Day: November 17, 2014

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Lucky’s Hamburgers

Tonight, I was in one of my I don’t feel like cooking and I’m bored with my food moods. I could have whipped up a Moroccan spiced lentil stew that would have cured that, but instead I decided to see if any of the food carts had set up for the evening.

Having been on a diet of corn tortillas for ages, I’ve been eating a lot of ‘Mexicany’ food for a while now and it’s pretty mundane for me. I’ve already had my fill of chips and salsa. There’s lots of wonderful options at sit down restaurants for seafood and the like, but when it comes to fast food, none of the options are super appealing to me.

So when I saw that the only cart that was up and running so early (Mexicans eat late) was the hamburger one, I decided to take a chance on it.

The cart was very new looking, better condition than many food carts I’ve bought food from in the U.S. I watched the lady work and she was very sanitation conscious. I hesitated to agree to lettuce and tomatoes, but eventually did so and saw her handle the veggies the way I would have handled mine at home.

The resulting burger had an absolutely forgettable patty of something unidentifable as even being related to beef, a nice thick layer of ham that gave me the protein feel I was craving, American-style cheese (both white and yellow and better than the stuff I get back home), really lovely fresh tomatoes and crisp lettuce, a wonderful buttered bun (bread is SUCH a treat!), and, most importantly FRENCH’S MUSTARD. I can’t believe I bought into the bull about mustard being AWOL in Mexico. There was no relish, so I used their very drippy Del Monte ketchup for a little sweetness.

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Despite the hamburger patty itself being absolutely bewildering, having the texture of a veggie patty, the sandwich as a whole was just what I needed tonight apparently as it really hit the spot!

I had a nice conversation with the cook, who just prattled on at me and patiently repeated each time I apologized and said that I wasn’t understanding her. Her husband came by and was excited to find someone with whom he could practice English (seriously, he’s having trouble finding people with whom he can practice English?!) and in the end, I paid 25 pesos for a 35 peso burger.

I’m not convinced that I’ll be going back for another burger anytime soon, but I’m glad I ventured out tonight and took a chance. Next week, I need to find the ‘crazy potato’ stand…

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Home Is Just Missing Internet

I’m finally just about as settled as I can be in my new casa, the truck empty but for the cot, and things stowed away as neatly as possible given the storage options. My office is up and functional, including the 20″ TV I use as a monitor. I was practically chirping with happiness this morning bringing my coffee into the office to get started on my big day!

Around 9:00, I called the landlady and left a message asking her to please check with TelMex that they haven’t lost my order. I know this is Mexico and these things take time, but the contract said within five business days and we’re there, so I am going to start nagging. I did buy another 1GB (good for one week) from TelCel because the bar closes early and coming here is cutting into my work day. Plus, it’s hard to go back to work after having a beer. 🙂

I’m astounded at how well the apartment is working out for me. I do wish there was more storage in the kitchen, especially a drawer. The extra unit that was put in between the fridge and stove has one, but it smells mildewy. I Lysoled the heck out of it and will see if that helps. If so, I found a place in the Mercado that sells oil cloth and I’ll get a piece to fit the drawer. Otherwise, I’ll find a nice crock like I use at home. I would have had room for said crock and packed and unpacked it several times. 🙁

One thing that makes me laugh about the apartment is that it is essentially the same layout as my old house in the Gatineau Hills! Just put the front door on the opposite side of the living room, swap the living room with the kitchen and the bathroom with the master bedroom, and add a linen closet. I used to use the back bedroom as my office until I separated the kitchen and living room and made myself one heck of a gorgeous library, converting the old office into a den. So a lot of my movements in this house are very familiar and I’ve figured out why I often go into the bedroom when I’m aiming for the bathroom!

My only major complaint is the lack of HOT water in the kitchen. If I run the water a long time, I can get the water warm enough for dishes, but barely. If I have anything greasy, I have to heat water on the stove.

Otherwise, everything is good and I’m still convinced that this is the second best place I’ve ever lived, second only to Miranda!

I do have to wonder about Mexican windows. They have beautiful shapes, lots of arches, that perfectly match security grills. I wonder if they are bought as a set. Something ask at some point….