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….