OK now that the pig is out of the bag sort of speak, moving on from yesterdays erudite entry, we now all know that the Calypso family have two new molcajetes. Huh? Mohl-kah-HEH-teh is the pronunciation.  Along with two tejolotes. Huh? That is teh-hoh-LOL-teh.

If you prefer, mortar and pestle. Personally I like the Mexican names.  These are tools used to crush, grind, and mix substances. The tejolote or pestle is a heavy tapered stick like device whose end is used for pounding and grinding, and the molcajete or mortar is a bowl. Substances are ground between the tejolote and the molcajete; pretty simple. Most are familiar with these.

The Painted Pig

The big question is whether the molcajete and tejolote are any better than a regular bowl and the back of a large spoon or some other metal mashing device? The gourmets seem to think so. Before I am through with this treatise we will answer that question.

We actually had a molcajete and porcelain mortar and pestle that we owned before the two latest acquisitions. But, these were not Rick Bayless approved. The mortar and pestle actually are used by Anita in many of her apothecary processes; that for another time.

It is true that I wanted a more official Mexican molcajete (read painted pig) for five years but couldn’t bring myself to spend more than originally advised. As I explained this was ridiculous and I am embarrassed to even write it – again.

The molcjete is almost as universal as the liquidora (blender) here in our part of Mexico. You won’t find a lot of KitchenAid  mixers or Cuisinart food processors, but molcajetes abound.

Rick Bayless, who I greatly admirer, suggests you buy the finer finished basalt molcajete. We see both the more course and fine systems here – now we have both which is our natural bent – to own at least one of every kitchen device known to mankind.

Our pig molcajete is made of a slightly softer basalt stone that lacks the quartz and other minerals of the “rougher” basalt stone.  This is the molcajete preferred by Chef Rick.  They tend to look “cast” because of the angled carving.  The carvers use power tools to rough in the shape.

Apparently you must be careful to not buy an inexpensive fake reproduction cast of a combination of concrete and crushed stone or a different type of non-basalt river rock. These products are very sandy or dusty and don’t make good grinding mortars. You want an authentic, basalt lava, hand carved Mexican molcajete. Don’t you?

I have it on good authority that the Chinese ‘fakes’ have a “flare” to upper top rim. In our area (deep in to Mexico) I have not seen any ‘fakes’.

The painted pigs sport a non-exacting ‘folk art’ paint job but this is considered part of the charm of this style of molcajete. The painting is typically done by children. Our original did not have the pig face or paint job like our two new acquisitions – that was disappointing – color me happy now.

They come in a number of sizes. Choose a deeper bowl if your primary objective is guacamole and salsa. We opted for the midsized model which is about 8 inches across. I hammered out a deal getting both parts for a $100 peso bill or currently $7.70 U.S. Now you can understand why I was embarrassed about waiting five years to get one – now two.

The molcajete needs to be broken in. There are a number of recommended methods – but read no further because I am pretty sure I have found the best method thereby saving you the reader a lot of research.

Soak the new molcajete and tejolote in a pot or bucket (totally immersed) for a couple of hours. I changed the water and rinsed and brushed the items after a half hour or so in. Let them air dry.

Use about a third of a cup of white rice (grain length is not important). Put the rice in the bowl with a couple tablespoons of water. Mush the rice around the bowl surfaces. Initially the rice will turn gray. Do this process as many times as necessary until the mashed rice remains white after mashing. Simple really.

We are now ready to make some guacamole and find out if it is better than in a regular bowl. Stay Tuned for that.

Pigs are in the news. Towards the end of the two plus years of campaigning Obama and McCain both used the idiom that refers to putting lipstick on a pig. Vice Presidential candidate Palin’s camp took umbrage over Obama’s comment, “The McCain campaign isn’t change but ‘putting lipstick on a pig’.” There were cries of sexism, a real ruckus ensued.

Then this latest pig pandemonium predicting a pandemic event coming to a neighborhood near you. There have even been strong suggestions that the entire mess started right here in my state of Veracruz; up the road a few short kilometers in La Gloria near Perote – yikes! I still wanted a pig.

Five years ago I wanted a pig – real bad. It was not as much that I needed one as the idea of owning one just pleased me. But it did not happen.

