Mexico

Cosas Interesantes

People trying to learn English from me

The lady who wouldn't by Coca-cola because it was cold

Hearing La Abuelita complain about anyone not in the room (and about vegetarians in general- María, Tany, and Dan all are), and then hearing them complain right back about her

Seeing (and eating) the actual guava fruit, not just drinking the juice

Having my hands smell really good from making salsa

Making limeade- all the way frm the tree to the finished product

The parrot in the other room waking us up every morning by imitating the squeaky doors and the sound of fingernails on a blackboard. I expect it will soon begin imitating the idiot dogs next door.

Gorgeous bumblebees, goold and black, about the size of a thumb joint

Caterpillars that are painful to touch

Trying to mime or describe words in order to find out what it is in Spanish (a lot like charades)

Being taller than just about everone here- La Abuelita is about chest height on me, and some of the ladies only come up to my hip.

Being asked how my quinceañera was (I wish)

Hearing people be surprised that a girl has played soccer

Meeting people for the first time and having them kiss me on the cheek (this is especially weird with Tanya's boyfriend or any of Daniel's friends- twenty-something-year-old guys)

Everything really cheap

No seat belts in the car, though I reach for it every time

La Abuelita cooking constantly, and people eating her food only occasionally

Language Notes

Not everything is as it has been taught. For instance:

Agua is pronounced "awa".

Pelo is animal hair, like the mane of a horse, while cabello is for people hair.

Oriente and poniente are more common than este and oeste. (East and west)

Helado is also known as nieve

Use bañarse whther it's a bath or a shower

'g' is generally not pronounced when followed by a u or an e

Journal

Miercoles, 7/12/06

I didn't leave the house, but I did do some cooking. You already saw those recipes.

Jueves, 7/13/06

In the morning, I learned how to make beans:

Frijoles estilo Abuelita

Pressure cook 6c? (lots) of beans in water.

Chop 1/4 med. onion, 1/2 clove garlic. Fry in plenty of oil until onion is translucent.

2c at a time, puree beans in blender, with 1/4 c water, 1/2 tsp salt, and some of the onions and garlic in each load.

Put pureed bean mixture in frying pan with 1/2 c oil. Stir together and heat.

I went with María and Dan to get paperwork for the Registro Civil- just for the exercise. While we were walking along the road, we came across a man standing on teh sidewalk, teaching people about venemous snakes (what to do if you're bitten, how to identify them...), with examples, for free. It was very interesting. We watched for a little while, and continued about our business.

When we returned home, everyone was cleaning house for the postwedding party.

In the evening, I seeded grapes (each one the size of a large cherry) for the gelatin dessert María was making:

Gelatina de Fruta

Slice fruit (grapes, peaches, tuna, guava, mang, papaya, etc...) and place in the bottom of a mold.

Make clear gelatin according to package directions and pour into mold, careful not to displace fruit.

Cool in refrigerator.

If desired, make a second batch of gelatin and add milk (or color, flavor, whatever). Pour this second gelatin on top of cooled clear gelatin for a layered effect.

When gelatin has fully congealed, flip onto serving platter and serve.

While we were cooking, Dan sat down at the table and tried, despite the protests of María ("No puedes! Eres hombre!") to remove travel stains from his wedding suit. He couldn't, but when María tried, she couldn't either. He's going to wear something else instead.

Viernes, 7/14/06

A busy day, cooking and preparing.

We arose around 6:30 in oreder to be able to do everything necessary before the wedding.

We went to the big market to buy food, then returned and cooked:

Salsa Mexicana

everything to taste in this recipe

Chop: tomatoes, green jalapeños*, and onion. Combine in large bowl.

Mince: garlic. Add to bowl.

Season with: salt, lime

Mix well.

*To cut down on spice (we did), deseed the jalapeños before chopping.

Pescado Estilo Dan

Put 1 head garlic (chopped) and 1 large ginger root (grated) into a marination pan. Mix in 2 1/2 cups soy sauce. Marinate seven slices of (some kind of white fish) fish 1 1/2 hrs.

Place fish on foil-covered baking pans and cover fish with another layer of foil.

Bake.

Serve with lime and cilantro.

We made lemonade and orange juice by squeezing the friuts until we had a pitcherful.

La Abuelita made her beans, rice, and chicken.

The guacamole-making turned into a bit of a contest between María and Dan, so I'll include both recipes:

Guacamole estilo Maria

Scoop 4 avocados into blender with 1/3c lime juice, 4 deseeded green jalapeños.

Blend, adding salt to taste.

Guacamole estilo Dan

Scoop 2 avocados (that's as many as were left) into bowl.

Add: 3/4c chopped cilantro, 2 cloves minced garllic. Mash together with fork.

Salt and lime to taste.

The judging on the guacamoles: María's had too much lime, but Dan's was too bland. They were best mixed together, though Dan's was really good with salsa.

When the cooking was done, evferyone showered and put on pretty clothes for the wedding. The girls went into María's room to put on makeup and earrings, and I rediscovered how much I hate makeup, especially eyeliner.

At seven, we all walked down ot the Registro Civil. Some friends of María's met us there to be witnesses. I was official photographer for the wedding (in its lovely, romantic office setting...). Dan gave her the ring, they kissed, and all the usual stuff, and we all walked back to the house (friends included) for a party. We ate, drank (you know, Coke and brandy are pretty good together...), and I enjoyed trying to comprehend hand guestures and sound effects. Oh, by the way, María's 50-something-year-old friends wanted us to ask the American guys if they wanted Mexican girlfriends (they meant themselves).

The party went on for a whaile. There's an interesting tradition for the wedding cake: two candles, with the wedding rings on them, are lit and blown out by the newlyweds, then they each take a bite of the cake (with no hands, cake still uncut) and kiss. I didn't really understand the ceremony, but the cake was tasty.

Sábado, 7/15/06

Dan, Eileen, and I drove to the Guatemalan border, parked, and walked across. There was a market where we crossed, so we poked through shops, and Eileen and I each got a new shirt (hecho en los E.U....). It was really hot, so eventually we returned to the car for the improvised AC of open windows. Many pictures were taken of the beautiful mountains of Guatemala. They're very pointy and green.

In the evening, we went to the zócalo of Comitán, where they were having a book fair. We got some books written for little children (which, when we read them, tripped us up about every third word anyway) and watched a street clown. He was hard to hear, but since half of what he was doing was mime anyway , it was funny. When he noticed us and started shouting "Hello!" (in English), we left quickly before he could call us to centerstage.

Today is the first day of the Comitán cultural fair. It's a weeklong event, and if we can ever find a program (their website has one for 2004) we'll go to it.

Hasta más tarde!