esperanza

When the weather's warm, I usually eat bran flakes and homemade blackberry or peach yoghurt. When the weather's cold, it's oatmeal--bare naked oatmeal, cooked with a little salt. Once in a while I make molletes: grilled bolillo spread with refried beans, dotted with crumbled queso cotija, and sometimes an over-easy fried egg on top, with a salsa muy picante. If I'm really going all-out (usually for company; this is way too much breakfast for an ordinary day), it will be over-easy fried eggs, a salsa muy picante, refried beans, fresh hot tortillas, and golden fried maduros (super-ripe plantains) with a dollop of crema, all of that accompanied by whatever fruit is in season and ripest: papaya, mango, cantaloupe, cherimoya, guanábana. Aaackkk, I haven't even had breakfast yet this morning and now just writing this makes me feel too full.

Yes, olive oil in medicinal size bottles is on the pharmacy shelves here in Mexico as well. We do tend to use the remedios caseros--home remedies--here a little more than they're used in the States. For earache, it's the herb ruda soaked in olive oil, wrapped in cotton, and stuffed into the ear for a day. Olive oil is said to be good for the skin as well. According to a March 2004 article in a major daily newspaper here, olive oil is good for preventing some types of cancer as well as cardiovascular disease.

Hmmm...no flash used here. I've learned something very important from this exchange: to include more information in the original post about how a photo was taken. One thing that bothers me about this picture is that it isn't grounded. The bottom of the photo just sort of floats off into nowhere.

I agree with all of what you said, Toliver. There were things about the picture that I would love to have changed before I took the shot: I would have gotten rid of the plastic chairs in the foreground, I would have liked the elderly cook to have been nearer the door, I would have liked the interior to have more light, etc. Interesting that you perceived the doorframe as being a porch with a porch light. In fact, I was standing in another interior room of the house, with a small window behind me. I could have used a chance to take a second shot, BUT: One of the difficulties in taking this kind of picture in Mexico (and in lots of other places as well) is that many old people don't want to have their pictures taken at all. Some folks, like the woman in this kitchen, WON'T let you take their picture. She had been facing me, sorting through some freshly cut oregano that was lying on the table. When she saw that I had the camera pointed toward the kitchen, she turned away with her basket of oregano and slipped deeper into the kitchen interior. I actually felt a little sleazey that I took the picture anyway, realizing that she didn't want it done. It's an ethical dilemma: a candid shot without permission or permission asked for and given for a shot that turns out to be less spontaneous and/or authentic. How does anyone else deal with this issue? When I am more up to speed with Photoshop, I will fiddle around with this one some more. Thanks for your input.

Busboy, what great reports you've been reporting. I've read them with a great deal of nostalgia for Athens and the food there. Would you do me a favor? Ask around in the Plaka for a taverna called Kouklis. I ate there many times over a three-week period several years ago and still think fondly of the green beans, potato salad with fresh dill and lemon, the favas, the...*sigh*...sit upstairs on one of the tiny balconies and enjoy the afternoon. See if the food is as good as I remember it, or if my nostalgic mind has upped the ante.

Here's a picture that I took yesterday--not food, but a kitchen. I was still using the old camera; I'm learning the new one, but slowly. In my mind, this picture is so evocative of what Mexico was and is. Does it work for anyone, and what needs to be done?

The mole dulce that Doña Socorro makes is neither southern nor a manchamanteles. It's just mole as made by her great-grandmother, who lived in Jalisco. The list of ingredients is long and complex, including everything from bay leaves to cloves to chocolate, plus chiles, both guajillo and ancho--and then those four bananas (sliced in rounds) and their skins. Those go in at the very last, after all the other ingredients are already simmering. They pretty much dissolve into the sauce during the long simmering/stirring process. The skins, on the other hand, have to be fished out at the end just prior to serving.

I recently had the enormous pleasure of a private cooking class with a local woman who taught me how to make her great-grandmother's mole dulce, a sweet, reddish-brown mole which includes among its many ingredients four bananas--two regular ones and two plátanos machos, including the peels of all four. Doña Socorro prepares the mole with carne de cerdo. The preparation takes approximately 7 hours (just the cooking time) and made my eyes cross with its complexity of preparation and steps. The cooking takes place in a clay cazuela, including constant stirring with a huge wooden cucharón (spoon) to keep the mole from sticking or thickening in lumps. She cautioned me that only one cook should stir it, because if two cooks stirred it, the mole would break. She and her compañera de la cocina took turns stirring the pot, however. She told me that she and her friend were so familiar with one another's methods that it was as if one hand were stirring the pot. This was the first truly sweet mole I'd tasted. I prefer mole poblano or a great Oaxacan black mole, but it was an honor to watch this old recipe in preparation. PS: Rachel, I tried to answer your PM yesterday but the #$%# machine wouldn't let me send you one. Grrrrr.

