The NYTimes on Acid Kool-Aid and Mexican Waves
Read the NY Times article on Ken Kesey’s Mexico, and have a trippy good time doing it.
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Culinary Diplomacy
So if I seem a little food obsessed today, its because I’m food obsessed every day. get used to it. There’s something about food, though, that I think can provide the most intimate connection with culture. In my own life, PECAN PIE will always equal my Ma-Maw. And yes, I mean Ma-Maw, not grandma or any other permutation of the word. Only Ma-Maw can cover her handing be the bowl of pecans to crack into size, and helping me to learn the right layers of butter, syrups, and eggs to sover them with. Only Ma-Maw can mean someone not caring if you cover your entire body in flour while rolling out the dough, and only Ma-Maw wouldn’t care if you only ate the gooey sweetness of the pie that came out of the oven and none of the expensive pecans. Pecan pie, then, means something significant about the way I was raised, and something sacred about family. Its more than just sustenance (especially if its made right 
). Its nigh onto symbolic.
The SOUTH may be a region known for a closer relationship with food than is healthy or strictly necessary, but every region of the world has its own flavors, and I think exploring them is way to tie yourself to a place in a visceral way. A few years ago, when I was at Brunnenburg, Sitzo led us through a wine tasting of different specialties of the region. He introduced us to words like vintage and vernace. He also made the point that the particular climate of the region produced a particular kind of wine, that probably wouldn’t taste the same in a different climate. Being souvenir searching Americans, we disbelieved him and brought Tirolean wine home with us. I, for one, found him to be right….
Experiencing the cuisine of a place can be fun and exciting, and it is a great bridge into the culture and history of a place. I encourage you all to try new things. Have that cactus taco. Try the Hibiscus juice. Give a habanero a whirl. Try ANYTHING once. And you can start by checking out this blog on culinary travel adventures in Mexico:
http://mexicocooks.typepad.com/
Mexican cuisine is currently enjoying a new en vogue status as it makes its way onto plates in both fusion and revival forms in finer restaurants all over the world. And I for one don’t plan on missing any of this particular culinary invasion!
More on being Vegan/Vegetarian, And Some Phrases
I’ll be honest, vegan is difficult when traveling ANYWHERE. I always advise vegans that they are going to have to be flexible. It is possible though, as Mexican fare lends itself to being at least vegeatarian a hell of a lot easier than a lot of cuisines. You’re only problem is going to be that they love to slather everything in cheese. I can help you with how to order, and there are some good phrasing guides that will help too. But for starters, here are a couple of phrases that will help:
Soy vegetariano/a. - I am a vegetarian.
Soy vegetaraino/a estricto ( I am a strict vegetarian - the closest you’ll get to saying I’m vegan).
Quiero este plato sin carne. Es possible? I want this dish without meat - is that possible?
Quiero este plato sin queso. I want this dish without cheese.
No puedo comer carne - ni pollo, ni pesce. I can’t eat meat, nor chicken, nor fish. For some reason, outside of the US, fish and chicken are not considered meat….
And of course, one mustn’t forget the most important:
Quiero un cerveze por favor! I want a beer please.
Quiero una cana por favor (cana is pronounced canya) - I want a small draft beer please
Quiero un chupito de tequila por favor - I want a shot of tequila, please. If they ask if you want the sangrita, say yes. Its like a tequila Bloody Mary in a shot glass, and its vegan….
Otra ronda! Another round please….
I will try to include a lot of this in our opening packets. And I don’t mean to scare you - I think you can eat, and eat well. Also, fruits and veggies are plentiful, and the guacamole is always fresh. It won’t be as it is when you are at home, but you do have some options. And its a hell of a lot easier than it was in Spain, thats for sure….