The chief reason for not getting a pig was financial and rather ridiculous at that. Have you ever had someone tell you that they got something for a very low price, where they got it and further suggest you get one there too.

Armed with complete information we have never been able to get to the area where our friends purchased their pig. It was on the way to Perote actually. Oh they are available here and there – but they have always been double the price our friends had paid. Now it doesn’t matter whether the price is reasonable or not. It simply was not the price my friends paid – I didn’t want to pay more – so no pig.

The other day I was watching a Rick Bayless cooking show from PBS. He had a pig and explained what to look for in a pig, how to break one in and even suggested we could purchase one at his web site. I could stand it no longer! I was going to have a pig at any cost.

We hopped on the scooter and headed to Coatepec where I knew of a tienda that definitely sold pigs.

I got one! Then we realized that the pig is simply too heavy to haul between our two houses; we went back and bought another. Now after five years of wanting, we own two pigs. PHOTO HERE.

Tomorrow more on breaking in and using our pigs. Stay Tuned!

Honestly I think there are people living amongst us here on earth that believe they might get the flu from reading this Blog since it was written in Xico, Veracruz, Mexico.

This gave me a chuckle this morning: In response to an ABC News report titled, “Swine Flu Cases Up to 40, CDC Officials Confirm; Mexico Travel Advisory Coming”

Hello Fellow Citizen ” We need to ban all products from Mexico that could contain diseases. Posted by:dresdren 2:12 PM ”
“[dresdren] I think your right, and I was stupid enough to have bought a Watermelon from Mexico, at the store Saturday, do I keep it or throw it away? Do I keep it or Throw it Away? That is the 33 cents a pound question, sincerely Fezzie

People are starting to get nuts over this. Now I am not here to suggest this is not important, rather I suggest using your heads and not getting in a panic. There have been no warnings from any credible authorities that any food product including pork will cause one to get the swine flu. For some added insight to the pig industry in Mexico read here.

There are travel advisories as it has been stated that this is an airborne virus – lots of folks sporting surgical masks. I wish you all good sense and good health. Stay Tuned!

Imagine if you will – it is Sunday. You sit down to watch the Cowboys play the Jets. The athletes run out of the tunnel to a totally empty stadium. Like something out of “The Twilight Zone.”

Saturday night 7 PM I sat down at my friend’s house to watch Cruz Azul play Pachuca at Pachuca. My friend says, “Do you notice there are no people?”

Of course the game is starting off looking like a practice scrimmage and it is apparent there are NO people in the entire stadium short of the players and coaches.

“What’s up with that?” I say, thinking perhaps this is a part of Mexican Futball I don’t understand.

My friend explained that this was due to the flu scare going on in Mexico City and throughout Mexico. On the news after the game in which my team lost 3-0 it was reported more than 80 people had died in and around Mexico City. 532 events had been canceled as of that moment.

You have to wonder just how much of an epidemic would have to occur before the Cowboys and Jets played to an empty stadium. It was eerie watching the game hearing the players and coaches and nothing else but an occasional referee’s whistle. The game loses some excitement without the roar of the crowd.

Mexico City and all the rest of Mexico is watching and waiting hoping this is but a scare and not the beginning of a worldwide outbreak of swine flu.

The Mexican government, which has faced criticism for what some see as a slow reaction to this outbreak, is now taking an increasingly hard line to try to contain the virus closing schools, government offices and cancelling events.

Yesterday Anita and I were in Elektra, a popular major retailer of electronics, motorcycles, scooters and appliances. All the employees were wearing the familiar blue surgical masks. One salesperson said to me it was a promotion – at the time I thought what are they promoting the need for cleaner air? By nightfall I knew it was related to the flu which as far as I know hasn’t shown up here as of yet.

We have had a lot of visitors from Mexico City in the last six weeks with the Easter Holidays and warmer weather. I would expect to hear that this has reached our neck of the tropics. In the mean time we will use caution about shaking people’s hands and avoid crowds as much as possible.

I don’t know about the slow response, but the follow through is quite impressive here in Mexico. Stay Tuned!

