Cooking Pasta Part I - A Dominican Lasagna in Mexico (recipe)

After a short, stress-free day at work, I brewed myself a nice cup of chamomile and lavender tea, tuned in to NPR’s Fresh Air podcast, and whipped up a lasagna. This, I call meditation in motion.

I am not really sure how lasagna became a staple of the Dominican diet. It’s actually a staple of Dominicans in New York. From my childhood in the Dominican Republic, I recall people talking about lasagna as one of the most popular dishes at dinner parties thrown by the very rich – I had never seen nor tasted one. All I knew is that it was fancy, and therefore, a very expensive dish to make. Not too mention a bit weird, right?

In the late 70’s, as thousands of poor Dominican folks immigrated to the United States, mostly to New York, lasagna-making became accessible to everyone thanks to the easy availability of so many cooking ingredients at relatively inexpensive prices. These Dominicans were ready to bask in the grandeur of being able to afford lasagna in their newly-adopted land.

I moved to New York in the 80’s, a teenager not that interested in food though my mom made sure that she served her now world-famous lasagna frequently. Her signature lasagna is made with ground turkey and lots of fresh vegetables. Since I can remember, her lasagna is served in every special ocassion including thanksgiving, christmas, and birthdays.

So, what is a Dominican lasagna? I have no idea! A good American friend of mine used to say that any self-respecting Dominican girl in New York must be able to make a mean lasagna…he was right! My mom used to size up my brother's Dominican girlfriends by the quality of their lasagnas. Anyway, I have invented my own recipe mostly from the memory of my palate after having enjoyed them so much living under my mom’s roof.

Now that I live in Mexico and have taken up cooking as a hobby, my Dominican lasagna has caused quite a stir amongst friends and acquaintances; some have even suggested that I market it. I’m calling mine a Dominican-American lasagna because it’s influenced not only by all the versions I’ve had in the Dominican community but also by all the ones I’ve tasted in notoriously Italian neighborhoods in New York and Boston. I've also had them in Italy. In making this dish, there’s a lot of room for creativity and I really encourage experimentation.

My lasagna is definitely “rustica” and it has a sweet and hearty flavor…so without much ado, here’s the recipe (serves 4 very large or 6 medium sized portions):

Ingredients (in order of appearance):
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 3 large cloves of garlic diced or crushed
- ½ cup white or yellow onions
- ¼ cup celery, diced
- 3 plum tomatoes, very ripe, chopped
- 1 tbsp oregano (preferably fresh), chopped small
- 6 fresh basil leaves, chopped small
- 3 fresh sage leaves, chopped small
- 1 medium carrot, thinly sliced,
- 1 medium pear squash or chayote, cubed medium (if not available, use more carrots and zucchini)
- 1lb ground beef, lean (or turkey)
- 1 medium zucchini, cubed medium
- 1 cup mushrooms, sliced
- ½ cup of red wine (I use port)
- 3 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tsp baby capers
- Salt and pepper to taste

- Lasagna noodles – I like the Barilla 20-minutes pre-cooked noodles
- 2-3 cups of pasta sauce – I either make my own or buy a jar of Classico or Barilla Tomato Basil sauce
- 1 cup ricotta cheese (requesón in Mexico)
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese (adobera o oaxaca in Mexico)
- ½ cup parmesan cheese (cotija in Mexico)

Step 1 – Make the filling:

1. In a large sautee pan, heat up the oil then add the onion, garlic, and celery. Sautee and stir until lightly brown.



2. Add tomatoes, herbs, and some salt and pepper. Stir until tomatoes cook down and start to make a paste.



3. Add carrot and pear squash then sautee, stirring occasionally for about 5 minutes.



4. Add the meat, crumbling it up with your hands but leaving some big chunks. Let it cook, stirring occasionally until it stops looking red.



5. Add the zucchini and mushrooms.



6. Add the wine, Worcestershire sauce, and capers.



7. Let the liquids simmer, stirring occasionally, until the alcohol cooks down a bit.



8. Taste the meat filling and see if you need to adjust the flavor.



9. If you plan to bake the lasagna, preheat the oven at 225°F.
   

Step 2 – Assemble it!

1. Spread the bottom of a medium-size square Pyrex dish with a little bit of pasta sauce and one teaspoon of olive oil. You can use any other type of glass dish that is safe for baking.



2. Line the bottom with a layer of noodles.



3. On top of the noodles, spread one cooking spoon full of the meat filling.



4. Evenly spread 4 heaping tablespoons of the tomato sauce.



5. With your hands, crumble up and spread 1/3 of the cup each of the ricotta and mozzarella cheeses.



6. Repeat steps 2-5 to make another layer.



7. Add the last layer of noodles.



8. Spread the more sauce of top, making sure some drops down on the side (inside) of the dish since the noodles need the moisture.



