Pib-tastic!

Our good friends Sherry and Jay Rosenberg came to Merida for a short visit last week ... one of the reasons last week’s blog update didn’t happen. (That’s right, I'll even throw two of our closest friends under the bus to eradicate my blog guilt!)

They were here Wednesday through Sunday – walking the sidewalks of Merida, hanging out with John, Ce and I, checking out local handicrafts, and generally getting to know the city a bit. Plus, as Jay is obsessed with beer, we managed to try most every brand Mexico has to offer. My favorite is still the light-bodied Sol.  John's is Superior.  Jay's is Bohemia.  Sherry's typically is Negra Modelo, though she also enjoyed Sol for Merida's warm evenings.

One of the trip highlights for all of us was a cooking school we attended on Thursday, their first full day here. It was a day-long affair, starting at 9 am, lasting till 4. (Our nanny gladly agreed to stay longer so we could experience Yucatecan cuisine; she loves it when we learn about the culture here and she is very proud of her Mayan heritage.)  We actually learned quite a bit about Yucatecan food, and Yucatecan history as well. It was a truly delicious day, both food and experience-wise.

Here are a couple of the more interesting things we gleaned from our day in David's beautiful talavera-covered kitchen.

Don't Call it "Mexican Food!"
First off, our chef/instructor/tour-guide, a charming and knowledgeable ex-pat named David Sterling, was very adamant about the difference between Mexican food and Yucatecan food. For starters, they are NOT the same thing. In fact, Yucatecans go out for Mexican food much like we do in the States ... just once every so often, and it certainly isn’t what they eat on a daily basis. They eat strictly “Yucatecan” here, a cuisine which is very regional to the peninsula and often difficult, if not impossible, to find in other Mexican cities. Yucatecan food has a history and flavor to it that is irresistibly delicious, and in fact, is now my very favorite food from Mexico. (But whatever you do, do NOT call it Mexican food!)

Pib-Cooking
Yucatecan food is very traditional and has been cooked the same way for centuries. Pork, turkey and chicken are very popular meats here -- and a lot of the actual cooking is done, still today, in “pibs” (pronounced "peebs"). Pibs are large pits dug in the ground containing hot coals and even hotter rocks, which are covered up after the meat is lowered in. The meat, typically wrapped in banana leaves, ends up simultaneously steamed and smoked; the juices that leak from the banana leaves hit the hot rocks to create the steam, and the smoldering mesquite embers create the smoke. The smoky, flavorful, and tender meats that results from this process are absolutely to-die-for, and go very well nestled inside corn tortillas, or soaking in a soft baguette.

Hot, Hotter, Hottest
Habaneros (the hottest pepper in the world) are the Yucatecan version of salt and pepper.  The Yucatan is also the largest producer and exporter of habaneros in the world. On every table in every restaurant in the Yucatan there exists some form of habanero salsa. Sometimes, the habaneros are blended into a fiery paste. Other times, habaneros are simply sliced sliver thin and put in lime juice. But they are always at the table, and they are always used liberally. Jay was a huge fan of the habanero salsas and added a healthy dollop to every bite of food he put in his mouth, causing him to sweat substantially during every meal. (At one point in our cooking class, one of our fellow students looked at him very concerned and said, “Are you OK?! Are you sure you are OK?!”)

On the tip of your fingers
Handmade tortillas taste completely different from machine-made tortillas, even if the exact same “masa” (tortilla dough) is used. We went to the market in Merida, and bought a kilo of tortillas, hot off the tortilla press machine, for a buck. We also bought a big chunk of masa from the same booth, the very same dough that was used to make the tortillas. We took the glob of masa back to David’s kitchen, and formed our own tortillas by hand, then grilled them on a hot cast iron skillet. Of course, the handmade tortillas were thicker than their machine-made counterparts, but they also tasted completely different. The reason? The slight imprints from our fingers on the handmade tortillas created ridges and lower spots in the tortilla, causing it to cook unevenly, charring and caramelizing in some places. The machine-pressed tortillas all cook completely, utterly and boringly uniformly. No more store bought tortillas for this family, by the way. After you've tasted handmade tortillas, going to the refrigerated section to pick up tortillas seems criminal!

