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...
Where you’ll find good local olive oil in San Miguel.

Where you’ll find good local olive oil in San Miguel.

You know those times when you feel totally inadequate and just want to curl up in a ball and roll away from all reality and responsibility. Thursday night salsa dancing at San Miguel’s La Hacienda de Guadalupe is one for me. From the waist up, my body mostly...
Hook, line and sinker. The best fishing spot in San Miguel.

Hook, line and sinker. The best fishing spot in San Miguel.

Give a man a fish and you’ll feed him for a day. Give a man directions to La Isla and you’ll feed him for a lifetime. I’m a stickler when it comes to fresh and certain foods. I’ll buy frozen beef. But I won’t buy frozen poultry. I’ll buy frozen shrimp. But I won’t buy...
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...
Learning to love avocados.

Learning to love avocados.

I didn’t have my first avocado until I was about 12. I think it was the fruit and veg supplier to my mother’s restaurant who gave her a couple of samples to bring home. I liked their mysterious black skin; I loved their nickname, alligator pear; and I was...