Scott, this idea is ingenious but unfortunately it won't work. The purposes of soaking and simmering whole dried corn in slaked lime water are (1) to ease the removal the corn kernel's hard outer covering and (2) to increase the nutritional value of the corn by making it more digestible. The prepared corn must be washed thoroughly following treatment to remove the lime residue. The prepared corn (nixtamalado) is ready for grinding only after its lengthy preparation.

Trillium, you jogged my memory: espinazo con verdolagas (pork spine with purslane) is one of my favorite Mexican 'big soups'. Verdolagas can be purchased here at any time of the year, in big bunches, at the local street markets. The taste is slightly acid, very green, and it makes a wonderful combination with the pork, the chiles, etc, that are used in this magnificent rustic dish.

Oh frabjous day! Calloo! Callay! I did it, I bought the camera--finally! I did get the Minolta A1. It will be in the mail tomorrow morning. I got the camera, a 256MB card, a couple of lens filters, and a card reader for $585--not too shabby. Unless it arrives at my friend's house in California by Friday morning (when she leaves to come visit me), I probably won't get to play with it until I go to the States on August 1. I know what I'll be singing from now till Friday: "Oh Mr. Postman look and see, is there a PACKAGE, a package for me?"

My all-time favorite fortune cookie fortune--it's been 20 years and I still have the little strip of paper--reads "Guide yourself accordingly". You betcha.

Here's what I do with flor de calabaza; the dish is beautiful as well as delicious and I prepare it frequently. We're very fortunate here--squash flowers are available all year long. The price runs about 30 cents for a huge bunch, stems and all. Flor de Calabaza con Papas y Chile 2 large bunches flor de calabaza, cut in 2" pieces across the blossoms 3 or 4 chiles poblano, roasted, skinned, and diced in 1/2" dice 1 large white onion, diced in 1/2" dice 2 large white potatoes, russets or whatever you have available, peeled, diced in 1/2" dice, boiled in salt water until almost done, and drained dry 3-5 epazote leaves, minced 1-2 Tbsp Knorr Suiza Consomé de Pollo (chicken stock base), al gusto 2-3 Tbsp vegetable oil (or EVOO, if you prefer) Flour Water as needed _______________________________________________________ In a large skillet, heat the oil until fairly hot. While the oil is heating, put about 3 Tbsp flour in a clean plastic bag--an ordinary grocery store produce bag. Dump (that's a technical term) the dry diced cooked potatoes into the bag and shake well to dredge. Sauté the dredged potatoes until they are slightly browned. Lower the heat to moderate and add the onions and chiles to the potatoes; sauté until soft. Add the epazote and allow it to release its flavor. Add the flor de calabaza and sauté briefly. Add a small amount of water (1/2 cup) in which you have dissolved the Knorr Suiza. Cover and allow to simmer for just a moment or two. Add a bit more water if the mixture is too thick or starts to stick. Plate and serve. .

This is the most helpful thread I've ever seen on any of the several sites where I read and post. Here's one of my photos. Feel free to have at it:

I knew you'd like it, Fifi. There are at least 8 megapixels of information on megapixel.net...LOL. I'm getting closer to buying a new camera. I've accosted everyone I see around town (we get a lot of tourists) with a digital camera in their hands and I've asked a zillion questions. What amazes me the most is that people don't seem to know what their cameras will do other than point-and-shoot. So far I'm still on track with the Minolta A1. The learning curve scares me, though. I'd hate to spend nearly $1000 and not be able to figure the thing out. I picked up Photoshop Elements and Album today, speaking of learning curve. As Behemoth said, now I just need some time off to figure it all out.

Maybe this will help. I've been very pleased with the information provided by the folks at megapixel.net, and this particular article made some sense out of the morass. Megapixel.net Go to 'Articles' and then to 'Camera Basics' and then select 'How many "megapixels" do you need?' from the dropdown list. I'm still looking at the Minolta Dimage A1, but I haven't plunked down the $$$ quite yet. Esperanza

I was just about to buy the camera I want from those RadioActive people--at $200USD less than it costs anywhere else--when Rich posted the Reseller Ratings website. Rich, if we ever meet, I owe you one...a big one. This ratings website has saved me from what would probably have been a huge mess. I don't have money or time to burn. Thanks to you, I was able to research sellers and pick another company--not at the same price, but also not at the same COST. I haven't ordered yet. Does anybody have experience with Shopperwiz.com? It's either them or PCNation. Feedback on either?

