Once a king, always a king.

Once a king, always a king.

The name of William King is not listed among the great ones of the earth. No monuments will ever be erected to his memory, for he was only a cook. Yet what a cook! In him blazed the fire of genius which, at the white heat of inspiration, drove him one day, in the old...
Hey Mango. Mango Mexicano.

Hey Mango. Mango Mexicano.

I don’t think I’d ever had a mango until I was in my thirties and visited my parents in Florida. Bright yellow mangos, amber rum, rosy red cranberry juice and a turquoise Hamilton Beach blender created the cocktail de jour of the senior set and it only took an evening...
In praise of porcine pleasures

In praise of porcine pleasures

Dogs look up to us. Cats look down on us. But pigs treat us as equals. Winston Churchill said that. People challenge the intelligence of a pig. But in my opinion, any animal that can take soybeans and corn and turn it into bacon is a genius. Don Day said that. I was...
There were beans, beans, as big as…

There were beans, beans, as big as…

I love beans. I love ham and beans. I love baked beans on toast. I love charro beans. I love smoked turkey and beans. I love pasta and beans. I love wieners and beans. I love bacon and beans. And I especially like when those bean dishes are made, from scratch, with...
Twice upon a time in Mexico.

Twice upon a time in Mexico.

“El, you really must try this because it’s puerco pibil. It’s a slow-roasted pork, nothing fancy. It just happens to be my favorite, and I order it with a tequila and lime in every dive I go to in this country. And honestly, that is the best it’s...
Happy as a clam about my San Miguel find.

Happy as a clam about my San Miguel find.

Do the clam. Do the clam. Grab your barefoot baby by the hand. It’s not often I get to quote Elvis Presley especially from one of his worst movies (it was Clambake). But it’s not often I get to do clams. Not in Mexico anyway. Not until recently anyway. I spend about...