9. Add the remaining of the crumbled up cheeses.



10. Sprinkle the parmesan cheese on top.



11. If you have any meat left-over, you might want to save and use it as a base for a Bolognese-like sauce.
    

Step 3 – Bake it and eat it!

1. At this point you can cover and freeze for later or bake it now.



2. To bake, put in the oven at 425°F for 20 to 30 minutes depending on how brown the top gets. You might want to cover it at the beginning to get keep it nice and moist.



3. When done, let it sit for about 10-15 minutes to cool.



4. Serve with yummy warm bread and a side salad.



5. Enjoy!
   

If you plan to make the sauce, here’s what I do:

Ingredients:
- 3 cloves garlic, large, oven roasted then diced
- 5 basil leaves, whole
- Fresh oregano and/or rosemary to taste
- ½ medium onion, chopped
- 8 plum tomatoes, very ripe
- 2 cups of water or chicken stock
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- Salt and pepper to taste

To make the sauce:

1. Mix all the ingredients in a medium saucepan.



2. Bring to boil, stirring occasionally.



3. Boil on high to medium heat for 30 minutes.



4. Taste to see if it needs salt, pepper, and sugar.



5. If you’re pressed for time, you can mash the tomatoes down a bit while they’re cooking. I like my sauce a little chunky and watery.
   

Mexican Children Channel Madonna!

A few weeks ago, I went to a “concert ensemble” honoring Madonna at a university campus in GDL. I admit that I wasn’t sure what this was about. My best guess was that it would be an outdoor dance party with Madonna music and videos amid some cool lighting. Boy, was I wrong!

The set up was outdoors alright, but judging from the size of the stage, we were in for a real spectacle. It struck me that there was seating for roughly 200 people though the set design had more ambition than that.

The show was indeed a performance-based ensemble of Madonna’s most memorable concert performances starting back with 1989’s Blonde Ambition tour and finishing up with 2006’s Confessions. Much like Madonna’s productions, this show did not lack in props, lighting, a large number of dancers, a live orchestra, a back-up gospel-style choir, video, and all sorts of visual treats.

I assumed all the performers were college students though they all looked like junior high school students to me. I think some of the songs performed might’ve been older than the performers. What’s cool about this is that Madonna’s popularity transcends several generations and it shows. This didn’t feel like a retro-tribute; it definitely felt like it was the “now” thing to do.

So, how was the show? Well, it was pretty good. There were some major flaws in my opinion but first, let’s talk about the good stuff. I was most pleased to see men perform some of the songs, most notably Rain, Live to Tell, and Jump. It was so refreshing to see guys be so open and free with their interpretations. The sheer number of dancers and performers on stage made the concert very engaging though at times, it felt like there were more performers than audience members. By far, the most impressive feature was the flawless choreography. OK, most of it was imitated directly from Madonna’s performances but the stuff is physically demanding and requires a lot of coordination and cooperation – not an easy thing to pull off.

As for the flaws, believe it or not, the Madonnas were the worst part. There were like seven of them who performed different numbers. What was wrong? Just like the real Madonna, most of them couldn’t sing well though the biggest mistake was that these Madonnas weren’t slutty enough. Yeah, you heard me right! These girls were a little too nice. You can’t play Madonna without getting a little nasty! The brilliance behind Madonna’s performances is that you cannot take your eyes off of her. It doesn’t matter what else is going on stage, she commands your attention at all times. The costumes for these Madonnas didn’t stand out enough and the fact that they lacked in stage presence made them pretty forgettable, almost undistinguishable. There were two Madonnas that did get a lot of our attention: One of them was a little sluttier than the rest performing Vogue and the other, unfortunately, was carrying a little extra weight and wore an unflattering white body suit while dancing not very well to la Isla Bonita. That was the closing number.

What I found most strange about the whole thing is that when you get almost one hundred people on stage and most of them look similar – same skin color, same hair color, similar height, and uniform-like costumes – the show loses a lot in its visual appeal. In other words, the troupe was not diverse enough but that’s not the fault of the performers. The stage director should’ve paid more attention to that particular detail. It definitely would’ve helped the show to have the Madonnas wear some blond wigs or to be more inventive with the costuming; in the end, from a certain distance, everyone looked the same. That was a shame because obviously a lot of work went into making this.

I’m not sure what the objective of the school was in doing this as I would wager that they didn’t collect enough revenue from ticket sales to cover the production expenses. The tickets were about USD $15.00. If the goal was to showcase their modern dance program, then this was a brilliant way to present it.

