Jaymes

Depending, of course, on what kind of beans you're preparing and how you want them to turn out. My personal favorite, Mexican pinto beans, are generally very soupy. They are served in bowls and eaten with spoons. The liquid broth is delicious. In fact, many Mexicans will tell you that the best part is the "bean juice."

Actually, my current situation is allowing me only slight moments here and there to dash in and then dash back away, so haven't had time to elaborate much. In addition, my cookbooks are alll now in storage, so I can't quote the proper authorities to back me up. And, sadly, the "experts" that once roamed eGullet and would PM us all to clear up every conundrum appear to have left the cyberbuilding. But. That article said that the burrito/burro probably originated somewhere in the desert between LA and Tuscon [sic]. The northern states of Mexico produce a lot of wheat and have for a very long time. Flour tortillas are the staple there. It is to me unbelievably insulting to imagine that none of them ever thought of wrapping something -- chicken, beans, beef, whatever -- up into some of those tortillas, tucking them into a dish and heating. Until, of course, some Americans showed them how. Although, it should be said, this quibble is probably meaningless since at the time of the original "invention" of the burro/burrito, the "desert between LA and Tuscon" undoubtedly WAS Mexico. Although extremely popular in Northern Mexico, it has not been my experience that this fondness for flour tortillas and burros ever extended all the way into the southern reaches of the country. Certainly not the way that it has extended northward into the US. And to answer RG's question, the recipes that I have and use most often for burros don't call for a lot of cooking. If you did cook them for any considerable length of time, I do suspect that they would eventually get soggy. But all of the recipes that I have seen call for ingredients that are already cooked, like shredded beef or chicken, and then wrapped up, and basically heated through. And I have always been told that burros/burritos (the latter term being more popular north of the border) are basically enchiladas made with flour tortillas rather than corn.

Very interesting. And helpful. Although I do find the fact that they cannot properly spell "Tucson" to be a little disconcerting for a "research source."

I can't find a single reference to a burro in any of my Mexican books! And very few references to flour tortillas at all. Well, maybe I'm spelling it wrong. Maybe it's burra - or just with one r. I'm in Missouri and my cookbooks are packed up, but it's been my experience that "burrito" is a US term. And that "burros" are very authentic and tipico of Northern Mexico. Not a "Texan thing." In fact, not until relatively recently were flour tortillas even widely available in most Tex-Mex restaurants, although now they are seen as often as corn. But I remember the first time my Texas-native former husband was forced to eat flour tortillas. It was during the time we lived in Arizona. We lived in Tucson for five years, and in New Mexico for another five. Flour tortillas were the norm in both places as accompaniment for main dishes, soups, etc., although not for enchiladas, obviously. It took him a long while to get used to flour tortillas, but he never liked them as well. I know I've seen many, many references to "burras" or "burros" in Mexican cookbooks. Keep looking!

Not at all. As I said, typically "enchiladas" made with flour tortillas are called "burros." Look in any good Mexican cookbook, and you'll find several recipes.

Like most things, the exact definitions seem to vary from region to region, but it's been my experience that "taco" refers to something wrapped up into a tortilla, either corn or flour, and eaten immediately. Like a sandwich, but with a tortilla. An enchilada is something wrapped up in a corn tortilla and usually baked, and served plated. A burro is the same thing as an enchilada, only made with flour tortillas. Having lived all across the US Southwest, I think that what Texans call "breakfast tacos" are what most folks points west do call "breakfast burritos." I personally can't tell any difference, with the exception of what one chooses to put inside of them.

When I visited my son in San Jose, I made a concerted effort to find some good Mexican food. I found a neighborhood that was VERY Mexican. Lots of Mexican bakeries, music and bookstores, shops selling all the finery for a quincinera, etc. And there were at least three excellent restaurants there as well, along with a lot of smaller taquerias. There was one of the "fogata" type BBQ meat one, several unpretentious cafes, and large family-fiesta style ones, too. There was one place I tried where absolutely nobody in the place spoke any English at all. Nor were the menus in English. If I didn't speak some Spanish, I'd have had a hard time ordering. There were cholos hanging around in the parking lots. On Mexican holidays, there were parades down the main street of this part of town, with people honking horns and waving Mexican flags. I went into the bakery and bought some terrific panes dulces and asked the owner where the best restaurant was. A lively conversation (in Spanish) ensued among him and the other employees and patrons of the store. Unfortunately, I don't remember the name of that district, nor the restaurants (although I can ask my son if anyone is interested), but I definitely can confirm that there was excellent Mexican food to be had, in San Jose at least, if one puts one's mind to finding it.

Ocean View definitely fits that description. Especially good for breakfast. Although when you see the place, you'd probably just keep going. Gives "unpretentious" new meaning.