Internet Access in San Miguel
Several people have asked, so I thought I would post this here for the world to see…
Internet is widely available in San Miguel, and will be available wirelessly both at the school and in all of our housing locations. There are also a number of internet cafes in the town - a surprising number, I thought, for the size of the place. However, internet in Mexico is not as reliable as internet here. The people I correspond with often go MIA for a day or two, as there seems to be only one service provider in town, so when service goes down its down. For the most part, though, I don’t imagine it will be a problem. We were able to access the internet the whole time we were there, and Bill was pretty much glued to his iPhone…
Travel Planning for San Miguel
The following information will be familiar to all of the San Miguel enrollees, but I wanted to post it here for everyone else who might be thinking about joining us this summer, and to have a single place all of you could come to find it. So the following is info/tips on finding and booking your flight to San Miguel:
I also wanted to talk to you all about travel arrangements. I will send an email out about what to pack and bring, and what to generally expect from your trip sometime soon. However, now is the best time to purchase airfare, so I primarily want to talk about that. For those of you that went to Madrid, you will notice that airfare is significantly cheaper than what we had to pay before! However, we’re not talking about chump change, so I want to encourage you all to shop around and get the best deal possible. I have talked to STA, and since they have no contract with the airport in Leon they can not offer us student fares to the airport there. However, I will list a couple of sites and while I am in no way endorsing them, I have personally found that they are good places to look when you are interested in booking airfare - see these sites with a little write up below. The airport you will want to fly into is Gunajuato/Leon, and the airport code is BJX. You are, of course, welcome to fly into another airport. However, we provide transportation into San Miguel only to students arriving on June 23rd into the Guanajuato/Leon airport. So if you want to come in on your own, feel free, but you will be on your own to get into San Miguel. San Miguel is about 1.5 hrs from Guanajuato/Leon….
There are only two airlines that fly into Guanajuato/Leon, and they are Delta and Continental. Continental is, in my opinion, the better choice of the two. They still serve food, although its not terribly good. As if airplane food ever was. vegetarians beware, though, you will need to specify that you want a vegetarian meal when booking the tickets, call about two weeks out from the departure date to confirm it, and then alert the flight attendant the moment you get on the plane. I have often had them forget my veg meal, but if you ask soon enough while boarding they can often arrange to get something for you. Alternatively, you can pack your own food, but you must eat anything fresh (veggies or fruit) before landing in Mexico as they will make you throw anything like that away.
Another tip - if you are in the low-res program, or planning on doing a lot of traveling, get a frequent flier account with either Continental or Delta. I managed to fly in business or first class every time but the first time I went to Europe (and we’re talking five summers) by being diligent about collecting miles. Bigger seats, and hey, they serve free alcohol up there behind them curtains! And usually gourmet chocolate. Also, generally the cheapest day to fly is Tuesday - but Saturdays are pretty good too. Of course, the day you need to arrive is a Monday, but you have some flexibility on the way back, and remember to think seriously about that return date before you book that ticket. You may want to travel around after the program ends. We have lodging paid through the night of the closing party, the 17th of July. After that, you’re on your own, so home may be calling, or the beach may be calling - your choice!
After you book your tickets and know your itinerary we will need you to report it on our itinerary report form on the web, but we will discuss that at a later date. For now, happy ticket shopping! And feel free to email me and ask if I think a price is fair or not.
Here are some websites:
The two powerhouses are, of course,
www.travelocity.com and
www.expedia.com
Check them both, but then also check some other sites. Don’t let them have the monopoly!
http://www.statravel.com/ - still a good site. They will make you buy an ISIC card, but hey, its a good thing to have. I recommend it. If nothing else, it will save you on admittance to AMC theatres…. As far as airfare goes, Austin peeps may definitely want to use this one. They quoted me a price of less than $350.00 round trip. It varies depending on departure date and location, though, but give them a shot. And an STA tip - CALL THEM! Make friends with the agent you talk to - and by that I mean nice, tell them who you are/what you’re studying, and how poor you are ;). They CAN help find you a really good price. And if you get an agent you don’t gel with, hang up and call back.
www.priceline.com - the secret to Priceline is to bid low and gradually increase. I think this might be a VERY good site for us to use this summer. Name your price - start at $300.00, I’d say, unless you live in Austin, and for that, see above…. You can go up from there. You may not get any traction with them, but you never know. But be forewarned, when you suggest a price and agree to book, the instant the find an airline that accepts your offer your credit card will be charged. You must bid realistically, and by that I mean, don’t bid a penny more than you are able to and willing to spend.
http://www.mobissimo.com/results_airfare.php?QueryID=8106fca9cf3a8dc161dffac3f7d50004 - this site is really much better for travel in Europe, however, it gave me a relatively fair price for a flight from NOLA to BJX (LEON). It came back with $566 and some change for a round trip fare. Not too shabby…
www.orbitz.com - ya know, there’s something I don’t like about this site but it does often have good cheap prices. Don’t take them at face value, though, and shop around!
