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?

Through Yellow-tinted Glasses

Last weekend we visited Izamal, a small town about 40 minutes west of Mérida. Izamal is known as the “Yellow City” and true to its name, the town is as yellow as can be - right down to the signage on this stadium.

Viewing an entire town in monochrome makes for an interesting afternoon (see more of the town here).

Out of Control

Last month we moved out of our run-down house in favor of rented accommodation (we are now dryer, cleaner and more rodent free - thanks for asking).

One consequence of this move is that our garden has been severely neglected. In our absence, it has taken advantage and is now out of control like a wayward teen.

This is eight weeks ago:

This is today:

Rainy season in the tropics. Who knew?!

Clouds of Discontent

It hasn’t been raining much. Most afternoons clouds roll in, promise rain, but never deliver.  It’s like they have performance anxiety or something.

Finally after a week of repeated failures, it happened. Two days in a row no less!  Since then, nothing.  We return to lives of lowered expectations.

Curing a Craving for Deli Meats

One thing we miss from our former lives in San Francisco is good deli meat. What we wouldn’t give at times for a few slices of top-quality speck or sopressata. This craving led us to buy this book and embark upon some meat-curing projects. Pictured above is our first attempt at pancetta.

It started out simply enough - just cover some pork belly (thank you Mercado Municipal) in a curing salt/spice mix and refrigerate for a week. After that we had to roll the belly and hang it in a 55°F room for two weeks - no small feat in the middle of a tropical summer. We ended up solving the problem with an ice chest, a block of ice, and a schedule of changes each morning and night. The result? Fantastic!