Shakespeare said “The object of art is to give life a shape.”  A couple of weeks ago there was some excitement in the Hood relating to a shape. Let me start from the beginning.

A scrappy couple in the Hood is our friends. They have one of those relationships that have a dynamic that includes some serious disagreements. I am not judging the merits or lack thereof of such a relationship.

The story told is these two were in the throes of disagreement while the mujere was warming tortillas. The cooking tortilla was on the back burner sort of speak relative to the intense conversation.

By the time attention was paid to the frying masa it was burning – as the mujere changed attention to the tortilla she was immediately struck by the fact that the Virgen of Guadalupe made an appearance on her tortilla.

La Virgen - a Bit Clearer

The vision caused her pause from the disagreement. She reports that her head became filled with thoughts of her children and that she needed to be responsible to family.

The Whole Tortillia

The tortilla now rests on a small wall mounted wooden shelf in a prominent location in her cocina.

The milagro was reported in the Hood. I had to get a picture and the story which led to our first contest. This elicited some interesting answers. There were actually two correct answers; that of Brenda and Sam. A number of people guessed tortilla being partly correct.

Gary Denness and Steve Bleiler correctly took a stab at the Virgen aspect, but left out the tortilla. The most unusual answer has to go to Carlos who wrote, “I recognized it as the inner ear of the dog next door”. I had to wonder why he would be familiar with the inner ear of the dog next door.

In any case it was a fun exercise. Thanks to all that participated – a clever group of readers no doubt. Stay Tuned!

Five years in May and 1000 plus Blog entries entered, but I have never had a contest. This situation just lends itself to audience participation. Below is a photograph of questionable content. Please enter your guess as to what you are looking at. Don’t be shy – just press that little LEAVE A COMMENT ‘button’. (Global Post Readers take note – you will have to make the extra step of going directly to my Blog site and then press comment.)

What is it?

The prize for the correct answer will be the social recognition and I may recommend the winners to a Mensa committee.

So many things to write about are whirling in my head today. I will retain them  and you will read all about it in due time. So Stay Tuned!

Earth Day Celebrations come faster than they use to in the 70’s for a couple of reasons. First, and the most obvious, this is the 39th once a year Earth Day Celebration. Being that I am in my 23rd year of being 39 everything comes around faster than it used to. The other less obvious reason is these days every day is an Earth Day Celebration for me.

Mexico with its great enviro diversity has so much to offer as a country to live within. One could spend a lifetime traveling just in Mexico entertaining the mind and soul with nature’s diverse beauty.

Being an environmentalist hasn’t been easy during the five years we have lived in Mexico. Even while much of the supposed environmental concern in the United States is a mask, true champions of environmental issues and their causes are more readily accepted there.

It is as if people don’t pay attention until they have nearly lost something they had of value. The United States fast tracked environmental destruction from their Industrial Revolution on, and around the time of the first Earth Day Celebration a heightened awareness and even some general concern started coming to the forefront. Mexico is behind as I suppose is to be expected within a developing country.

We live in a tropical paradise here in our part of Mexico. We are so surrounded by the beauty of nature that perhaps it is taken for granted. The people cut the trees down with no regard for how long it may take to renew. They pollute the vast water resources as if they are unending. The beautiful skies are diminished by man’s pollution. You know the pollution and destruction stories – they have all been said before.

Three Miles From Our Casita

It is obvious to me that convenience and expediency are critical to people’s daily lives with little thought to those qualities long term affects on the environment. I remain amazed at just how unconscious to the plights of Mother Earth people seem to be. ‘Innocent of the facts’ is the chief excuse. I have been accused of lacking the patience and complete understanding resulting in unreasonable expectations and reactions. Earth’s destruction will not wait for man’s awareness.

Lately I have been thinking about gathering a list of things I don’t understand about the people I live amongst in Mexico. This to demonstrate to readers with interest in Mexico some of the differences they might encounter that are quite simply inexplicable or extremely difficult to wrap one’s mind around.

Time is running out for the survival of Mother Earth. I’m thankful there is an Earth Day Celebration where once every 365 days people might get an extra dose of awareness to the myriad of problems relating to keeping our planet healthy. Now how do we go about including that awareness and concern the other 364 days? I hope you have a thoughtful Earth Day today – and every day. Stay Tuned!