And finally, sometimes these days the airlines themselves will offer you the best price. Don’t book ANYWHERE else, not even on priceline, without checking them first:
Continental Airlines: http://www.continental.com/web/en-US/default.aspx
Delta Airlines: http://www.delta.com/home/index.jsp?Log=1&MkCpgn=SEzzzw1a&keyword=delta%20airlines
Okay, thats about it for now, but please let me know if you have any questions, and I look forward to seeing you in San Miguel!
Hasta Pronto!
I Dare You!
Yes Ladies and Gentleman, its that time. Two truths and a lie time.
1. I am an acrobat who once made it to Olympic trials.
2. I didn’t submit any work anywhere for over a year after I graduated.
3. I am, in my spare time, a writer of soap operas.
Ok. So that should have been easy. I have no spare time, and have never set foot nor flip near the Olympics. Its number two thats true. Thats not to say I didn’t write anything new after I graduated, just that I stopped sharing it with people, for a variety of reasons. But what I really want to talk to you all about is the pact I made with several friends and writers here in New Orleans over the Christmas holiday. We made a pact to submit to at least twenty different places by the end of Christmas Break. We set a date for a dinner far enough in the future that we could expect to have most of our responses back (which, ladies and gentleman, requires about four months). Anyone who gets anything picked up brings a bottle of something bubbly and good to the dinner. Our goal of course is to have a lot of bubbles. We also threw in a provision that we’ll chip in for a bottle of something fun for the person who gets the most hand written rejections. And a punishment - anyone not meeting their goal of 20 submissions has to pick up the tab for the dinner. For about five people. So this works for us - it mainly gets us submitting - which is a chore at best. What appeals to me most, though, is that it makes the whole process a social affair. It makes it fun and you get more rewards than those rejection letters would normally bring all by themselves ;). There are a number of different ways to structure it, and you have complete freedom as to what you do. But I am going to dare you, San Miguelers and Brunnenburgers - submit to twenty places in any genre by the start date of your program. Celebrations and consolations to ensue during the program. Who’s in?
Some Links of Interest to Brunnenurgers
Hello all! I wanted to go ahead and give you all a couple of links you might find interesting.
City of Meran/Merano Website
Dorf Tirol Website
Schloss Tirol
And Here’s a good place for family or friends to stay during your visit:
Mair am Ort
As always, let me know if you have any questions! Sigh. I wish I could join you all there this year!
What to Expect at Brunnenburg from the Coordinator
It is my great pleasure to welcome you to the Ezra Pound Center for Literature!
I am a veteran of the program myself, so when I say you are in for a profound adventure I am speaking from experience. I wanted to include some information here, some of which is available on the web, and some of which is not, to help you facilitate your journey. Basically, though, I want to give you an idea of what to expect in Brunneburg.
First, Brunnenburg is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. The mountains are breathtaking and the weather is generally very pleasant, perhaps even a bit cool at night. There was one night I snuggled under a down comforter, but then, I tend to be cold natured…. The castle itself is stunning, perched on the edge of a cliff, and overlooking the city of Merano. Just above it is a larger castle, Schloss Tirol (that’s Castle Tirol) named for the region in which you will be all too brief visitors. You will be residing in a 17th century farmhouse, however. The farmhouse is clean and comfortable, but it is not fancy. It is a 17th century renovation. Which means there is no internet access ladies and gentleman! So as to whether or not to bring your computer – its up to you, but I thin
k unless you are also bringing a small travel printer (in which case you will be much loved by your fellow Brunnenburgers) it probably isn’t worth it. I had mine with me but I don’t think I used it more than twice the whole time I was there. John Gery will accept handwritten papers, and it is possible to find an internet café or two in Merano. You can also use a computer in the Dorf Tirol tourist center to check email – it’s a Euro for fifteen minutes – but you often have to wait in line for this as there are only a couple of computers available. Although it can be a bit of a shock to some people to be so disconnected, it can often be very rewarding. It helps to immerse you in the heart of what really goes on at Brunnenburg – reading and writing. And perhaps working in the vineyards, or sampling their product….