Ellen, you write wonderfully helpful posts about digital photography. Your writing is as clear, well thought-out, and deep as your photographs no doubt are. I can't agree with you more about showing people the instant results of digital photography. Where I live, many people have never seen pictures of themselves at all and are completely thrilled (and sometimes horrified) to see their images on the LCD. It's fascinating to see how different the reaction to a picture is from the same subject's reaction to his or her likeness in a mirror. Please, though, when you say that "Everybody now has access to high quality photo printing..."--not everybody. I live in a small village in central Mexico where we're very lucky just to have access to the Internet. There are no camera shops, and 'professional' printing is iffy at best. The nearest big-city print shops are over an hour away, and even there the personnel often doesn't understand what it is that's wanted. Nevertheless, we make do.

I like the idea a lot, and I think this forum would be the perfect place. As it says in the forum description, "To help you get the most out of eGullet.com; please discuss tech support, tips, and usage techniques here." IMHO, food photography and its improvement sure fits in that definition.

I'm too old to post stuff like that from memory. I went back and looked through my files and AAACKKKK, it was Baja Fresh that was bought by Wendy's, not Rubio's. My profound apologies to all of you for creating confusion. Good grief. Thin the mayonnaise with milk. If you can find some fresh serrano chiles, mince one or two of those--depending on your tolerance for heat in your food--and stir the mince into the mayonnaise/milk mixture, along with a little salt. If tortillas don't come from the tortillería machinery (and I know you're not likely to find a tortillería in Tokyo), they're patted out by hand. It's not very easy to learn to make them that way--I've been in Mexico for nearly 25 years and I still can't do it. The instructions might be on the bag of masa harina. If you want a real experience, invite your friends to make their own for the tacos and see who does the best ones. Getting them to come out nearly circular and thin is *ahem* most challenging.

WHOA! This thing is incredible--but yikes, the price! Balmagowry, we could split one. But there would probably be a custody battle.

Did you know that Rubio's has been bought out by--hmmm--Wendy's, if I recall correctly--and has reportedly gone straight down the tubes? What a loss. Rubio's really was the gold standard of fish tacos in the United States. No more. *sigh*

This recipe strikes me as being wildly profligate with its spices. I'd just stick to any traditional moderately thick beer batter and forget the chile powder, the oregano, the garlic, and the red pepper. I'd also be leery of the sauce recipe. Rather than mix the lime into the mayonnaise, I'd squeeze the lime on the tacos at table. Thin the mayonnaise with a little milk, or preferably use Mexican crema rather than mayonnaise. You'll want to add a little salt. Rather than mix the cilantro into the sauce, I'd rough-chop it and serve it on the side too, the same way the cabbage is served. A pound of shark filets will make far more than six tacos--even 'largish' tacos. You can, I think, count on twelve. For wonderful flavor, marinate the shark in lime juice and fresh garlic (sliced) before you batter it to fry. The other things you'll want are a good red cooked salsa--the kind made with roasted tomatoes and chiles--for a topping, and some crunchy radishes to serve on the side. Do you have a tortilla press? Be sure to put plastic (like a plastic produce bag from the grocery) on it before you put the ball of prepared masa down--and put another one on top of the masa. It's far easier to peel the plastic from the tortilla than it is to peel the tortilla away from the bare wood or metal of the press. And if you make the tortillas ahead of time, puh-leeeeeeez don't steam them to reheat. Heat them on a griddle on top of the stove. Steaming, either in the oven or (god forbid) the microwave is a no-no here in Mexico--it's simply not done.

All the information you posted has been really helpful--thanks a lot. I went to several online reviewers and investigated the pros and cons of the Canon Powershot Pro1 as compared to the Minolta Dimage A1. For my needs and desires I think it's still going to be the Minolta, but I can sure see why you picked the Canon. I don't need the extra 3 megapixels in the Canon, and I can pick out some great accessories or another big chunk of memory with the money I'd be spending on the Canon vs the Minolta. Now on the other hand, if you could get your client to pop for two cameras...

Andiesenji, thanks very much for the links you provided. I'd looked at some others (DCresource.com, which I find to be very helpful) but I hadn't seen Megapixel.net. In that one I found a link to Imaging Resource, which turned out to have some of the best features of the bunch, including a side-by-side comparison of photos which REALLY helped me out. I'd still like to hear from anyone who's used (or even knows anyone who's used) the Konika Minolta Dimage A1. Unfortunately I'm not in a location where I can test drive any of these cameras, but I am going to the United States in a few weeks and would like to order one shipped to my destination so that I can pick it up there when I arrive. My current camera is an Olympus D-340L, an old war horse that is about to bite the dust, and I'm ready to do a big upgrade. Heidihi, are you familiar with the A1? Thanks again...