Here's the way it usually works. You get up in the morning. Breakfast is included. Plenty of fresh fruit, and coffee, which I find to be always wonderful in Mexico unless you want decaf, in which case, it's always powdered Sanka. You can either ask them to pack you a lunch if you want to head down the beach, or off into a jungle or some other remote spot where there are no meals to be had. Or, you take a "relax" day and just hang around the resort. You eat the lunch at the hotel. That night, you want to try a restaurant that you've heard about. You get prettied up, and go to the hotel bar for drinks. Then you go to the restaurant that you've heard about. You either hit the clubs and discos, or you can go back to the hotel for a late-night swim, or to lie on the beach, where you again enjoy the "free" drinks. The next day, you again get up and enjoy breakfast at the hotel. You head for a small town, or set of ruins, or other sightseeing venue where you enjoy lunch at a local restaurant. Then back to the hotel again for drinks before dinner. The fact of the matter is that most people, when staying at an all-inclusive, eat about 50-75% of their meals there. On a given week, for example, they'll eat all of their breakfasts at the hotel, and about half of the other meals. It's still a bargain. And it's nice to have it as your "fall back" option.

Wow. Utterly remarkable report. And beautifully written. Reading it has given me a magical morning. Thank you.

Renting cars in Mexico can be very expensive. The insurance alone is costly. That said, most of the roads in the Yucatan are good, and well-marked. I've rented cars there and driven all over the place with no problems. But depending on what you want to do, and your budget of course, you might just want to rent a car for a day or two.

Here is my usual method for Salsa Verde: Almost exactly what I do. I've not found a quicky, short-cut method, and frankly, that's easy enough that I've never bothered to look.

I kinda hesitate to post this because it just seems so weird, and it was, but I used to live in Alaska, and we were always inundated with whole salmon. Everyone's freezers were always full of the stuff. But everyone still went fishing, so they'd come home and go around the neighborhood trying to talk you into taking some. We were always looking for good ways to fix it. I had a friend whose baked salmon was just wonderful. She wouldn't tell me how she did it because she said it was "very unusual." Finally she told me that she took sauerkraut and stuffed the gutted whole fish with it, and then coated the entire thing with mayonnaise. Then baked it. So I tried it. What a mess. I can't remember if I wrapped it in foil, or exactly what all I did, other than it was about the strangest dish I've ever prepared. But it did taste just great. You discard the sauerkraut before you serve the fish. And the mayo bakes away, so the finished dish doesn't look strange at all. Weird. But very, very good. I always meant to question her further, and try it a few more times in order to perfect it, but then we moved. And it's just amazing how infrequently people try to force whole salmon upon me now that I live in Texas.

Right. Grits are pretty-much tasteless. I think of them as sorta a southern "rice." They are good "alongside." They are good for stabbing your "over easy" or "sunny side up" egg yolk and messing it into. They are good for pouring your redeye gravy over. They are good for grating a bunch of cheese into and baking. They are good for adding salt and pepper and far more butter than you should ever eat at one sitting. A big bowl of pasta, or rice, etc., with nothing on it is also pretty flavorless.

I haven't been there in quite a while, but in the olden days when I went fairly often, I really loved their Bouillabaisse. I'd get some sort of tasty first course and then a nice dessert to round out the meal.

Very clever, Bleu.

Re parchment tamales...what a great idea! I do have one question, though... Generally, with the regular corn husk variety, when they are done, one just grabs them by the "tail" and hoists them up over one's plate, whereupon they fall out. Am I correct in assuming from reading your recipe that in the case of your parchment tamales, that wouldn't work? They're completely folded into the parchment, right?

Boy does that sound wonderful! Almost worth going back to Galveston for.

Important thing to ask mother: When she says she "loves seafood," what does that mean. My father, too, "loves seafood," but absolutely hates that fried stuff that is ubiquitous along the Gulf coast. I cannot tell you how many times we have gone to this place or that, recommended as having "excellent seafood," only to discover it's all batter dipped and fried. Or "U-peel-M" shrimp. Er, not that there's anything wrong with that. But before you finalize your choice, I'd do a little more research.

The avocado might well cause it to disintegrate a little faster than without. When I make it with just the tomatoes, chiles, garlic salt, oil, acid and cilantro, it keeps very well. Easily up to a week. When I do add chunked avocado, I usually eat it right away.

And I like Clary's. It's more "old school." It's owned by a fellow (Clary) that used to be the maitre d' at the Pelican Club, Galveston's old money private club that is located at the back of Gaido's.

Chilaquiles are a sort of tortilla caserole thing that were invented a long time ago as a way to use up stale tortillas. I suspect that the day after tortillas were invented, somebody said, "Boy, these are tough now but we can't just throw food away. How can we moisten them up a little?" That has evolved into what is a major breakfast dish all over Mexico. Basically it's stale tortillas torn up, salsa and cheese added. Although you see all kinds, including with chicken or other meat later in the day and served as lunch or supper, what you generally find for breakfast is much simpler. It's pieces of tortillas layered with Mexican white cheese and that wonderful tangy green tomatillo sauce and baked. It's ubiquitous at Mexican breakfast buffets. So if you go to any, look for it.

Sorry. I guess that's not helpful.

Haven't been in a while, so for all I know, it finally succumbed to the pressure to give up its multimillion dollar location on the bay in Kona and sell out to some fancier enterprise, but when I used to travel frequently to Hawaii, I loved breakfast at the Ocean View Inn. Unassuming decor. Cheap. Tasty. Extensive menu. Lots of locals grabbing a quick bite on their way to work in one of the hotels. Lunch here, too, was great. I just loved that place. We were lucky that it was recommended to us because unless you know about it, it looks so unpromising from the outside that there's no way you'd ever step in there to check it out.