A Different Type of Graffiti

You know that I despise graffiti, but the other day I was taken aback by what I saw.  It's still vandalism, but this was the first time I saw graffiti with a positive message.

"Tu vida es digna de ser vivida."

Your life is worth of being lived.

A Taste of the U.K.

Last weekend, Alejandro and I walked about 25 minutes to the nearest branch of "City Market", a chain of upscale supermarkets.  A couple years ago, to celebrate Oktoberfest, they had a wide variety of imported products from Germany.  I had stocked up on some items that are hard to find here such as jars of sauerkraut and wide egg noodles.  (The noodles are not just hard to find; they are impossible.)  I thought perhaps "City Market" would be repeating the event, which is why I suggested that we go there.

Well, there was no Oktoberfest, but they were having a Festival of the U.K.   We posed at the iconic red phone booths that were set up at the entrance to the store.

At the endcaps of each aisle there were products imported from the U.K.  There wasn't a lot that interested me, although I did pick up a box of oat ginger cookies from Northern Ireland.  Then we passed the bakery section, and we saw that the in-house bakery had made scones.  So we bought five scones for ourselves and Alejandro's family.  Of course, if you want to be truly British, you need clotted cream for your scones.  We did some more looking, and we finally found banana flavored clotted cream in a jar.  At breakfast the next day we ate scones.  They weren't bad, but the clotted cream, not surprisingly, was a disappointment.  It did not taste of bananas at all.  It was very lemony.  It was not like having fresh clotted cream in England!

Politics

This is first and foremost a blog chronicling my travels and my experiences making a new life for myself in Mexico City.  However, over the years I have expressed my political opinions from time to time.  During the orange "pendejo's" first term in office I frequently published posts skewering him.  Then, after my permanent move to Mexico and the "pendejo's" reelection, the idea of that felon in the White House was so depressing that I tried as much as possible to insulate myself from the news. I was happy to be in another country and away from the insanity of what was occurring in the U.S.

That has changed in the last couple of months.  I am now reading with relish news articles on the internet and watching videos on YouTube about the "pendejo's" cratering popularity.  The midterm elections are offering a ray of hope... the Republicans are likely to lose control of the House of Representatives, and there is a very real chance that they will also lose the Senate.

And so, as we approach election day, I have once again been posting editorial cartoons and "memes" that I have found on the internet.  The occasional comments to these posts have been positive.  (I suspect that the MAGA crowd is not very interested in reading about a gay man's life in Mexico.)  However, a few days ago an anonymous commenter wrote that he / she will no longer be following my blog because of my "cheap shot political sniping".  A couple other readers then commented supporting my posts.

Well, here is another editorial cartoon that I found on the internet...

And to the disgruntled ex-reader who does not like my political stance, I say...

"So long, farewell, auf wiedersehen, adieu."

Day of the Dead Is Coming

Even though the Day of the Dead is not a legal holiday, it is without a doubt one of the most iconic and colorful celebrations in Mexico.  It is a little over two weeks away, and it is becoming obvious here in Mexico City that Day of the Dead is on its way.

Just around the corner from us there is a little sidewalk café that seats two life-size skeletons at one of its tables each year.

 Last Sunday, we walked through the "tianguis" (outdoor market) that is set up in the neighborhood.  There were several vendors selling Day of the Dead decorations and items to place on your "ofrenda", the altar that is set up to remember departed loved ones.

Candles shaped like skulls and marigold blossoms

The traditional candy skulls made of sugar or chocolate

A couple days ago I walked to the nearest public market in the adjacent neighborhood of "Colonia del Valle".  At this time of year there are stalls just outside the market building that sell all sorts of things for Day of the Dead and Halloween.  Some Mexicans are upset by the fact that the observance of Day of the Dead, a day to remember departed loved ones, is mingled with Halloween.  But nevertheless, the influence from north of the border is present.

A mish-mash of decorations

 

This stall sells skeleton figures in a variety of different attire.  There are skeletons dressed in regional Mexican garb, and there is even one dressed as a "lucha libre" wrestler.  In previous years I have bought a couple of these delightful figures for the apartment.  I have already put them out to welcome visitors to the apartment.

A large inflatable skeleton figure dressed as a  Mexican "charro"

 

And of course, there are plenty of marigolds, the flower whose pungent aroma is said to guide the souls of the dead home.

Mexican-Italian

Last Saturday, we went out for dinner at La Posta, an Italian restaurant where we have eaten many times in the past.  On the table there was an advertisement for a couple of special dishes that weren't on the menu.  These dishes were a fusion of Italian and Mexican cuisine.  I assume that they started offering them in September for Mexican Independence Day.

"Follia Messicana" means "Mexican Madness" in Italian.

The first dish listed was "Lasagna de Chicharrón".  Instead of lasagna noodles, it had "chicharrón" (pork rinds) and instead of a tomato sauce it was covered in "salsa verde".

The second dish was "cannelloni" stuffed with chicken and covered with almond "mole" and "crema".

I'm not particularly fond of pork rinds, but the "cannelloni" sounded interesting.  So I ordered that.

It was delicious.  The "mole" was very good.  Alejandro, who is something of a "mole" connoisseur, had a taste, and it met with his approval.  Obviously the chef is skilled in Mexican cuisine as well as Italian.  I doubt that it will be available for much longer, but I would definitely order it again if they still have it the next time we go there.

Crybaby

(image taken from the internet)

 

Seasonal Attire

We are well into October and less than a month away from Day of the Dead.  I have more than 20 tee-shirts for Day of the Dead, enough to wear a different one from now until November 2nd.  Last Saturday, when we went out for breakfast we both wore shirts for this time of year.

My tee-shirt pictures a skeleton selling tamales.

The skeleton is wheeling his bicycle cart loaded with larger steamers full of tamales.  He is shouting "Hay tamales". (There are tamales.)  These vendors are a common sight on the streets of Mexico City... although I have yet see one who was a skeleton!

Alejandro wore a shirt that pictured a skeleton dressed as "el Chavo del Ocho", the title character of a very well-known children's show which ran for seven seasons on Mexican television.

I have lots of caps, but I realized that I did not have one for Day of the Dead.  Before I left on my trip to Ohio, I was in downtown Mexico City, and saw a vendor selling a wide variety of caps.  I bought this one with a skull to complete my Day of the Dead outfits.