Life in Mexico
I blame Taco Bell.
Even though the food chain didn’t come to Canada until 1979, their insipid, bland interpretation of Mexican food permeated North American culture like a chili-flavored tsunami.
We would buy a packet containing a half dozen tortilla shells, spice mix and a handy-little cardboard holder to stuff cheese and ground meat into your taco (although the holder tasted better than the shells).
Contrast that insipid experience with the amazing spectrum of food celebrated every day in Mexico. From mole in Oaxaca to birria (lamb stew) in Jalisco, Mexicans eat delicious, inexpensive and wholesome meals using recipes that date back hundreds of years.
Pictured, Joanne and Rick are enjoying a real taco lunch at Don Julio’s, located just across the street from Soriana’s in Manzanillo. The popular restaurant specializes in a wide range of meat and fish tacos, along with ‘volcanoes’, food served in a sizzling-hot rock bowl carved from lava.
Along with the tacos, you get an array of fillings, including onions, cucumber and a sauce made of mayo, chipotle powder and lime juice. We’re drinking micheladas, a mix of beer and clamato juice rimmed with chili powder (although the little cocktail umbrellas are not strictly kosher).
Here’s to the celebration of Mexican cuisine!
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Recipe; Chicken Quesadillas
This is ridiculously easy to make, tastes delicious and is an excellent way to use up left-over roast chicken!
Ingredients
2 cups of diced roast chicken
1 cup of shredded cheese
½ cup of diced red pepper
½ cup of diced white onion
1 tsp of salt
1 tsp of chili
1 tsp of cumin
Tortillas
Butter
Sour cream
Directions
Mix chicken, onion, peppers and spices together.
Fill ½ the tortilla and fold over.
Lightly butter the outside of the tortillas. Back on a cookie sheet at 350 F for 8-10 minutes.
Serve with sour cream.
Enjoy!
Book Review
The Women
By Kristin Hannah
Ive been reading Hannah’s novels for several years now; her work is always authentic, insightful and captivating.
The Women is the story of Frances ‘Frankie’ McGrath, a naïve, sheltered girl growing up in the 1960s in an affluent Southern California home. When her older brother enlists in the US Navy and is sent to Vietnam, she impulsively joins the Army as a nurse and is posted to Asia as well.
Her naivety is quickly smothered as she experiences the hell of war as an emergency room nurse at an evacuation hospital near the front lines. She is daily confronted by mangled young men, torn apart by landmines and mortars. Amidst the carnage, she forms lasting friendships with her fellow nurses.
When Frankie finally returns to the US, she discovers a vastly changed culture. Soldiers are vilified for their war sacrifices. She finds herself ashamed to admit she served in Vietnam and plunges into depression.
Fortunately, Frankie’s friends are there to support her, and she eventually achieves peace while supporting other women who fought and were forgotten. This is a book that explores the horrific reality of war, and the lasting bonds that it creates. I highly recommend The Women!
Movie Review
Back in Action
Streaming on Netflix
This spy thriller marks Cameron Diaz’s return to the big screen after a decade-long hiatus. She stars as Emily, wife of Mark (played by Jamie Foxx), a pair of middle-class parents raising their teenage kids in American suburbia.
All that goes out the window when their cover is blown and they have to return to the field as CIA agents.
The movie has been criticized as being too formulaic for such talented leads, but it was never meant to be Oscar bait. Diaz and Foxx bring a spark and chemistry as husband and wife, using their skills to dodge the evil intent of the bad guys and save the world.
A special treat is Glenn Close playing Ginny, Emily’s English mother. When she meets her two grandchildren for the first time, she threatens dismemberment if they mar the parquet floors of her mansion.
All in all, it’s an entertaining film with more than its fair share of excitement and laughs. I heartily recommend Back in Action!
Bonus Book Review
Eight Perfect Murders
By Peter Swanson
This is a great mystery novel by murder-master Peter Swanson.
The plot revolves around Malcolm Kershaw, owner of the Old Devil’s bookstore in Boston. Years ago, Malcolm wrote an entry in the bookstore blog, Eight Perfect Murders, where he listed classic murder mysteries, including Agatha Christie’s The A.B.C. Murders. Now, FBI Agent Gwen Mulvey shows up at his shop with the theory that a serial killer is using the plots to get away with murder.
Malcolm, a life-long lover of murder mysteries, is both intrigued and appalled. Malcolm had picked the books because they allowed the killer to go Scot-free; hence, the ‘perfect’ murder. But how do you trace a real serial killer who is using the same modus operandi from each book?
As their investigation progresses, we learn that neither Malcolm or Agent Mulvey are as innocent as they seem. The reader has to discern when Malcolm, as narrator, is telling the truth, or lying. This book will keep you riveted to the very last page. I highly recommend Eight Perfect Murders!