You should also prepare yourself to be sharing a bathroom with your fellow Brunnenburgers. You may want to bring a robe or covering of some kind. And please remember that in terms of the bathrooms at Brunnenburg, and indeed all other things, you should do unto others as you would have them do unto you. If you make a mess, clean it up. Everyone is an adult at Brunnenburg, and no one should have to be responsible for cleaning up after someone else!
Located just above the castle is the little village called Dorf Tirol, lovingly referred to as THE DORF. You will have to climb a very steep hill from the castle to get into the Dorf, and even the fittest among us were winded at the top, at east in the beginning. Pack tennis shoes and/or hiking boots – you will be grateful! The Dorf is not a lively place in terms of nightlife, and there are no clubs here. There is a bar famous to Brunnenburgers called The Treft, and it can
be a great place to hang out in the evenings, but for that matter, so are the picnic tables around the castle. There are some lovely restaurants around the Dorf, and the food is quite good. Restaurants are typically either German or Italian, and you should try to sample the cuisine of both. I found that the people of the town preferred speaking German over Italian, but they understand both. Between my fledgling Italian and my friend’s decent German we managed just fine. There are also a number of people that speak, or at least understand, English. There is also a fountain in the center of town where you can fill your water bottles safely, with cool, delicious mountain spring water. There are a number of little shops in the Dorf, but these mainly cater to people who are getting ready for outdoor activities such as hiking. For other shopping, you will want to head down to Merano, where you have many more options. Every window in the town is adorned with window boxes of colorful flowers, and everywhere you look, from mountain, to valley, to window the view is nothing short of idyllic….
You may think a month sounds like a long time, but it will fly by, and be over before you know it. Your days will be quite busy, with the classes in the morning and afternoon, a brief break at lunch, and you will often have activities in the evenings as well, such as readings and other events. You will be spending a lot of time with your fellow Brunnenburgers, and bonds form quite quickly. Also because of the amount of time you will be spending with one another, tensions may begin to flare. Just remember – these are not necessarily people you will never see again. I am in close contact with almost everyone I met at Brunnenburg, and see them quite often. And I attended in 2004….
John Gery reads in Torcello, Venice
A final piece of advice I can offer you – when you go on the trip to Venice John Gery will do a walking tour. This walking tour focuses on literary events in the city, but will take you past all the great sights, and some you would never see in a weekend while exploring on your own, or even on some other tour. However, the tour will also take you to the outer islands. When I went, people fell out of the tour before the end of it on the last day. Designer shoes and handmade leather goods called their names, and one by one people disappeared from the tour. Which means they missed the island of Torcello (torch – ello). This was truly my favorite part of the tour. There were only a handful of us left at that point, and we all agreed it was one of the best parts of the entire trip. I still remember gazing upon those half neglected mosaics, and listening to john read in the grass outside the church, with an incredible vivid clarity. I am far less enamored of the 80 Euro red leather backpack I bought on my return to the main island (though its cute, don’t get me wrong ;)…. So in other words, get your souvenirs, but don’t miss a moment of John’s Intrepid Tour of Venice and the Islands.
Finally, I just want to add that you will want to make sure that you do not plan to leave before July 18th. Even though your final exams will be on the 16th, in order to leave on the 17th you would have to leave immediately after you finish your exam, which means you would miss the Farewell Banquet, which is always quite enjoyable. So please, do yourself a favor, and give yourself leeway to attend the Banquet! You’ll be grateful in the long run!
And finally, please let me know if there is anything I can do to help you plan and prepare for this journey. I believe most of you have my contact info, but my email is Jennifer.stewart@uno.edu, and my phone number is 504-280-7457. Please don’t hesitate to contact me with any questions!
Barack on Mexico
Someone sent me a link to this article in the Dallas Morning News. Its Barak Obama talking about the need to improve relations with Mexico, and heavily criticizing the Bush administration for letting our relationships with our North American allies get so horribly strained. A quote:
“ Mr. Bush took office vowing to make the Americas a top priority. But over the last seven years, the administration’s approach to this issue has been clumsy, disinterested and, above all, distracted by the war in Iraq. Indeed, relations have not fully recovered since Mexico refused to fall in line with President Bush’s rush to war.”