Some days it just feels good to call in sick. Remember when it was Monday morning and you simply DID NOT want to go to work and you so wanted to call in sick? I had that feeling yesterday; and I’m retired!

My reliably on time boss, the friend I hired to build the wall, showed up at 7 AM; right on time. Now this hombre worked until 11:30 PM Sunday night. He works 28 days out of every thirty for a soft drink distributor. He often moonlights, daylights actually (he works the swing shift) working with me.

I have been the assistant on this job: Hauling buckets of pasta (cement mix); getting block and bricks ready to be laid; screeding wayward cement from block and brick; and just about every other place within a few yards of the project. The list goes on. Meanwhile the head honcho lathers cement on blocks and brick carefully placing them, tapping them to level and waiting for me to do whatever else he needs done.

Wall Up

I’m not complaining about the working relationship – just the working. I am retired. My understanding of that is freedom to do what and when I please.

It seems like this small project has been going on a long time – it has actually. That brings us to another issue. Begrudgingly I set off to work. There were about 6 block and 24 brick to be set for completion of setting blocks/bricks. We screened a half mix of our usual 5 buckets of sand with 1 bag of lime and a half a bag of Portland cement. Then we added water and mixed with shovels until our pasta reached the right consistency. We then laid block and brick.

The Only Sun Up

The final step is to pour two posts to tie it all together. The boss started driving nails through a one inch board that would be the form for the cement post. As he commenced to pounding I noticed the wall heaving and the latest laid bricks and blocks were becoming dislodged and out of level. One block hopped out of its mudded path nearly falling. I shouted, “Stop!”

If you have ever watched or worked with contractors and laborers on a building project you know time is money and it waits for no man – they rush each process. In this case the rush was going to make me unhappy for a very long time to come. I would have to look at block and bricks lined up like hung over soldiers at dawn’s revelry.

I know my help (boss) is impatient for completion. I started complaining to Anita to get her take. She says tell him, emphatically.

I said you tell him, rather whining like. She does. Here I am looking for any sign that this is going to be a problem. Because he is my friend, he complies; just like he complied to my cutting brick and block with an electric cutting wheel rather than chopping at bricks and blocks with a machete often causing misshapen pieces or wasted material. I could go into my whole embedded energy rap and how we shouldn’t waste these high energy created materials, or how I could ill afford a 20% waste factor that is so much a part of U.S. construction.

In this episode of north meets south I have the upper hand because I am paying – or so I think anyway. The boss on the other hand has had his processes handed down from many generations before him and isn’t likely to change those learned techniques once I am out of the picture – even if some of them make better sense. No this is as much about tradition as efficiency.

I am happier because the wall is more to my specifications due to my intimate interplay. It is not exact mind you. I made compromises, honestly. I tried not to introduce too many things from the New World – I kept my laser level boxed. We used a minimum of tools that required electricity, and I patiently waited for nails to be straightened without uttering a word.

Straight as an Arrow

I didn’t bring any computer generated drawings, only a scaffold ladder and step ladder to avoid perching on upside down 5 gallon buckets and termite infested, wobbly scaffolding. I took my notes from memory in the confines of my camper rather than jotting things down like a straw boss keeping tabs on his fellow workers.

It was both rainy and Monday yesterday. Paul Williams and the Carpenters said it best:
Talkin’ to myself and feelin’ old
Sometimes I’d like to quit
Nothing ever seems to fit
Hangin’ around
Nothing to do but frown
Rainy Days and Mondays always get me down.

But I’m OK now. ‘Every day is Saturday in our Mexican Paradise’ is back!

Our little Casita property is almost all walled up. All in all this was probably the best project thus far in our Mexican saga. Running interference to affect what I perceive as a more satisfactory outcome paid off. After all that wall should be standing for a long time after I am not – now to keep graffiti off – the next challenge. Stay Tuned!

Right in the center of Xalapa, Veracruz near the Palace of the Government is Xalapa Cathedral or Catedral  Metropolitana de la Immaculada Concepción de Xalapa. Many times we have been in Xalapa and seen political demonstrations going on in the front of that Cathedral. Apparently it is zoned for public protest?