The cooking class was truly a great way to spend the day, and a perfect way for Sherry and Jay to start their Merida adventure, as David imparted vast amounts of knowledge about the Yucatan and its people, the proud Mayans, to us all. Often times, a culture's food can give you a lot of insight into the people who comprise it, and this was certainly the case for us. Yucatecan food is very distinctive, unique and proud -- and the many different flavors are bold, never apologetic. But it is also good natured and traditional. Just like the Yucatecans themselves. If you visit Merida and enjoy cooking, the Los-Dos Cooking School is a must.

My goal is delve a bit deeper into Yucatecan food and learn more about the cuisine and the culture and history that created it.

John's goal?  Since learning about "pib-cooking," John is trying to talk Sherry and Jay into digging a “pib” at their house in Golden Valley. (They have a very large yard, you see, and they both really liked the smoky, tender meat we cooked that day.) So, if you happen to live in Golden Valley and just can’t put your finger on that utterly delicious smoky smell permeating the air? Try swinging by the Rosenberg house. It could very well be John and Jay, cooking meat in their Golden Valley “pib.” And if you bring them a couple Mexican beers, I’m sure they'll share a taco or two with you ... especially if the beer happens to be a Bohemia or Superior.

www.los-dos.com

Question answered!

OK, everybody, this will be a very short (and belated!) blog post.  Here’s why:

When we mention our circumstances to many people, that we are living and working in Mexico for 4 months, a common question is, “So, have you gotten sick yet?”

The answer is, as of this past week, a very definitive yes. But only after a long weekend in Arizona, where CeCe (then subsequently John and I) caught a flu bug from my grandma. (We were in Arizona, a little less than 20 miles from the Mexican border, actually, celebrating her 90th birthday last weekend.)

The three of us got hit badly, and have spent the better part of the week trying to recuperate. (Even Fidel threw up in the midst of it, but we think he was just trying to get some much needed attention.)  As of today, Friday the 13th, John and Nicolle are definitely on the mend; CeCe, though in great spirits, has had lingering effects. (Think dirty diapers.  And dirty sheets. And dirty blankets.  Did I mention dirty diapers?)

We are hoping that in the next couple of days, things will take a marked turn for the better, and we are all eating tacos once again. 

Good ol’ Merida tacos ... they don’t make you sick.  But we would advise against the water in Tucson!

A Day in the Lives ...

We’ve been in Merida for a little more than a month, and so far, we really have been enjoying our time here. One of the questions we get a lot is “what exactly do you do in Merida?” So while some days are more mundane than other, we’ve decide to clue you in on what the four of us (John, Nicolle, CeCe and Fidel) do, on an hourly basis in a typical day.

6 AM: The birds in the courtyard start chirping; the air is warm as the sun comes up. John’s alarm goes off and he is up making coffee: whole bean Mexican Organic, purchased at Costco in Merida. From there he migrates to the tiny office John and Nicolle share, powers up his computer, and starts his day.

8 AM: More birds are singing and CeCe stirs; John gets her up and they both make the barefoot trek across the courtyard to wake Mommy. (You all know by now that Mommy likes her sleep ...)

8:30 AM: CeCe’s breakfast is prepared and our wonderful nanny Margarita arrives. Margarita and CeCe eat a scrumptious breakfast while John continues, and Nicolle starts, the work day.

9 AM: John takes Fidel on his morning walk. Curiously, Fidel has morphed from overwhelmingly Beta dog in the United States (very passive) to complete Alpha dog (growly and kind of aggressive) since arriving in Mexico. When he's not chasing a street dog away, or peeing on someone's front door, he'll latch on to an appetizing scent which leads to a chicken bone or bit of edible garbage on the street. He's thrilled.

During Fidel’s morning walk, Nicolle tries to do her morning calls to family/friends. (In a shared office of about 100 square feet, its important to be as polite as possible.)

9:45 AM: Someone on a bicycle, scooter, or horse carriage comes past our house selling something: “carbon!” means charcoal, a ringing bell means bread, a long whistle means eggs, then there are also sounds for brooms, topsoil, tamales -- countless items, really. We always check to see what is passing by because you never know what it could be, and, you actually might need it!

By this time, Fidel has drank an entire bowl of water and has just stopped panting from his walk. He's thinking about settling into a prolonged nap on the cool tile floors.

