Parroquia and pinata, originally uploaded by sbmilagros.
I haven’t been posting much, but I just added some photos to my photo stream that will give you a clue about what I’ve been up to. Lots of eating… as well as wandering, learning to cook tamales, going to the markets, hanging out w/friends…
Mi casa es su casa…, originally uploaded by sbmilagros.
The entrepreneurial spirit of Colonia San Rafael (my n’hood) never ceases to amaze me.
There are people who come in from the campos (little settlements in the country) to sell cactus, fruits, jicama, tortillas- you name it.
There are people who set up little shops in their front courtyards, people who sell juice & tamales for breakfast, people who go to Tues Market, buy clothing & then sell it on Wednesdays. It seems like everybody is working, scrambling to make it.
But I was a little surprised (ok a lot) to open my front door Saturday (That’s my door just beyond the little tree) and find a yard sale going on on my front steps. “Don’t worry,” said the lady in charge, “It’s just for today.” And sure enough, by the end of the day, everything was gone, and they had swept up my sidewalk as well.
Here are a few links to get your weekend started:
Breakfast at Fonda Dona Raquel, originally uploaded by sbmilagros.
So last year, you may remember that I came down with all kinds of good intentions of learning to cook authentic Mexican food. I did take a couple classes- my favorite was the market tour at Sazon.
But it became rapidly apparent that the whole exercise was a lost cause; I could buy better food more cheaply than I could cook it.
Case in point- this was my breakfast at Fonda de Dona Raquel in the San Juan de Dios market this morning. For about $4.50 I got: a chile relleno (the real thing- big blistered, battered & stuffed w/Oaxacan cheese), potatoes, beans, rice, salsa over the whole thing and tortillas plus a mug of tamarind agua fresca.
Now why the heck would I shop, cook, & clean up?
Check out my latest photos…
Official garbage collection, originally uploaded by sbmilagros.
So, you think you’ve got the worst job? It could be worse; you could be a Mexican trash catcher.
The way it works… One guy drives the big truck, jockeying with taxis, buses & ATVs up & down the narrow cobblestone street. Four guys ride in back with the trash, one banging on a metal triangle. People come out with bags & buckets of trash that have been moldering & hand them to one of the guys. Then they throw it up to the one guy still in the bed of the truck, who arranges this whole stinky mess.
What’s really strange, is that everybody (even the “catcher”) is having a terrific time & joking around.
I love that readers are starting to send me links for Fridays… Let me know if you have some good ones to add: