Life Style Refugee – The Ajijic Blog

Honest to God, this is the longest I’ve gone without posting in years, and I know it. Every time I log onto facebook my sister has put up a cheery status announcing that her blog is up to date, tra la, not like her slovenly sister South of the Border. She doesn’t actually say that, but I know it! I know that’s what she’s thinking! Hmph.

My biggest fear?  That the magic of Mexico has finally overcome my yankee sense of purpose, and  I’m just going to go through the rest of my life as a contented flounder, never achieving any of my goals, never hitting the ground running with my eye on the tiger, no. Just lying around eating fresh fruit or arguing with friends about the merits of various pool floats, and wondering where that mariachi music is coming from.

I know that I have many faithful readers, and I thank you, and apologize for my lethargy this month. But it’s MAY and it’s HOT and I’m going to PUERTO VALLARTA, and there you have it. Thank your for reading. Please come back.   I promise I will.

As soon as I get back from the beach. XO!

Really? Does that look good?

One of the things I’ve gotten used to hearing down here, among other surprising complaints, — I had a client in town over Good Friday who felt cheated because he didn’t see Jesus. Frankly, not being able to find a Jesus in Mexico over the Easter holidays is like saying you cant find a Santa look-alike in Manhattan at Christmas. I maintain that he slept through his visit–  is newcomers whining about how there’s no Mexican food here. Really? I haven’t suffered any scary weight loss, I can tell you that, and I’m in Mexico. Unless  I’m headed for my own show on the Discovery Health Network, there must be Mexican food involved. But no, these visitors insist it can’t be found here, and of course,  since  what they’re looking for is a plate of Doritos covered with Velveeta cheese and Ro-tel tomatoes, they are correct. I can no longer imagine shredded cheddar cheese on a taco, by the way, and I can imagine shredded cheese on pretty much anything.

Tacos are the exception rather than the rule on restaurant menus here, if that’s what you’re looking forward to.  If you want a taco, the process requires that you first establish which taco vendor has the “best” tacos. These loyalties take on a feverish commitment similar to that of football fans, and once they are established, it’s till death do you part. The vendors sell from carts that are closed up tight during the day. At night they are opened up, rickety tables covered with brightly printed vinyl are set in the street and the taco wars begin. At our plaza here in San Antonio, there are three vendors selling tacos every night,  one on each side of the little square. The patrons at each respective cart would meet you at dawn with pistols before they would change allegiance, in spite of the fact that the carts are close enough for the diners to hold conversations, and there’s no visible difference in the available selection of fillings  at the three.  Each stand  offers several kinds of meat—beef, pork, and cut up hot dogs, at least,  along with toppings. Those will include chopped  radishes, cabbage, onions,  cilantro,  carrots, lots of different  kinds of peppers  and a variety of sauces that are a risky business if you don’t know the levels of picante that you’re dealing with.

If you read the post I wrote about tamales, you’ll remember that I found myself in a complicated nightmare, trying to create sauces from recipes that had sixty ingredients. Not only does Mexico have food, it has cuisine, arguably the most sophisticated on the continent. If you don’t believe me, and I admit that I am less of an authority on this subject than, for instance, who’s getting kicked off of Dancing with the Stars, head over to Mexico Cooks! and get your eyes opened.  That chick knows something about Mexican Food, as you’ll see.  The author of this insanely professional blog, Cristina Potters,  is a Chicago native who arrived in Mexico in 1981.  After several years as a social worker in the Tijuana city jail, of all things,  she lived in Mexico City, then in a tiny village in Michoacán, and resided for many years in Jalisco, including Guadalajara.  The italics are mine, of course, to reflect my customary astonishment at people like Cristina, who come here and give back to the communities they inhabit. Although doing social work at a jail in Tijuana, let’s face it, is in a class all by itself. Now a permanent fixture in Morelia, Michoacán, Cristina holds dual Mexican and United States citizenship.

Cristina learned the cuisines of the central highlands of Mexico from the source: the mayoras (extraordinary older Michoacán home cooks) who have been her friends for nearly 30 years.  She has mastered the intricacies of traditional Mexican recipes, flavors, and of course, the delights of the pre-Hispanic corn and chile kitchen.

Mexico Cooks! is the preeminent culinary and cultural website about all things Mexico and was named the number one food blog in the world by the London Times.  Praised and quoted in newspapers as diverse as the New York Times, Guadalajara’s El Informador, the South China Morning Post, and the Chicago Tribune, Mexico Cooks! is always mentioned as the Internet’s most authoritative voice about central Mexico.  Cited as the go-to expert on Mexico in the most recent edition of Lonely Planet Mexico and quoted in the latest Time Out Mexico City, Cristina and Mexico Cooks! currently count more than a third of a million readers as their fans. To which I say, “Well, sure, if you’re looking for a food blog, you know, with pictures and everything, fine. ” I hope Christina has a  recipe in it for sour grapes.

Anyway, if you’re down here looking for the Number 3 combination plate with enchiladas, burritos, tacos, taquitos, guacamole, beans, cheese and sour cream on it, it’s going to take you several stops at a variety of joints to assemble such a thing. You won’t find it on the menu at a good restaurant, any more than you’d find a Rooty Tooty Fresh ‘n Fruity  at Mortons’ Steakhouse. You will find Arrechera, skirt steak done in a way that is fantastic. You’ll find shrimp or fish Zarandeado, and grilled chicken that will make you go back and throw rocks at the rotisserie chicken sold in supermarkets in the States. You just have to know what you’re looking for.  So go check out Mexico Cooks!

Bloggers note: If you’re planning a visit to Lake Chapala and would  like a list of restaurants down here, send me an email and I’ll send one to you.