10 AM: CeCe is dressed and sun screened and off to either Parque Centenario or the adjacent Merida Zoo with Margarita. Parque Centenario is a big wooded park with lots of fun playground equipment that you just don’t see in the parks in the US anymore. Metal seesaws, anyone? The park also has a train that you can ride for 1 peso. (A little less than a nickel.) And the Merida zoo has monkeys, giraffes, hippopotamuses and ducks ... pretty much everything. Do you know how to say hippopotamus in Spanish? CeCe does!

Noon: Nicolle and John break for lunch, right as CeCe and Margarita are returning home. We have very few barriers to getting our work done here as compared to home, simply because it is a much simpler life -- no commute, no meetings, very few weekly errands, no laundry or cleaning. So we indulge ourselves with a 90-minutes of walking and lunching, exploring the city and eating together every day. This is also a good opportunity to check out all the various houses for sale and run any errands.

Fidel? By noon he’s sound asleep on the cool tile floors, typically right in the stream of the cold air from one of the air conditioners.

12:30 PM: John and Nicolle are pounding the hot pavement of Merida, seeing what they can see, or doing an errand on the way to lunch. To give you some examples of what we do during lunch, one day we had to find a notary service. Another day, we went to look at a house that was on the market (always fun to peek behind the grand, austere exteriors of Merida’s colonial houses to see what style and/or whimsy lies within). Yet another day, we went to the market to pick up some fresh vegetables for the week. Lunchtime is always our favorite time of the day, and not just because of the delicious Mexican or Yucatecan food we enjoy ... no matter how mundane our lunchtime errand is, it’s always an adventure!

At home, Ce and Margarita have just finished a cooling bath, and are sitting down to eat something for lunch. Most of the time, it’s leftovers from the night before.

1:30: John and Nicolle run back to the office (we are always in a hurry as things seem to take a bit longer here than they would in the States) and Margarita leaves. CeCe is typically just down for her nap.

Fidel? Still sleeping, dreaming of his evening walk and the chance that he will find more chicken bones on the street ... or perhaps even a half-eaten tamale.

1:30 to 4 PM: More work for John and Nicolle. More vendors pass by our windows, which are always open. Sometimes if we are on business calls we have to explain the loud bicycle horn, the odd honking noise, or the annoying whistle as it passes by our house.

4 PM: CeCe awakes from her nap, ready to do some swimming. John is typically her swimming buddy. By now, it is at least 90 degrees outside and John is ready for a dip. And like most kids, CeCe is always ready for a dip! After about 15 minutes in the pool, John is back at his desk and CeCe is dry, eating an afternoon snack and playing with Mommy. Nicolle’s work day is finished when Ce wakes up from her nap.

5:30 PM: The family sets out for a walk in Merida, Ce in the stroller. Sometimes we go to the Main Plaza, where young couples walk, hands entwined, pigeons stroll in flocks waiting for handouts, and multitudes of hammock vendors try to sell their wares. Sometimes we go to our local park, Santiago, to see friends with a toddler who also live in the neighborhood. And sometimes we just walk.

6:45: We return home. Fidel leaves for his second long walk of the day. Typically it is on this walk that he almost gets run over by a local bus -- even with his leash on. (Fidel wouldn’t last more than five minutes in this city without a leash!)

7 PM: We eat dinner as a family. We’ve found that recently, if we go out to dinner, CeCe finds herself much too immersed in the goings-ons of other tables to concentrate on eating her own food.

8 PM: Bedtime for CeCe, and either blog time, more work, reading books, or chilling in the courtyard with a couple of cervezas for John and Nicolle.

11 PM: Bedtime for Nic+John.

Our day-to-day life here in Merida is nothing spectacular. In fact, Monday through Friday it is downright routine. However, even our routine days brings sights, sounds (and yes, smells) that we’ve never experienced before in our lives. It can be as unbelievable as a man riding down the road on a motorcycle with a 3-foot-by-4-foot piece of plywood balancing on his head holding up a pyramid of bread. Or it can be as dangerous as a man on a motorbike riding with his toddler in front of him and wife in back of him, all three sans helmets. Or as silly as the scooter selling cold milk that “moos” when the horn is activated. Or as annoying as the multitudes of dogs on roofs that look down at you and bark like mad as you pass. Or as resounding as the chirping of thousands of ka’u birds in the trees in the Plaza Mayor at dusk.

The truth of the matter is that regardless of how routine our day-to-day life actually is here, just by being here it is anything but. And we love that.