So, I thought it might be time to treat these people (YOU), to a taste of the blogging that I find myself buried in all day: food and lifestyle blogging, usually mixed colorfully together into a interesting blend of intimate story telling. This isn't too sideways of me, because one of the [many] things I have enjoyed most about being here is living a bit differently than I did in Portland. For the past two years I have lived with two lovely boys and my bff Kate. Then we picked up one more, my bestie from childhood, who took to a corner of the basement. Our floor has been coated inches thick in Pabst multiple times, our sink was usually overflowing, and I'm impressed our youth-hating neighbors haven't moved.
Now, for the first time, I live alone. I have an entire fridge to myself, a handful of big, un-shrink-wrapped windows, and my own bathroom. Despite my ridiculous imagination, which would normally run wild with a whole apartment to itself, I love being alone in this space at night, even in the latest or earliest hours when I cannot sleep because dogs are barking or our neighbors are singing along to their favorite mixtape at 2 am (I've heard it many times). In fact, I think all of these noises and something about Mexico simply makes me feel safer at night. Something about the "si dios quiere" (if God wills it) and familial mentality that makes my head go less crazy in the dark.
Alright, so given all of these comforts, my lifestyle hasn't changed drastically. But I have been entertained much by attempting to make do cooking with the materials I have. Because I am only living here for two months, I don't want to accumulate half bags of sugar, flour or cinnamon, so I buy dry rice, beans, and oats when I need them, and have been playing with the same bag of Masa flour for a while. I have also altered my diet considering the insane prices of foreign products like tofu. Fun times in the land of ridiculously-priced peanut butter.
Some things I eat:
Nopales:
Cut from the pads of prickly pear cacti (thanks wikipedia), a bag of nopales in the fridge of a Tienda looks like a bag of sliced green bell peppers but only tastes like nopales. I stir-fry them with onion and garlic until they are slimy enough to taste salty, and then I turn the heat up so they almost burn. I'm going for the grilled fajita flavor and almost get it. I almost always have them with beans and tortillas, and often scrambled eggs.
Papusas or Bean Tacos with Cabbage and Jícama Salad:
I know that papusas aren't a Mexican food (El Salvadorian). So why did I begin making them by hand when I moved to Mexico? Well, I have fond memories of eating them in the SF Mission and also the Venice Beach sand with almost my whole Portland household, thinking about how the smog makes good sunsets. More importantly, I see masa corn flour in the stores far more than regular flour, and am not ambitious enough to make tamales (though stay turned, as we're planning to next week). Making papusas (imperfect, lumpy ones) turned out to be super easy. You just mix the masa with water to make a dough and then get your hands incredibly dirty trying to make thin masa paddies and fold them around some spoonfuls of refried beans. Though I often make my own black beans, canned refried beans made smoother, prettier papusas. The extra salt and oil makes it extra tasty, too.
Its fine to top your papusa with salsa, but I also like to make a cold salad with jicama, cucumber, shredded cabbage and mango, with lots of lime and sea salt, and pile it on top. I do this with black bean tacos too. Mmmm. My obsession with this bulky version of the papusa began around the time that I discovered the heaven-sent wonders of fried plantains. My. God.
Smoothies
Oatmeal used to be one of my favorite foods. And by "used to be" I mean since about 5 weeks ago. After blowing out fuses a couple of times in the early morning, my microwave up and silenced itself. I would say died, but then I would feel guilty... (it will be fixed). What to do for breakfast then? Put everything I'd normally put in oatmeal in the blender: oats, Ades soy milk, mango and banana in the blender. Plus some flax seeds and a carrot and lots of ice. Or blackened plantains to make it super sweet and super wonderful.
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So now I'm feeling the itch of the same conflict I feel when I spend so much time reading food blogs. Why am I interested in these people's lives and their beautiful food that I might bookmark, but will probably never make? And why are you interested in this (considering you're still reading)? Maybe it's voice. Maybe it's the same interest in getting outside of your own life and into someone else's that makes aimlessly browsing Facebook so entertaining. Whatever it is, I hope you have your own reason for enjoying my blog, as I enjoy writing it. I visit a handful of blogs consistently when I am bored. There is SO much delicious food out there, made even more appetizing by writing and photography. So, here's a baby-sized blogroll:
Choosing Raw
Smitten Kitchen
Jen Goes to College
Gluten Free Goddess
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