And one more:
“ Our relationship with Mexico should serve as a bridge to greater security and prosperity in North America and to better relations with Latin America. But we cannot achieve this partnership unless we engage in sustained and focused diplomacy, and develop a more effective working relationship with our neighbor to the south.”
Obama talks about a rise in hate crimes against Latinos and trouble on the borders. Hillary has been invited to respond with a similar essay. But as we are about to be Ambassadors to Mexico in our own right, what do you think?
Oh! The Massages We Will Get!
So prior to my trip to San Miguel I began conversing with Susan McKinney, proprietress of Jasmine Day Spa in San Miguel, just a couple blocks from Bosque. An American expat and writer herself, I inquired if she would be willing to offer discount on spa services to the members of our program this summer. She was eager to do so, and as I believe in doing PROPER research Ladies and Gentleman, I took it upon myself to inspect her spa and their services. At the end of our whirlwind two day business trip I booked a massage and a facial at the spa. The spa is located on Calle Jesus, and you climb a flight of stairs to enter. The spa itself was quite pretty, though not the dark and dreamy brand of spa we might be used to here in the US. Susan was lovely, and she arranged for a member of her staff to give me the massage and facial. The massage room they took me too was very comfortable, and very light. I could just spy the spires of the parroquia from the window in the room. The therapists lack of English was a little awkward at first, but I really didn’t find it much of a hindrance. I don’t much like making small talk with strangers while I’m naked anyhow.
The massage was top notch, and she used just the right amount of pressure. I must say, and I have no trouble recommending her or the spa, and the total for my services came to just under $50 USD (and yes, I paid, no kickbaceks here ;). That’s for an hr facial and an hr massage. You can’t get either one for less than fifty most places int eh US, and certainly not in New Orleans….
I encourage you all to take advantage of the spa and relaxation services they offer here, as well as at the Hot Springs we will visit on our last excursion….
22 Sombreros and an ATV
So, I have heard a lot of people talking about how American San Miguel is. And I won’t deny that there is a strong American influence in San Miguel. The dreaded Starbucks will probably be open by the time we get there this summer, and you can even get a New York bagel in town. Pizza is also prevalent (and while I didn’t try it, knowing me and my obsession with it, I will ), and you can even get sushi. However, there is more to San Miguel than Starbucks and sushi and American expats. Walking down to where the classes will be held, one day, we passed a guy who had twenty two sombreros stacked on his head. Literally, one hat right on top of the other. I had seen him earlier, trying to sell the wide brimmed straw hats in the Jardin, and in the market. The market, too, is an interesting place, and featured everything from from beautiful fresh fruits and vegetables to intricate, colorful bead work sold by artisans from the surrounding areas. I also (after having left mine at the hotel for the day) bought a pair of sunglasses there for about five dollars. They have prepared food there as well, and its definitely a spot to peruse, and its definitely not an American style place.
Also, on our way from one business meeting to the next, we were startled by the sight of a man on an ATV bumping up the cobblestone hill with an infant - a very small infant - clutched to his chest. After all the controversy about ATV safety in the US this was a disturbing sight. We passed men on horseback riding into town, often laden with goods to sell. And the image of that crow, bouncing on the stick on our drive in lingers….
Basically, what I’m getting at is, while this place will have much that feels familiar, it is still very foreign….
Restaurants and Bars in San Miguel
So despite a crazy two days of nearly back to back business meetings, Bill and I managed to eat and drink our way through San Miguel pretty well. Some things to remember are, of course, don’t drink the tap water!!! Beyond that, tortillas are always going to be corn, or sometimes blue corn. Salsas may be spicy (picante). Tread with caution if you’ve got a sensitive palate. And like many places outside the US, vegetarian here means you don’t eat beef. Fish or seafood, or sometimes even chicken, may appear on your plate if you are not specific. If you’re trying to be vegan while you’re gone, it can be done, but, may the force (and not the hunger pains) be with you. On the bright side, we bought a pint of cut fruit that was sweet, cool, and satisfying for about a dollar. It had mango, papaya, pineapple, watermelon, and jicama, a strange brand of fruit everyone should try once….