As it’s the norm here in GDL, the audience didn’t feel like dancing, cheering, or screaming and, as expected, I was the loudest person in the whole concert. It was surreal to see such an elaborate upbeat spectacle take place while the audience stay put in their seats only clapping on cue. Will I ever get used to that?

Yoga en Español

I am finally working as a yoga teacher here at the local Pilates studio. I don't know if I can call it work since I don't actually get paid. I'm not authorized to work in Mexico teaching yoga so, how did I fanagle this? Hmm, I proposed them a barter deal. En Español, it's called a "trueque." It took a few tries, but basically they agreed to hire me in exchange for free pilates classes.

It's a pretty good deal since they use the high-end pilates reformer machines and the instructors are well trained. In the end, clients pay around USD $150 per month, which is a fortune here. I teach two classes per week on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 8:15AM.

I love the experience since I get to practice my Spanish with Yoga, which is something that I've been wanting to do for a long time. My students are very eager and disciplined, and because they have a good pilates foundation, I can do all sorts of fun stuff with them. I am actually surprised at the good turnout and the perseverance everyone is showing. This is a blessing as I started to worry about the Yoga scene here. Part of the reason why I got hired is because there's a severe lack of teachers in the area. Someone should start a teacher training program here!

Other than the clientele being all nice and shi-shi, I'm surprised at the diversity...there as many foreigners as Mexicans. I have Brazilian, Italian, and American students. It's awesome plus when I make mistakes in Spanish, no one hardly notices. Hehehehehe.

Another good thing about this is that I can see me expanding and doing some private lessons in the area. Some clients have suggested it already but I haven't had a chance to formalize it as I'm trying to get my English teaching business off the ground. Keep your fingers crossed for me!

As for my personal Yoga practice, I do it mostly at home with free video that I downloaded from http://www.yogatoday.com/. They have excellent, 1-hour lessons in there. I also do some Yoga on my own at the gym at the risk of looking like a fool to the natives. I don't care! 8-)

That's all for now.

Cirque du Soleil - Quidam

This past weekend, I had the pleasure of seeing a live performance of Cirque du Soleil's Quidam. That is their current show now touring Mexico. They stayed in Guadalajara for about a month.

While the "circus village" set-up seemed identical to other shows I've been to, inside the big tent it definitely felt more intimate than I remember.

Quidam's tagline is "Lose Yourself." The story revolves around a young girl, Zoe, who seems disconnected from this world and is forced to dream up a new world around her. I didn't feel that the theme was terribly coherent but that could be because my seat was to the side of the stage and my view was obstructed at times. That's not to say that it wasn't an excellent show.

I love Cirque du Soleil's performances because you can really lose yourself in the mesmerizing effects of whatever is on stage. The creativity and attention to detail that go into the shows makes the expense worth every penny.

The most recent performance I saw live was "Corteo" in New York, which was, in my opinion, more ambitious in its performances and in its well-balanced use of costumes, props, music, and humor. Quidam felt less ambitious in comparison and the case may be that the show was probably trimmed down here in Mexico. I felt that they didn't have as many "overhead and hanging from the ceiling" types of acts.

In terms of the numbers featured, I tend to favor the ones where great physical strength and flexibility are primarily showcased. We had a few of those and it left me hungry for more. I particularly enjoyed "Statue - Vis Versa", featuring a couple who seemed to defy every law of physics with their act. I was really taken by the hypnotic power of the visuals. Another favorite, called "Contortion", featured a young woman contorting around and traveling up and down a long red swath of fabric hanging from the ceiling. Lastly, in "Handbalancing", a woman performed a set balancing acts around the stage using some interesting sticks.




Part of the reason I enjoy acts of great physical feat is because I can often see, step by step, how you can put together some basic Yoga poses to get your body to do amazing things. In the case of Cirque du Soleil, the simplicity and beauty of these numbers speak highly to both the discipline and sense of play that is necessary to make their act fresh and appealing to audiences worldwide.

On the funny side of performances, I enjoyed a couple of numbers in which one of the clowns pulls in audience members and have them participate on some hilarious games, all done with silent directions. This stuff was hysterical. Also, another sort of light and happy number involved a large number of performers jumping rope and trying all sorts of configurations, many of them perfectly synchronized.

I spotted several mistakes, most notably in "Diabolos" when a set of 4 adorable Chinese girls balanced and juggled their prop on a string. Nevertheless, you can see how hard these girls seem to work to make it look easy. I was also disappointed in the music. It wasn't up-tempo enough for my taste.

Despite its minor flaws, I've yet to see any other performance-based show that comes close to Cirque du Soleil's. I will gladly go back for more!

