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...
In pursuit of the tastiest tomatillos.

In pursuit of the tastiest tomatillos.

Call them the Rodney Dangerfield of Mexican fruit. Apart from their frequent appearance in salsas verdes, I rarely see tomatillos being used in Mexico. And, outside of Mexico, I rarely see them at all. I think that’s a shame. For if you want a little sour in any dish,...
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...