Note: I am not a strict vegetarian, but I prefer to eat no red meat or chicken. I do eat seafood, and can’t imagine ever giving up cheese…
(pic is of La Pamplonada, which will be the site of our readings)
OLE OLE
Our first dinner was at a restaurant called Ole Ole. Brace yourselves Madrid veterans - this restaurant is bullfight themed. All of the walls are covered in bullfight paraphernalia. Posters, pictures, and the heads and horns of bulls. Its kind of intriguing, and frankly, Bill and I felt right at home. The food is entirely Mexican though. We started off with shots of tequila (why not?) each of which is accompanied by a sangrita, which is kind of like a bloody mary in a shot glass. Its quite tasty, and makes a good accompaniment to the tequila. We ordered an appetizer of queso fundido con champinones - melted cheese with marinated mushrooms - it was definitely a filling and comforting food. No real spice here at all. In fact, its rather bland. The mushrooms were delicious though. We were also served chips with three kinds of salsa - a spicy salsa verde (which was actually delicious), a less spicy but flavorful salsa, similar to mole, and crema - basically sour cream. Which helps to cut the spice of the salsa verde! I had Fajitas de Camarones, and they were delicious. Huge marinated and butterflied shrimp, served with sauteed vegetables and guacamole. Very tasty. We all had fajitas of some type, and all pronounced ourselves pleased. Our total bill was, with tip, 640 pesos. Split between three people, thats about 213 pesos each, which comes to less than twenty dollars per person for several shots of tequila and a couple beers each, plus food. Not bad!
Breakfast at Bosque:
When you walk in you have to find your napkin ring. Each room (and person) has a napkin ring with a cloth napkin assigned to hem. So you walk in, pick up your napkin, and head for the fruit and juice assortment. Fruits vary according to season, but I had a to die for mango, that literally fell right out of its skin, a half a banana, and some of those big red strawberries I had seen from the road on our way in. All were delicious. You can also pick up a glass of juice with your fruit. You then sit down at a table, and a waiter comes by and offers you a menu, and you can have either tea or coffee (tea drinkers might want to bring their own tea bags though - Its Lipton). The menu offers a wide selection. Eggs several styles, oatmeal with bananas and milk, pancakes. I think the only thing missing was bagels and cream cheese (and grits, but hey, a girl can adapt if she has to ;). If you’ve got that bagel craving, there’s a bagel shop just a few blocks away, though. I had the Huevos Mexicanos - the Mexican Eggs. It was two fried eggs on a blue corn tortilla, and topped with a flavorful red sauce. Its served with toast and fresh strawberry preserves. I quite like mine. Bill cared less for their version of Migas - it was just scrambled eggs with tortillas cut up in them…. All in all, it was good, and very filling.
La Palapa:
Ok. Probably one of my favorite meals because I ADORE fish tacos. And these were delicious. The place looks makeshift - you’re seated at plastic tables under a tent. Everyone here speaks English, though, and the food is good and cheap. You can get fish tacos steamed or fried (I had them fried) and they were 15 pesos each. You can also get tacos de arrachera (beef) and free range chicken. Shrimp tacos are a little more - they’re 20 pesos each. So thats $1.50 to $2.00 a taco…. And don’t hesitate to use their green sauce, or salsa verde. Its not at all spicy, and it was VERY good.
If you’ve got the craving, you can also get what looked like very good hamburgers and cheeseburgers, and yes ladies and gentleman, hot dogs. A hot dog will run you about twenty pesos, and a cheeseburger about 30 pesos. You can get an Indio or Sol beer for 15 pesos. I really like the Indio…. Hours are Mon- thorugh Sat, 12pm to 5pm.
Pueblo Viejo
Oh what a difference a kick ass view makes! Although this restaurant was slightly pricier than some others, the view on the terrace makes it all worthwhile. And this place has excellent margaritas! The roof top terrace where we ate was lovely - all covered in bougainvillea, and the food was quite good. Worth every peso! We started with our now traditional shots of tequila (con sangrita!) and moved on to margaritas. They brought us a little presentation of chips in guacamole, and it was delicious both to the eyes and mouth. For those Madrid veterans, you’ll find a number of familiar Spanish dishes here, but I opted for something a little different. I had roasted asparagus with parmesan, and an avocado stuffed with marinated shrimp. The asparagus dish was 80 pesos, and the avocado was 90. If I had any criticism, it was that I could have used a little more of th avocado, but next time I’ll know to order a little something else with it. All in all the food and the scenery were incredible….