The show lasted about 3 hours including a 30 minute intermission.

Car Racing in Toluca

It was a perfect Saturday morning in Toluca. It started really early for me, around 5AM. To get to Toluca, we hopped on a chartered jet from GDL for the 50-minute flight.

Toluca, the capital of the state of Mexico, is an up-and-coming city about 1 hour’s drive from Mexico City. The area is surrounded by beautiful green mountains, and more famously, Toluca is home to the Nevado volcano, aptly named after the snow covering it. From the feel of it, Toluca has the perfect weather conditions. There was no time to explore though. The trip was a one day jaunt with fun things to do.

The occasion?

The SAAB dealership in GDL, where I usually take Sam, was part of an event hosted by General Motors to showcase the 2008 models of their line of sporty cars. This event took place at a car racetrack and they promised a day of fun.

I, however, felt slightly skeptical imagining that we’d be cornered on the plane by eager salespeople and that during the event they would try to get to yes before the end of the day. Thankfully, that wasn’t the case. It truly was a fun day with no arm-twisting pitches to get you to buy a new car.

From the airport, the Pegaso racetrack was a 15-minute bus drive away. Upon arrival, we registered and went in a big tent where we had to listen to the only sales pitch of the day. It was actually interesting and quite exciting to hear the head of the GM luxury line in Mexico talk about all that is in store for the future. The speech was short and sweet and we were introduced to the SAAB Performance Team – three pilots flown in from Sweden who would be performing some cool stunts for us in what they swore were “normal” SAAB 9-3’s. Imagine that being your job…bring it on, I say!

The show was spectacular! I have no desire to pull any of those stunts in my car but I guess my testosterone kicked into high gear. I might’ve also been the loudest person in the entire racetrack as Mexicans are so, so reserved. Imagine me. Loud. Hooting and hollering at some Swedish pilots. Sigh.

One of the most impressive stunts was when they set up a short metal ramp in the middle of the track. The pilot drove up the ramp so that one set of wheels (on the side) was on the ground and the other set up the ramp. From there the car stayed on its side wheels for what seemed to me like *forever*. Yup, he went 300 meters like that and on his way back, his co-pilot crawled out the window (on the up side) to stand up holding a Mexican flag. By now, I wasn’t the only one cheering. It was really very cool.

After the show, we were treated to a free, fast-food style lunch of burgers and fries. After lunch, we stood in line for like 30 minutes to get to drive one of the cars around the track. This was also a lot of fun since people drove in packs of five cars, lead by a professional pilot in the front car who gave us instructions via a radio system wired into the car. The most exciting part was keeping up with the rest of the pack as not to fall behind. There were some tricky curves, by the way.

As many of my friends know, it doesn’t take much for me to have a good time. So what else was in store? Well, they also had demos of Segway Personal Transporters. That was also so much fun! They gave us a quick tutorial and off we went! I actually found the ride on the Segway quite relaxing, probably because the perfect weather and beautiful sorroundings. To kill time until the flight back home, I went for several rides on the Segway getting to test drive the different models they had…one of them seemed perfect for rough terrains. I later found out that GM and Segway have some sort of future joint development deal.

The return home was uneventful and they treated us to unlimited drinks on the flight. Everyone seemed charged up from the excitement of the day and all shyness went away as the flight attendants rolled by their fully stocked carts. I settled on vodka and grapefruit soda. It was lovely!

Apart from all the fun, the best part of the trip not being hassled to buy a USD $40K car just like that! They haven’t called to follow up either. OK, I’m happy about that BUT, how are they going to recoup the expense of this event? Maybe a little prodding would be OK, after all. I almost feel guilty for having gotten something as cool as this for FREE????

Touched by Angélique

Angélique Kidjo. That’s her name. I can’t quite remember how I came across her but it was a few years back when she released her breakthrough album for the American public, the Brazilian-inspired Black Ivory Soul. For many years, the singer has been at the forefront of the world music movement with her work staying true to the “world” part of the genre.

Much to my surprise, Ms. Kidjo scheduled concerts in Mexico as part of the promotional tour for her latest production, Djin Djin. One of the stops included GDL and I just had to be there. It would be my first time seeing her live. I had never even seen her on video before…just her music and a few photos.

The concert was this past Tuesday.

Angélique’s gift to the world is her ability to create various, often collaborative, fusions which always remain true to her African roots. Born in the nation of Benin in western Africa, but living in Paris since 1980, most of her songs are in her native Yoruba language with the occasional song in French or English.

