Need Dirt? Just Wait.

Last Saturday, we purchased large terracotta planter pots for some herbs and a few vegetable plants we had acquired. Once home, we realized we didn’t have enough soil to fill our pots and thus could only transfer the herbs to their new home. We resolved to phone up our favorite vivero and order a few bags for delivery.

Fast forward a few days and we still hadn’t called. In fact, we kind of forgot about it as our attention moved to more important things - like staying cool, eating salbutes and finishing up our drawings for permitting. 

Yesterday, a man knocked on our door out of the blue selling dirt. We’ve often heard these guys yelling “tierra” atop their horse-drawn carts while clip clopping down our street. This was the first time they actually knocked on our door. Talk about timing!

Three bags of dirt later, we now have planters filled, plants planted and hopefully soon, some yummy celery and lemon grass to add to our cooking regiment. 

So, What’s Next?

Whew! Throwing the remixto brunch event last Sunday wiped us out. With tables fully booked, we made it through the day having held the kitchen together. Lars and Claudette of MexicaChica Getaways did a smashing job handling front of house. They poured the Bloody Marys like pros and made sure everyone left completely satisfied and craving for the next event. Read what the Casual Restaurant Critic had to say.

Which leads us to the question of what’s next? Well, we’re now about two weeks behind on our other projects, so this week is catch up time. Stan is still frantically drawing plans, sections and elevations to submit for permitting. Once those are in the queue, it’s then on to fleshing out more architectural details and finishes (it’s a never-ending process).

On the remixto side of things, Brent is figuring out what to do for our June event and sending out occasional tweets. Stay tuned for details.

On Creating Empires

Having moved their family from Dallas to Merida a few months back, our friends Lars and Claudette are figuring out ways to make a living in this new land. Thinking big, they both are busy creating what Lars refers to as their empire.

When we first moved here 18 months ago, we thought expats in Mérida were all retirees, who having made their money, were here to bask in the sun and relax. While there are certainly plenty of retirees, there is also another type of expat - people in their mid 30s to early 40s who moved here to start a new life and do something different.  More often than not, this means creating an amazing venture and not working for “the man.”

Claudette, for instance, has just launched a new travel company for women called MexicaChica Getaways. Our friend Rob decided it was time to get his license and open up a hair salon that focused on the needs of the expat community. Lou and Kerry are importing antique furniture from India and selling it at their new shop, Puerta al Este.

All this raises a question that perhaps everyone should ask: what is my empire?

Chilling like the French

Apologies to readers whose days still involve sweaters and overcoats, but you know it’s hot in Mérida when:

A. You require more than three swims a day;

B. The afternoon sun makes you drowsy and you succumb to an afternoon siesta;

C. You follow French custom and chill your red wine when it’s hot out; or

D. All of the above.

A and B were checked off weeks ago, and after putting our wine in the fridge the other day, we can now say “all of the above!”

God Bless the Mennonites

We have been thinking about Mennonites of late after we learned that a group of them live out near Campeche. Despite the commandment about coveting, we have been lusting after their cheese, specifically the queso Chihuahua they invented and make so well.

It turns out we were not alone. Our friends Lars and Claudette have also had these secret thoughts. Shared a few nights back over wine, we tasked Lars to find out more and get his hands on some cheese.  

This morning, just 48 hours later, Lars arrived at our door with the wonderful cheese pictured above. Apparently, he spotted a Mennonite man on the street, solicited him for cheese, and made the exchange in a hotel room where the man was staying.

Tasting it now, this cheese reminds us of a dryer Swiss cheese. If one were to age it, we could imagine it turning out not unlike a flavorful pecorino. Although it melts well and makes a great grilled cheese sandwich, we shall use it tonight thinly shaved over a cucumber and dill salad.

A Star is Born

You know when a new movie comes to town and you are just dying to see it. Yet, for whatever reason, you don’t make it on opening night and it loses its sense of urgency. You may end up seeing it a few weeks later, but the odds are against it.

Well this is now us in Mérida. It’s no longer opening night and our pace of adventure slows. Some things, like the exotic seasonal fruits and vegetables at the central market, are passing us by. It’s now or never (or at least until next year), so time to get moving.

Enter the caimito (or star apple), “discovered” with renewed exploratory vigor. 

This sweet fruit has a wonderfully fleshy center and a creamy juice. It’s like a lychee crossed with a tropical milkshake. After learning to avoid the rind (bitter and pasty), we had teaspoons in hand and were digging out the fleshy centers like professionals.

