El Peregringo

Mexico has been called a third world country, and after the trip back from Puerto Vallarta this last weekend, it’s true that there are some small villages in the countryside which might qualify for that status.

Still, as I sit here in this beautiful library, connected wirelessly to the net, on an emaculately maintained campus populated by cell phone carrying, new car driving students and faculty, it’s hard to see much of anything third world about it.

There are a number of things I’ve noticed which do separate Mexico from what is commonly accepted in the US however:

• the light fixtures in this library are connected by two individual strands of wire which descend from the ceiling (no romex or conduit) and which in some cases show electrical tape connections. Definitely not US code compliant.
• electrical outlets are quite frequently of the ungrounded variety–I’ve taken to carrying one of those orange rubber adapters to plug in.
• sidewalks all over Guadalajara are torn up by tree roots. In most cases those trees are enormous ficus trees which provide wonderful shade, and which are commonly trimmed like hedges into unusual shapes.
• like Spain, motorcycles seem to follow their own set of rules. They regularly pass between lanes and at stop lights its very common to have one or two “motos” zoom between the lanes of stopped traffic to get to the front of the lines.

Maybe it’s just this part of Guadalajara, or perhaps a larger Mexican issue, but grocery shopping is a mixed bag. Most products are easily available–many brands commonly found in the US are here, some with slight variations to make selling to a spanish-speaking market easier. However, I’ve noticed a couple of things which make it difficult for me to stock a kitchen:

• herbs beyond cilantro are impossible to find–even in dried form. The local wallmart has the following, and only the following spices available:

  • salt
  • black pepper
  • oregano
  • cinamon

  fortunately I love cilantro and I’ve adapted some dishes to use it instead.

• stock is simply not available in liquid form. The best you can do is the equivalent of bouillion cubes–all salt and msg.

Dining out is always an option, of course, and Guadalajara is rich in the variety of cuisines available. More on food later…