Her repertoire, heavy in drums and percussion, blends traditional African rhythms with new world creations such as jazz, R&B, funk, salsa, merengue, calypso, reggae and others. Her genius is that she’s traveled the world making these new sounds her own only to intricately weave them back into the sounds of the old motherland. It’s a match made in heaven! Or perhaps a match that was always meant to be. The end result is a sound so universal that it transcends linguistic, racial, and geographical boundaries.

Wearing her hair short and platinum blonde, dressed in a cropped, shiny red jacket and a pair of humorous mariachi pants, the pint-sized beauty took to the stage like a fireball bouncing ablaze every which way. You can’t help but marvel at an energy so mesmerizing and disarming. Early into the show, she introduced us to what I imagine is her favorite dance move: a shoulder shimmy (performed with her back to the audience) so fluid that her entire back rippled like a waves in motion. You could hear the collective gasp in the audience.

Angélique’s voice, an instrument in itself, reaches high notes while never losing the velvety quality of her lower registers. She possesses the lyrical, vocal, and musical talents of any world-class diva out there but her sheer brilliance lies in her authenticity – a humanity so unstoppable that in my eyes, right then and there, she became simply ethereal.

After a few songs, it was time for a change of costume, giving the band a chance to showcase their individual talents. The percussionist, originally from Senegal, had all sorts of interesting instruments and toys. It was fascinating to watch him maneuver each of them with great ease. There was also a Brazilian acoustic guitar player, a guy from Guadeloupe on bass, another guy from South Africa on the electric guitar, and finally, a drummer from Suriname. There you have it, world music in the making.

Though all the songs were up-tempo, the audience stayed put in their seats bobbing their heads here and there. I too, stayed put, shimmying my shoulders and tapping my feet wishing someone would do something about the situation. Thankfully, after a particularly contagious salsa-inspired number, dumbfounded, the artist asked why everyone was still in their seats. She said: “Don’t tell me that’s how you dance the salsa here in Mexico? I don’t believe it!”

She swiftly transitioned to “Afirika”, an emblematic tribute to her land – any land really – and with the wave of one hand she motioned the audience to get up and dance. Just as quickly, the crowd stood up and willingly made their way to the front of the stage. Ladies and gentlemen, the party has finally started! She then did something I had secretly wished she would do, yes, she got off the stage and danced her way up and down the aisles and around to the other side of the stage all along drawing a trail of dancey audience members following her everywhere she went. That’s when she invited everyone to jump on stage and party on with her. You had to be there to witness this impromptu moment of bliss.

The crowd was beautiful, diverse in so many ways – age, skin color, ability to dance gracefully. These people didn't look at all like the ones at the start of the show. Did they just get bussed in from Party Central? I stayed in my assigned seat area but looking on to the stage, it became clear that we were treated to a visual rendition of the message behind Angélique’s music. I just loved the spontaneity of it all. With the music -- and the people adding color to it -- Angélique’s message of joy, love of nature, and unwavering courage became a multi-dimensional collage of undeniable significance.

As the show wound down, I imagined Angélique as the best friend who left the small village a long time ago to explore the world at large only to come back later and recount her experiences in such a vivid and magical way that I felt like I had been part of the journey all along -- her stories, a gift; her courage, a source of inspiration to those who stayed safely behind.

In my trance, I found great comfort reconnecting to my roots. My Afro-Dominican-American-Hip-Shaking-Foot-Dragging-Multi-Inmigrant-Bilingual self felt in complete and utter balance. My thanks to Angélique or to the party she started, for that!

Did I find any flaws in the show? Well, actually, yes…the show was too darn short. By the time she finished with her second encore, the crowd was still begging for more. It had been a grand spectacle delivered in the most deceivingly simple of ways.

While fiercely original, I couldn’t help but draw comparisons between Angélique’s work and that of other influential and highly original performers before her. Specifically, Angélique’s body of work and stage persona evoke the arresting spunk of James Brown, the nostalgic earthliness of Ms. Miriam Makeba, and the unapologetic exuberance of the ever-so-iconic Celia Cruz.

Days later, as I write this piece, I’m still abuzz with joy and wonderment. The party continues inside.

For more information on the singer, check out her website.

I, Entrepreneur

It’s hard to believe I’ve been in GDL for six months already. To celebrate my half-year anniversary of moving here, I get to go the Customs office at the airport to extend the permit for Samantha (my car). I’m kind of bracing for that one…’nuff said!

The week after I arrived here, I landed a job teaching English. This has been a great start for me to get to know the types of students here and also to familiarize myself with the business environment. The environment is practically the same as corporate anywhere but with a bit of a Mexican twist. Yes, it’s been challenging at times to get used to the casual, seemingly consensual treatment of time and tardiness. I’ve always been uptight about that so, I have plenty of ground to work off my impatience.