At 10 pesos for a bag of adventure, it’s a better deal than simply watching it on the big screen.

The Heat is On

We were stuck for ideas for our blog post today so we decided to go for a walk. Outside. At noon. With no shade. It was 100 degrees. Did we get inspiration? Yes - and all of it sweaty!

As we strolled, we were reminded of the wonderful cooling effect of trees. Whenever we passed under one, the temperature dropped 10 degrees. The reasons are twofold: first, tree leaves reflect heat and second, they transpire water through their leaves, which creates a great evaporative cooling effect.

Compare that to walls, roof overhangs and other hard surfaces. Although these surfaces provide shade, they also soak up heat and radiate it back at you. You only need to stand in the middle of a parking lot of a big-box retail establishment colonizing Mérida’s northern suburbs to understand how horrible this is. For that matter, touch the bedroom ceiling in your concrete house around 9pm and you’ll feel heat radiating through the concrete.

All of this is timely reminder for us given that we have been debating over the last week about whether to remove one of the bitter orange trees in rear garden. Last week, in the luxury of cooler weather, our instinct was to chuck it. After all, we have two others, and there is only so much naranjada we can drink.

But today, at the start of the hot season, we are firmly committed to keeping it. Even if we don’t use all the fruit, we will certainly enjoy its cooling power and its ability to keep our AC bills down.

A Teak Affair

Our lofty ambition is to buy second-hand hardwood furniture for our house as our renovation happens. To assist us in this, a new store importing antique furniture from India has opened in town called Puerta al Este (calle 60 between 45 & 47).

Much of the store is filled with pared-down simple teak furniture (durable and termite proof). There are no painted elephants, sacred cows or statues of Vishnu - just stuff that fits well with the colonial aesthetic of Mérida.  A good example is the set of drawers pictured above that will serve as a small credenza in our dining room.

To say this place is a godsend is an understatement. We have been in and out of the store over the last two weeks buying up a storm. Every time we go in we say “no more”, but end up walking away with something in hand.

Our best find (so far) is a three-meter-long bench made of solid teak that seems destined for our eat-in kitchen (incredibly, we were stressing over whether we would find or manufacture said bench just last week). Right now, it is working as a makeshift closet.

Also pictured above, in case you were wondering, is an antique rat trap that has received some very puzzled expressions when viewed by our friends.

Market Fresh

Today is our first big dinner party in over two years. We are serving eight plus two kids so it’s all go. We were up by 8am to beat the heat. A quick plate of huevos motuleños at Cafe Pop, and we hit the central market.

At this time of year, the market is at its peak. After six months of cooler weather, all the winter crops are in (think fantastic tropical goodies that evoke thoughts of summer for those above 23°N) and they are looking fantastic.

We bought yellow mangoes so ripe and fresh they were almost glowing. Paired with x’catik chilies and fried epazote leaves, we will have ourselves a delicious mango carpaccio. A stop at our fish guy landed us shrimp to grill and some grouper to ceviche. Back in the vegetable area, we scooped up avocados, cilantro and jicama for a coleslaw to pair with the shrimp and chives for the ceviche. Lastly, we found some wonderfully fresh scallions and crispy chicharrón that will cosy up with our tamarind-roasted pork belly.

Speaking of which, our hunka burning pork love is roasting away in the oven as we speak (the photo above shows how it looked after four hours). Only a few hours to go now, so it’s time for some serious chopping.

There’s Nothing Like a Big Hunk of Meat

Our butcher in the Santiago market is fantastic. Yesterday we told him we needed a four-pound whack of pork belly, and here it is, complete with nipples! What proud parents we are.

This is why we love Mexico. The marketplaces are full of purveyors connecting daily with the source of their wares. It’s not fancy and it doesn’t come with Styrofoam packaging, disinfecting wipes or lattes on the side. It’s simple no-nonsense butchery and it tastes great.

Each night, whole pigs (and other yummy beasts) are delivered direct to the butcher’s counter, where they wait until morning to be broken down for sale. We wander in around 10am, and are greeted by rows of meat hanging from hooks and beautiful livers, hearts and feet glistening in trays below.

In two days, we will dine on our pork belly with new friends. Until then, it will bathe in a marinade of tamarind, piloncillo, allspice, and garlic before being roasted to perfection. From farm to friends, with no plastic in between. Only one issue remains - who gets to eat the nipples?