La Petit Bar
Calling all winos! Tequila may be the talk of the town, but you can get some good vino here. They have some Chilean wines and Some Spanish, and the wine is relatively cheap. I had a couple glasses of the Antares, a Chilean white, and they were 35 pesos each. And no, I will NOT tell you how many I had ;). This is also a French style restaurant, and we had none other than escargot as our starter. They were quite good (for those who’ve never ventured into the realm of snails before, they have a texture like scallops and taste like the butter that everyone prepares them in). For my meal I had a delicious Ensalada de Queso de Cabra Caliente here. Thats a hot goat cheese salad. It also had a warm raspberry compote drizzled over the goat cheese, and was really top notch. I also had a Sopa de Cebolla Tradicional - known to us as French Onion Soup. It also was quite good - and as it was very chilly that night (down to 38 degrees fahrenheit!) I found it very soothing. Prices were a little higher than some, but no higher than Pueblo Viejo or Ole Ole. My only criticism is that it took quite a while to get the food. In my opinion, though, it was worth the wait!
Cafe San Francisco:
This cafe is located on a corner of the Jardin. We were up early and hungry, so we tried to find a place open before 8 am for breakfast. There didn’t seem to be any! But these people were willing to let us have coffee and pan dulce (sweet bread) at 7:30 am. At the stroke of eight they handed us menus. And I must say I thoroughly enjoyed this breakfast. I had scrambled eggs wrapped in corn tortillas, and covered (rather, smothered) in black bean sauce. They were topped with a dollop of sour cream and a red chile pepper. It was garnished with slices of avocado and tomato, and I was given two pieces of toast with fresh strawberry jam besides. It was very good and very filling. I didn’t need to eat again till that night! Bill had Huevos Divorciados - two fried eggs, one covered with green sauce, the other with red. He got it with chorizo, and pronounced it quite good. My meal was 75 pesos, and Bill’s was 60 pesos. Our entire bill for the meal, coffee, juice, bottled water, and pan dulce was less than twenty dollars….
Rico Pozole:
Right next to a pizza bar, this is another one facing the Jardin. And one I’d recommend skipping. The margaritas were watery, and the guacamole no better or worse than anywhere else. I also had a gordita de nopales - a cactus gordita. It was merely ok - the cactus was a little slimy, putting you in mind of poorly prepared okra. And while it had a slight spice to it, in general it was rather bland…. The cactus gordita was 30 pesos (about 3 dollars) and the margaritas were 50 pesos, so it was also a little more money than some of the other places….
Arriving in San Miguel
When we first arrived at out hotel, Mansion del Bosque, there was a mariachi band playing in the courtyard, and people lingering in the restaurant from their lunch. We haven’t much time, and are full from all that white bread on the plane, so we quickly deposit our bags in our room. My room is on the first floor, and has what is basically an entire wall of windows. As there is currently a band and a host of people out there, I feel a little shy, but enjoy the brightness of it. There is a little desk in the room, and I toss my stuff down, and tuck my computer out of sight. You can’t be too careful! Bill and I meet up - his room is up on the second floor - and we greet Ruth, the owner and operator of Bosque since sometime in the 50’s. She’s dressed in a flowing dress, and her white hair and quiet manner remind me of my great Aunt Leona, who made the best black eyed peas in the world…. Black eyed peas are NOT what we are after right now, and Bill and I quickly make our way to the Jardin, or the center of town. The Jardin is lovely, particularly on this Sunday afternoon, and the Parroquia rises above it in the grand manner of all the cathedrals I have ever been to in Europe. Indeed, something about this town feels more European than Europe.
Bill and I sit down at an outside table at a restaurant on the corner, called Restaurante del Jardin. We order two bottles of water and two Coronas (when in Rome, after all) and some guacamole. The guacamole is very fresh, but a little lacking in spice. Or perhaps that was just our spoiled New Orleans palates….
