Slow Food and the Joy of Family

“Imagine wanting to take a whole afternoon to leisurely prepare supper–without a food processor, microwave oven, or cookbook. To live, after all, is to experience things, and every time we mince an onion, lower the flame under a simmering pot, shape the idea and substance of a meal, we actually gain rather than lose lived time. Such minutes are not only full and rich in themselves, but they brush a lasting patina of lived experience onto our memory” John Thorne

 Now don't get me wrong... I enjoy the handiness of a 30 minute meal on a busy weekday just like any other housewife.  But when I do have the time I am most content hovering over my giant cazuela slowly stirring a batch of jam.  Since we have had a bit more time on our hands lately waiting for the Food Truck to get up and running and really needing to work out some frustrations from a months worth of mechanical issues I decided to make some Achiote Paste... FROM SCRATCH.  Now this may sound silly as you can buy giant packages of the paste for a few pesos.  But I have made the paste from scratch before and the difference is vast... making it well worth the effort!

Tastes like ... Cuitlacoche

Also spelled as Huitlacoche; we are talking about the prized black rot that grows on infected corn.  A prized possession in the Mexican market and priced accordingly.  I HATE that it has been translated to be called Corn Smut!  Smut sounds to me like something you should be scraping off of your shoe not a delicacy defended even by the government.  That`s right my friends GMO corn is banned in Mexico because GMO corn does not produce this staple ingredient in the Mexicans World Heritage Cuisine.  I prefer to call it Corn Truffles.  If the French can wax elegantly about rot rooted from the ground by trained swine why should I not be able to call it Corn Truffles?

Tastes Like ... Introduction

As many of you know Mexico was awarded the World Heritage Award for their Cuisine.  Which seems to an outsider as an odd thing to be rewarded for TACOS and refried beans.  But Mexico is rich with diversity in their cuisine, from state to state and city to city you will find not only different variations of the same dish but an endless array of produce that you cannot find anywhere else in the world.  Tacos are a simple street snack found mostly in Mexico City and are not as popular in the rest of the country.  I have yet to see Pinto Beans used in real Mexican cooking.  But I have seen more colors of beans than are in the rainbow in markets all over Mexico.  Mexican food (shocking I know) is typically NOT spicy and the array of Chiles used in Mexican cooking is seemingly endless.  Not may house wives can identify more than five!

Give a little Whistle!

One of the best things about living in a small colonial town like San Miguel is that you get to experience some old time traditions that are not as common in the big cities.  You get to appreciate more of Mexico with only having to walk to your curb.  UNESCO honored Mexico a few years back with an award for most Intangible Cuisine.  Street food is a huge part of this.  I know back in the states we are limited to thinking only of Greasy Taco Trucks but the food scene in Mexico is so much more than that!  We make jokes with our friends that we are going out for some Vitamin "T" when we head for the streets.  Tacos, Totopos, Tortas, Tamales, Teleras, Tostadas, Tinga, Tortillas, Tetelas, Tlacoyos... and that's just the goodies that start with the letter T.

Once versed in street food in Mexico you inadvertently get trained to the sounds and calls of the vendors. Even if  you do not understand what they are saying a certain string of notes and tones tells you what they are selling.