Five years ago when I would write even the slightest comment about Mexican government issues I would get email and comments warning me against doing such.

As time has gone on and the Mexican Expat Bloggers have grown in number and confidence, I have mentioned political issues – although I haven’t broached with comment on the drug wars problems – some have.

Sadly in the news from Iran Roxana Saberi a 31 year old beauty queen turned freelance journalist has been sentenced to 8 years in prison for supposed espionage. The former Miss North Dakota was originally arrested for buying a bottle of wine on the black market.

Roxana Saberi

The details are sketchy. After a couple months in jail her parents went to Iran to help. But, it does not look good for this talented young woman.

Saberi has dual citizenship, that of the United States and Iran. A couple years back her press pass was revoked in Iran. Obviously this woman made some waves and some enemies along the way.

Her plight reminded me of the delicate nature of publically stating an opinion here in Mexico. We love this country accepting the bad with the good. At this time in our lives we avoid participating in demonstrations.

The other day Anita was in Xalapa with Amanda, a gringa that participates on the Forum and is currently here in our area with her husband Mike. The girls were heading to Callejón Diamante (Diamond Alley) which is an alley bordered by stores that are a throwback to the 60’s. As they passed the large area in front of the grand Cathedral they were approached to donate and support some political cause or another. Anita declined explaining that they were foreigners and could not get involved.

Oddly, we do have some voting rights and say so here in our Colonia Ursulo Galvan. Even here we are careful about getting involved in ways that might be characterized as butting in to the internal affairs of Mexico and its government.

In the strictest sense my libertarian leaning urges me to take a stand for that which I believe etc. – but we don’t want to jeopardize our staying here. We exercise caution.

I think the lovely Ms. Saberi probably went too far with her efforts towards reducing or eliminating the abuses women experience in that male dominated society. I have read some of her articles where she mildly assails the Iranian government.

The difference on the surface is she is a citizen – but being that and a citizen of the United States makes strange bedfellows.

The caution here is avoid getting involved on a public level with anything political. Steer clear of public demonstrations. I am not suggesting you shut off your brain – just your mouth.

Our close Mexican friends ask our opinion of President Obama, the Iraq War, as well as what we think of their government leadership like President Calderon or our Governor Fidel Beltran etc. Our opinions are reserved and cautiously given.

Here on the Blog I champion environmental issues, and get in trouble with readers for that. I have been accused of some very bad things and challenged by some very angry commenter’s. I have no problem stirring the coals – never have.

But I am not willing at this point in our lives to jeopardize my relationship with Mexico. I respect Ms. Saberi’s cause(s). Women around the world owe this young woman a vote of thanks for her willingness to go to the mat for their rights. I also believe it is wise to weigh the costs and put things in perspective before challenging demagogue authority.

I hope the United States will help their daughter. President Obama needs to make an effort to get Roxana Saberi free. Stay Tuned!

Government: If you refuse to pay unjust taxes, your property will be confiscated. If you attempt to defend your property, you will be arrested. If you resist arrest, you will be clubbed. If you defend yourself against clubbing, you will be shot dead. These procedures are known as the Rule of Law.

The above quote is from Edward Abbey. Less than a month ago was the 20th anniversary of the untimely death of Abbey. He definitely was a curmudgeon. Being that I am also classified as such, I certainly was not always in agreement with his takes on life – but I believe he was a wonderful writer and I supported much of what he had to say.

Edward Abbey – Author and Environmental Activist

I attended a book promotion of his not too long before he died. Afterwards I got a chance to talk to the man a bit one on one – he remained as I had imagined – bigger than life fighter for the environment. A cause we shared.

It is hard to fork over dough to a country I mostly don’t live in that continues to send off their sons and daughters to war (read other people’s sons and daughters).

Hear tell there is a war right here in my Country. They say it is about drugs. I am not involved and have no first hand awareness of any of that. I also pay money to the Mexican Government by way of sales tax (a hefty 15%) and property taxes (so small hardly worth mentioning).

In both these cases of federal taxation where I am concerned it is pretty much taxation without representation of my belief system – but I am happy now and if you think I am about to protest refer to paragraph one. Stay Tuned!