The restaurant is a good vantage point to watch Sunday happen in the Jardin. They are setting up a small stage directly adjacent to the Parroquia. Vendors line this side of the Jardin, offering everything from ice cream to tamales to balloons. As we sit, a child approaches us several times trying to sell us chewing gum. A man approaches trying to sell us beaded strips of leather. And when Bill can no longer resist the sight of the ice cream, a woman approaches me with some beautiful chunky necklaces in every shade and stone. I’m tempted to buy a beautiful turquoise one with squared off beads, but as this is literally my first HOUR in San Miguel, I reluctantly decline. She had wanted two hundred pesos for the turquoise necklace, which, I must say, did appear to be finely crafted. Thats about twenty dollars. Had I been in the mood to deal, I think I could have gotten two (or maybe even 3) necklaces from her for that price. Bill comes back, and the woman, who’s dressed in a long red skirt and embroidered, loose white blouse, with her dark hair pulled back and hanging all the way down her back disappears. Bill, however, has gotten some cereza helado - cherry ice cream. Its delicious - at least as good as the gelato I had in Rome. Eventually, we pay the bill and go to meet our friend Dave, who’s our liaison in San Miguel. As we leave, the sun is warm and I remove my jacket. There’s a slight breeze, but I’m comfortable in a sundress….
Do You Know the Way to San Miguel?
From New Orleans, we leave at a somewhat reasonable hour, for a quick flight to Houston, Texas. We have very little layover time, so quickly make our way to our gate. There are only two airlines that fly into our destination airport, Leon, Mexico; Delta, and Continental. We’re on the jazzier of the two, Continental. If any US airline can be considered jazzy anymore. At least, on the slightly more than 2 hr flight to Guanajuato/Leon, they feed us. To my surprise we’re handed a tray with about half a sandwich on very white bread, piled with turkey. There’s a bag of Fritos, a mini Milky Way Bar, and a tiny packet of mustard which is supposed to help get all the white bread down I guess. Vegetarians are out of luck, here, it seems, so DEFINITELY advise the airline before you go of special dietary concerns…. Still, I was pleased to get ANYTHING to eat on the flight.
Outside the window the changing terrain fascinated me. We flew over mountains so big they seemed big to US, several thousand feel over them. We flew over pitted valleys, and snaking rivers, and watched the colors of the terrain change from green to brown, and trees fade away to be replaced by sparse spots of dark underbrush and cacti. I guess something in me was reluctant to think of Mexico as all that foreign. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I know its another country with another language and a huge set of problems, but somehow, it was so close to ‘home’ that I kind of appropriated it as, if not my own, a cousin. Watching the drastic changes in the terrain was not only beautiful, it was a visual key that this trip might not be quite what I expected.
And landing at the airport is certainly NOT what anyone who has suffered through trans-Atlantic flights would expect. Of course, our airplane was not all that large. But when we landed on the tarmac, we exited the plane on the tarmac. No jetways for us! Along with the other cramped passengers we ducked out of the plane onto the asphalt and were pointed into the ‘arrivals hall.’ No spending an hour here trying to get through passport control! even though their computers kept repeatedly crashing, we were out of the passport control in less than ten minutes. And while we had been standing there we watched our luggage be placed on the belt. It was waiting for us by the time we got out of passport control, so in less than fifteen minutes we had hit the ATM, met our driver, and were off.
Driving to San Miguel takes about an hour and a half, and I have to say I was sleepier than I should have been. Going out till all hours of the night before a trip of any kind is never a good idea, which is something I seem to have to remind myself on every trip…. However, I was also too excited to fall asleep, as my eyes kept roving across the Mexican terrain. We are riding in an SUV, and the guy who is driving is young, college age, and quiet. He speaks when spoken to, and we ask a few questions as we speed along to San Miguel. Mostly, we are quiet though. We pass several fruit and vegetable stands. The first one we passed was a splash of red color. It had HUGE, deep scarlet strawberries for sale, and right next to it was a man selling all sorts of colorful windmills. Right next to that was a man bouncing a dead crow on a stick. The black bird was, I suppose, intended to be someone’s dinner (?), but the image was so strange it lingered as we slid quickly past. Directly after that we passed an Applebee’s. Talk about a mood killer! A Weight Watchers restaurant in the middle of the desert in Mexico? It seemed so incongruous with its bouncing dead crow neighbor….
There seem to be many incongruous images though - two men in pretty rugged clothing and Stetson hats on horseback. Bright bougainvillea, pale green cacti, and the brown hills as far as the eye an see. Chunky mountains in the distance. Something about this feels familiar, though, and I think that Mexico might be more of an image in our minds than we realize. San Miguel, however, was not an image I expected.