a ball catching up on old times.

Today I woke with a sore back. It said to me, Hey, what's with this walking four klicks a day on cobblestones? Waddya think I am, 50? So I decided to try and take it easy. At 11 I visited our property in Chula Vista, and met our tenants who are very nice people. Here you can see the front verandah and front garden.

The place is in good shape and in good hands. That was nice to see.

Later I met our friend Jaime for lunch. We went to a restaurant, Pannino, just east of town. It had American food and was very nice with OK food. Best was catching up with Jaime.

Walking home - a longer route than I had promised my back, I passed a tortilleria. You find one of these in every neighbourhood making fresh tortillas constantly.

The young woman is catching and stacking them as they  come to the end of the conveyer. Shades of Lucille Ball! I was also able to find where the tamale ladies are. They are an Ajijic institution and have been where they are for 25 years. It's quite an elegant place as you can see from the lobby.

They have, however, redecorated from the old days and now have a tile floor and a roof. And the tamales are to die for.  Planing quiet night tonight, so cheers.

Downtown Ajijic

I worked for a couple of hours after getting up this morning, and then headed out about noon. I walked west a couple of blocks, the  south to the lake. One block to the east the Ajijic malecon begins, and runs for about one K.But before I got there I passed an interesting sight - the making of chicharones, the Mexican snack made from pig's skin. It's made in a stile similar to carnitas, but, I think following the carnita cooking. Here's a photo. More about carnitas in a later post.

When I did get to the malecon, this is what I saw.

 

It's a lovely walk with the occasional sculpture,

 as well as fishermen neting those tiny fish I showed in my blog yesterday.

I visited some of the shops along Colon, and then returned to Lakeside to have a comida at Maria Isabel. It has decent Mexican food and is beautifully situated right by the lake. Two chicken tacos and a mineral water set me back $5.

Tonight I may just amble back up to El Sarape for Sopa Tortilla.

Oh, I almost forgot! I don't know if you're into this sort of thing - I'm not. But here in México you  can get girlfriends delivered to you door. Unfortunately, there's only one style, but hey, they are delivered.

The Malecon in Chapala

Today is Sunday, and that means a lot of families go for paseos [walks] and visits. In this part of México, a popular spot for this is the malecon [concrete waterside walkway] in Chapala. Families wander along the water, buy treats and toys from the multitudinous vendors, and savour the little fishes caught right out out in the lake.

Of course there's also shopping in the many booths on the city side of the malecon. There are any number of portable shops offering clothes, trinkets, hats and what not.

I got there by bus from Ajijic - C$.75, and the return was even cheaper because it wasn't an express. The sun was out and it was wonderfully warm. Yes, I did feel guilt about all my friends freezing in yet another vortex. But, hey, come on down and visit.

After walking I was peckish, so decided to stop at the Beer Garden right at the entrance to the malecon and have la comida. In México the big meal is at mid-day, about 1:30 pm, and since I had decided to take it easy at home tonight that made sense. I ordered three tacos - one each of shrimp, fish and beef.

They were excellent. After dining I caught the bus back to Ajijic where I decided to have a cafe con leche at the cafe Black and White  - great coffee makers, those young folk. The centre of the plaza ia, as usual, a sort o bandstand.

Everyone wanders around, including this strange fellow who apparently was selling 2014 Mayan calendars.

One item for sale were huevos de fiesta, which are eggs filled with confetti. Diane and her friends made about 100 years ago for Paul and Kelly's wedding.

You cfrack them on someone's head and confetti comes out. Great fun.

A strange, awful day

My blog about Friday night was first interrupted by a power outage, but hey, Es México. So I went to the plaza did some business and then to Walmart for some supplies they would most likely have. When I returned I found out about a family tragedy which consumed the rest of my day.

Thank goodness for Skype and the phone number I bought for three months. My family can reach me if I am in my apartment, and for pennies, literally, I can call anyone through my computer. This is a travel blog, and not the place for family matters, so I am going to pass on.

I had dinner last night at the closest restaurant, El Serape which serves very good Mexican food in a nice setting: here's the link.

Right now it's a bit cloudy and coolish, about 10c. Later I'm going to catch a bus to Chapala and walk the malecon, the waterside walkway which will be replete with artisan booths and merchants of all sorts. That report and photos will come later.

Friday night

Dinner last night was at Go, a restaurant upstairs on Calle Emiliano Zapata. It is known for its "small plates" which are not really that small. The walk from my place to there was quite a hike. I went north up Calle Juarez, and up long hill. When I finally reached the top and turned onto Calle Emiliano Zapata I was stunned: It was all downhill. Had i walked one more block east, I'd have avoided the uphill battle. Never mind.

The restaurant is charming with windows all along the side overlooking the whole village and the mountains. I got there in time for the sunset as the [not so great] photos shows.

First full day

The first full day

Last night I passed out about 9:30, and woke up to a sunshiny day. The mornings, like the nights, are cool here ranging from 8 - 12 degrees, but the afternoons are in the mid 20s. Quite a change from -20!

Once I discovered that I possessed no coffee filters [or paper towels,] I puttered about until 10:30 doing email and luxuriating in the sun. Then I strolled to the Zocala [plaza] and had a cafe con leche and a croissant with ham and cheese ($4) at Cafe Black and White. The coffee was one of the best I'd had in a long time!

I then went on to do one of my most important errands - get a SIM card for my old iPhone 4. Turned out to be a piece of cake. Then I walked back to the Plaza, met my friend Jaime at his office and made a date for la comida next Tuesday, searched fruitlessly for coffee filters, and headed back home.

Ajijic is for walking, and for me, this trip, not having a vehicle, it's always going to be for  walking!  The thing is that you may not walk extraordinarily far in distance - I did about 3.5 K today, but the streets are so tricky to walk on that it takes extra effort - and calories I hope. In many places, even the sidewalk is cobblestone.

It's hard to describe the amazing charm of Ajijic. In terms of architecture, San Miguel Allende has it hands down. Ajijic is no silver city with ornate stone buildings and Spanish architecture. It is a true puebla, with small houses cheek to jowl interspersed with larger villas that were built first by Mexican families in Guadalajara and México City [DF] as summer resorts, and later purchased by Canadians and Americans looking to retire. As a result you have, within ten houses a villa, several local residences, and a business or two.

I will be revisiting all of this as time moves on. If you know me and want my Skype name or local cell number, please email.

In México!

¡Bueno amigas y amigos, I am in México!

Thursday 16 January 2014

The trip, while long and tiring, was quite effortless. As of last night I am ensconced in my apartment at 5 de Frebrero #11. The apartment is nice with great views, and amenities equal to the price. Didn't do much last night but settle in and amble to the Plaza for dinner at Jardin Plaza - fajitas and a draft Negra Modelo - C$12. I picked up the necessities on the way in, so I was set.

Below you can see my patio, and next the view from it.

Packing....

So packing for this trip is not really easy.  The temperature ranges from 5C in the middle of the night to 25 or so at midday. So you need shorts and light shirts for daytime, but long pants and maybe a sweater or two for the evening. Not only that, but if you are invited to a cocktail party - and there are many in Ajijic - you need a jacket and decent slacks. Still, that'snothing compared to when I pack for Fantasia Fair, so I can't complain.

I'm putting all my electronics in my carry on, and with oine thing and another that's quite a bit, so it should work out.

PS: reeeeeally getting excited.

In One Week

One week from today I will have landed in Guadalajara and be ensconced in my apartment in Ajijic. It will be wonderful to leave this vicious winter we are experiencing and walk in shorts and sandals in sunshine. I'm not going to publicize this now, but will once I get started in México.