But as many of you know, I came with the purpose of opening my own business here, so it’s important that I learn up front many of the pluses and minuses of starting a new venture. I thought I’d give you an update so, here it goes:

The guiding principle behind my business idea is to create a center for the improvement of English skills for individuals who have graduated from a traditional institute but who lack the confidence to communicate in English – with speaking and listening being major challenges for Mexican learners. My target client is the quintessential corporate go-getter who sees excellent English communication skills as a competitive advantage.

In my current job, I go to different companies, most of them American or German to teach on the premises. It’s alright though I have to follow a curriculum that mostly lacks context and the students are often isolated from using English in the real world.

So, I’ve used this time for doing my hands-on market research and then refining my business idea to offer a set of services that would stand out from the traditional approach used in teaching English here.

The first thing I’ve done is start a blog to coach my students through managing their learning strategy. By focusing on a learning strategy, I challenge my students to take responsibility for their learning outside of the classroom and to learn to articulate their specific needs for more effective language acquisition. A lot of my ideas date back to when I was learning English when I was a teenager in the DR. Anyway, check out my blog at:


{ English Communication Arts }




The other thing I did was start marketing myself a bit, so I now I have a corporate image after having created my logo and some business cards. The logo is a silhouette of an archer shooting up to the sky…get it? I call him “little man” though I gave him a very spiritual name of Saraha that I picked up from one of my Tantra books -- I don't intend to use that name in any of my marketing...it's just a private pet name of sorts. Anyway, I’m also excited because in a couple of weeks I will conduct the first Conversation Club meeting at a cool café in a neighborhood full of high-tech companies.

I have also hired a lawyer to legalize my business entity and also to legalize my visa so that I can work independently and pay taxes. Looking forward to that! Yay!

It looks like by the end of this year, all my papers will be in order and I can then really market my services. It is unclear at this point on whether I will be opening an actual office or just go visit my clients at work. Most likely, I will start out renting space by the hour to conduct some special activities until I build a solid clientele. Obviously, I have a lot of choices and challenges and I’m simply thrilled to be involved in all of it.

That’s the update on my entrepreneurial pursuits. Stay tuned for more. Peace.

The $8,000 Elevator

I've had my car for 4 years now and it's in great condition though it had accumulated some pretty unsightly pings and dings, most of them my fault. As most of my friends know, I'm kind of good about taking care of my car. That is, I take it for scheduled maintenance on time.

OK, so last month, I decided to spend a bunch of money to get the car detailed inside-out and alas the car looks great...like new! Fabulous!

Last week, on a hot afternoon, returning home from work, the electric passenger window started acting up and I certainly messed with it enough until it stopped working altogether. I, of course, ran to the local SAAB dealer...they looked at it, and told me that it would cost me MXN $8,000 (about $800 USD) to get the whole elevator replaced since, for some strange reason, they couldn't just replace the small plastic piece that had broken off. Oh dear, I thought. And since I'm nuts, I also thought, oh sh*t, this has got to get fixed...RIGHT NOW...I CAN'T LIVE WITH THE WINDOW LIKE THISSSSSSS!!!!

BUT this is Mexico, right? So the customer service rep tells me, with a wink "Why don't you take it elsewhere? And who knows? Maybe they can fix it for cheaper..."

I wondered how much cheaper? Half the price? Certainly good enough for me.

I called Chava and he told me that in Guadalajara there's a whole district of shops where you can get car parts for cheap. The parts mostly come from stolen cars. I felt a little cringe but again, it was a small plastic part, probably made in China. The wave of guilt left me as soon as it came and I promptly said "Yes, let's do it!"

On Saturday morning we drove out to "the district". I was frightened by most of the sights - wild dogs, bandidos, the ever-present taco stand, dirt everywhere, the shops were shacks with rusty car parts hanging everywhere! Oh, and there was this street vendor who tried to talk me into buying a pair of binoculars...with night vision. Actually, the whole thing reminded me a bit of the South Bronx but with carnies, if I really used my imagination. I said to myself "OK, Cris now you really are in Mexico!"...and "Thank God for Chava!". He even knew where to go, a place called "El Chino."

Anyway, someone was able to help us quickly, as in zero wait, the work was done right there on the sidewalk. The staff was polite, professional and efficient; better yet, I had a new *metal* piece (which presumably lasts a long long time) installed in less than a half hour. The cost? MXN $600 (like sixty green ones!). Hell yeah! Unbelievable, right? This must've been one of the most memorable Saturday mornings I can remember, not counting this one time I was really hungover in Vegas. One time? I digress...this time, I was just shocked and full of glee.

