Day: November 11, 2014

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So I Met An Avocado Fairy…

I went to the store this afternoon to get some additional items for dinner. I have a lot of time to kill right now and the store is a good distance away, making for good exercise, so I might as well shop daily as the availability of stuff appears random.

Hoping for an avocado, I looked through the box, trying to inconspicuously examine the belly buttons to find a bright green moist one. I was taught this trick by the produce manager at the H.E.B. in Port Lavaca and it has never failed me once so I am reluctant to potentially waste money on an avocado that does not meet this criteria. No luck. The veggie guy’s avocados yesterday were also dismal.

Bummed, I headed off to look at the cheese when I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned and a man winked and handed me an avocado with a bright green moist belly button! I have no idea who this man was! He’s not the man who runs the store. I’m thinking he’s a local who got the one good avocado out of the box and decided to sacrifice to make a gringa’s day. Thank you again, Mr. Avocado Fairy!

So it was a familiar scene in my kitchen tonight, me in the mood for tortilla chips and frying my own to go with some awesome guacamole (and the rest of the refried beans)!

Since moving to corn tortillas as my ‘bread’ quite a while ago, I’ve been eating a lot of Mexicany-type meals. This is not me in Mexico trying to make local cuisine, but me in Mexico making a taste of home.

For those sick of the cooking posts, feel free to send me some transcription work to keep me busy on other stuff! 😉 I LOVE cooking. I kind of forgot how much I loved it over the past few years, but my dietary changes and the distance from Haven to restaurants has rekindled that passion. I can’t wait to go to a market in Mazatlan and get a whole bunch of unknown produce to try!

(Note to self: you need a colander and cheese grater or mandoline!)

The guacamole was so good I was halfway done before I remembered that I had beer, too! 😀 The store sells small 210ML bottles for just 8 pesos!!!

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Fluency Perspective

After working leads to no avail this morning, I decided to go for a walk on the beach in the hopes of lifting my grey mood.

I met Dale at the entrance to the beach and we chatted for a bit. We might go down to the docks later to check out the cruise ships.

In a bid (successful, might I add) to avoid vendors, I turned left at the beach and walked towards the other apartments I looked at on Thursday, hoping that Daniel, one of the French guys, would be there so I could touch base and make sure there are no hard feelings about my not taking one of his places.

He was outside painting, so we gabbed for a bit. He apologized for the suites being so dirty when I saw them. While, yes, that had bothered me, I knew that he was doing renos, so that was not the main reason I wasn’t interested. I came here to get some experience living in a Mexican community, early morning horn blasts and roosters included, and his suites are rather isolated. He was very understanding about that, especially when he learned that I speak Spanish.

I was beyond ready for lunch by this point (and am learning to move ‘lunch’ to somewhere between 10:30 and 11:30!) so I headed home. On the way there, I got stopped by one of my Mexican neighbours who wanted to introduce himself. I had him repeat and spell his name, but I don’t remember it. 🙁

He asked a lot of rather personal questions, but this is such a small place that I know people talk and that anything I didn’t answer he was going to learn from someone else, so I just answered him — renting alone, from Canada, working from home, here for the winter, etc. He was very friendly, but not in a creepy way, and we had a nice chat.

He said that he is delighted that I speak such lovely Spanish, with a good accent and pace. I replied that I’m enjoying the practise, but know I am making so many errors!

He then said something no one has said to me here yet (translating loosely): “We are having an interesting conversation in my language. I am understanding you perfectly and you me. When you leave, I’ll remember what we talked about, not the mistakes.”

This is exactly my theory of using a foreign language. Use it. You are going to get the odd jerk who will mock you, but, really, you’re the one who gets the laugh as you gain entry into another culture.

I am not going to stop rehashing all the mistakes I make in my interactions with people, because ‘good enough’ isn’t for me, but I’m going to try to stop being embarrassed by errors!

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Cool Down

I was told not to get used to the hot and sticky temperatures I experienced when I arrived at Isla and that daytime temperatures would soon average the low 70s/20s, with quite cool nights.

The shift seems to be happening. I haven’t run my fans in a couple of days and I was cold in bed this morning, wishing I had a blanket. I put away the decorative and frankly useless bed cover and have been sleeping with just a sheet. Tonight, I’ll add the afghan that’s in the truck.

I won’t mind the cool down once the sun returns. It’s another overcast day, which is a tad depressing. 🙂