With the leftover money, we headed to Teatro Diana and bought unbelievably cheap tickets for RENT. We also ate a nice lunch, bought floor tiles for the yard, then went to the movies...we didn't even come close to spending USD $100 for the whole day. Holy cow!

As for the guilt...well, I just have to accept that I'm in Mexico and I ain't gonna change it!

Cocktails in the garden...

So, we have this tiny patch of a yard in the new house. Though I know nothing from gardening, I've always had an inner desire to grow something someday. After being in the house for a couple of months, we finally went about "doing something" in the yard. We're talking 1.5x3' of space for this future great garden of ours.

Next, we needed to get some plants. I figured anything would grow here, really. The soil seems rich, it's sunny (though we covered some of the space to have some shade) and best of all, I swear, it rains here everyday -- even if it's for 2 minutes, it rains pretty darn frequently. Yay! I guess I probably woulnd't be the only one celebrating such optimal conditions. Oh oh.

Instead of buying plants and seeds at the nursery, we simply begged friends and family to give us anything from their (mostly overgrown) gardens. We got enough variety of plants to fill at least 3 times the space we had but, we figured perhaps not everything would survive.

Well, everything did survive, the plants took on to the soil and soon thereafter did the SLUGS! They found a cozy home with plenty variety to feed on. It's like an all-inclusive, outdoor vegetarian buffet in the tropics. What's next? A bonfire and a drumming circle? No wonder there are so many of them living with us!

We weren't sure which particular pest was feasting here until like a week of stalking the area to see what was munching on everything. Indeed they were slugs -- elusive, sneaky, slimy...and ready for a party!!!

Not knowing what to do and especially not wanting to use pesticides, I ran to the oracle that is the Internet to find a homemade solution. I ended up finding instructions for a homemade slug trap...one that uses beer as an enticement. All the slugs need on their holiday was literally a beer garden. I didn't quite believe it but it was an easy and cheap solution that would take me less than 5 minutes to implement.

By God, it works! It works really really well. Come early evening, the slugs can't resist the sweet smell of beer in our lovely garden. They take a hypnotic stroll to the trap which consists of a buried plastic container, lidded, with some holes for easy entry. Once they make the journey to the pool of beer, they simply dip in, and as I understand it, get anesthesized by the alcohol. I can't think of a better way to die...in the garden, at a nice time of the day, drowned in beer.

That't not to say that there are no more slugs. They seem to reproduce faster than dying from drunkenesss but, this is a great start. I'm very optimistic! We catch an average of two slugs per night but I'm thinking of installing some additional "cocktail lounges" in the garden.

For those interested in how this trap works, check out one of my sources here:

Sustainable Garden Tips

Also here are some pictures of the trap I made with a medium-sized yogurt container:

Who knows, you might find homemade solutions for any pests in your life. I'm definitely turned on by the idea of using (semi) natural ways to deal with problems like these. I'll tell you later about this garlic-chile spray I've been using.

Good luck if you're a gardener, if not, heck, just think how great the Internet is.

Recipe - Beef Tacos (w/Tajin)

This recipe for beef tacos has validated me as a decent cook of Mexican food...and it's soooo easy! I made up the following marinade:

-1.5lbs of beef (a thin cut like skirt steak/brisket)

-1/4 cup of yellow onion, cut in thin slices

-2 garlic cloves, minced

-3 tbsp soy sauce

-1 tbsp canola oil (I use olive oil for everything, I probably shouldn't)

-Black pepper to taste

-Salt to taste, though you might not need any
-2 tbsp Tajin (see below to learn more about Tajin)

Marinade the meat, preferably for a couple of hours in the fridge.

Make some guacamole...

-1 avocado (I prefer small Haas avocados)

-1 garlic clove, minced

-1 or 1/2 serrano pepper minced (the more seeds you leave the hotter)

-1 lime, squeezed

-2 tbsp yellow onion chopped (I don't put onion in mine...don't like it)

-2 tbsp Cotija cheese (parmesan is a good substitute)

-Salt and pepper to taste

Mash it all up!

Cook the meat to your liking on a very hot, oiled grill pan, make sure the onions get nice and brown. In another pan, make (folded) quesadillas with soft corn tortillas and, preferably with adobera cheese...remember that the beef goes in the taco so don't use too much cheese.

To make your taco, slice the meat, put some in a quesadilla followed by some guacamole. If you want more kick, add some red or green salsa.

This recipe yields about 4 servings of 3 or 4 tacos per person. Enjoy!

So, What Exactly Is TAJIN?

Tajin is actually pronounced "taheen" but 'til this day, I'm still calling it Tagine -- like the Moroccan dish, sometimes also spelled Tajin. Why is this, you might wonder! After all, I'm a native Spanish speaker. Well, I have unresolved issues, I guess. Yes, I'm talking about a love affair with an amazing Chicken Tagine I once had. The details escape me...I can't recall if I had it at a Moroccan restaurant in Montmartre, Paris or at a Moroccan-influenced French restaurant in the East Village of New York. Anyway, I digress...back to Mexican Tajin!

Tajin is a seasoning or at least I treat it as such. The bottle says that it is powdered Mexican salsa. That makes it a seasoning to me and therefore I gave myself full culinary license to use it as such. So I started cooking up a storm with it - beef tacos, chicken soup, grilled fish, chili, salad dressings -- you name it! Tajin is my secret ingredient. My weapon to charm every Mexican cooking mama this side of the border.

So what's the big deal? Well, according to Mexican eating laws, Tajin is solely used as a seasoning for fresh fruit. They put it in all fruit: mangoes, watermelon, pinneaple and so on (see the promotional picture). Apparently, Tajin doesn't get used to cook savory dishes. From what I can taste, since I haven't bothered to read the label, the powder has dried tomatoes, salt, lime juice, and spicy chiles. Do you see my point?

Well, I ain't liking it with fruit although I was happy to oblige when it was suggested as the "salt in the rim" for a tamarind margarita. OK, bring THAT on! That's the closest my Tajin has gotten to fresh fruit.

So, when some Mexican foodies taste my tacos and ask what's in them. First, I say that it's a secret ingredient...then I promptly reveal my secret with a smirk. They look at me in disbelief, even shock, then let out a chuckle, even a laughter, and keep on eating. I'll take that as a compliment.

You should be able to find Tajin at any Mexican supermarket in your town. Come on, admit it, every American town probably has at least one Mexican grocery store by now. Right?

For history minded folks, you might be interested in knowing that El Tajin is a fascinating pre-columbian city in the state of Veracruz, Mexico. There's actually a resemblance between the pyramids at El Tajin and the shape of a Moroccan Tagine clay pot. Check it out -- use your imagination:

In looking for the promo picture, I found the Tajin website and in their recipes, they do suggest it for savory dishes...go figure. It turns out that their Barbecue Beef recipe is very similar to mine. Alright then! Check out their website:

http://www.tajin.com/english/recetario.html

Until the next time, be well!

It's Been Five Months...

Wow, some days it feels like I've been in Guadalajara all my life, other days it seems like I just got here. And some days I just want to get in my car and drive north...that only happens when it gets really, really hot here which so far was only for a week back in May. But, I'm still traumatized!

Life is quiet here. Very quiet but in a good way. I quite like it...I can hear myself think!

Guadalajara is a busy city. Busy in the sense that everyone works hard. So, in general everything around here is quiet, because everyone is going at it, quietly. Work comes first. Actually, work comes second to family duties and values. So far, what I've experienced is that people work hard but not because they can get rich, they actually make little money; they do it because they're glad to have a job and are able to provide for their families. There is great respect for having a job and for trying your best not to f*&^ up and lose it. The ethic is really admirable.

That makes me one luck guy, actually. Yes, I work, but only 18 hours a week, teaching English. The pay is very good for Mexican standards, OK for U.S. standards (if you're, say, in Mississippi or Arkansas), and laughable for New York standards. Yes, it's easier to think of NY a its own country. So, with my low wages and few work hours, I've managed to find a nicer balance in my life. I feel richer in having more free time!

So, what else do I do with rest of my time? Well, I spend a decent amount of time developing this idea for a business that I want to start here (more on that later). I also try to cook everyday. I love it. It's like a meditation for me. Chava is my tester and he's a hard one to please so that keeps me on my toes. Lately, one of my biggest joys is to be able to use herbs from my garden to create my recipes. Ah, the simple life!

I still go to the gym and I do my yoga pretty regularly at home (Chava is a convert now). We download some fantastic classes from the Internet thanks to a podcast I found called Yoga Today. Speaking of podcasts, I don't know how I lived without them. They're free audio and video programs on everything imaginable. I love the fact that I have time to listen to many of these and they help me not feel so far away from US life...I try to keep a pulsebeat on things that interest me, much of it from the US.

Wait, I still have time left to do a lot of other thinking. These days, the environment seems to be a concern of mine...Guadalajara gives you plenty to think about, frankly. I already know that the green movement is the "in" thing but I do feel that my current concerns are well inline with this evolution that has taken over my life for the last 3 years or so...I'll be sure to share some more thoughts on that.

Well, I think this is getting long for my first post. I plan to share many of my thoughts here and keep everyone updated on my life here in Mexico. I guess I feel that I have something to say so, stay tuned! Until next time, adios!!!