Talking Turkey

Just as in the United States, here in Mexico, a traditional dish for Christmas is turkey. (After all, the turkey was domesticated in pre-Hispanic Mexico.)  This is not my first Christmas with Alejandro's family, but this is the first time we had turkey.

I must admit that I have never cooked a turkey in my life, so I am no expert by any means.  But it seems to me that the preparation would appear unusual to any cook in the U.S.

In the afternoon of Christmas Eve day, Alejandro and I went to the market to buy the ingredients for the stuffing.  It was not until late in the afternoon that we started work on the turkey.  Even though it was a fully cooked, smoked bird that had been defrosting in the fridge for several days, I thought to myself, this is never going to be ready for Christmas Eve supper.  However, I had forgotten that in Mexico, the Christmas Eve supper is often served late at night.

One of the items that we had bought at the market was a syringe.  Again, I know nothing about preparing a turkey.  I know that it is basted while cooking, but I had never heard of injecting the bird with liquid before cooking.  Alejandro filled the syringe with a mixture of white wine and the liquid from a can of pineapple.  He injected the liquid all over the turkey.  Is that something that is done in the United States???

The stuffing was completely different from what is usually served in the U.S.  Cubes of bread were the main ingredient of the stuffing I always had back home.  However, this was made with a mixture of ground beef and pork, chopped cooked ham, chopped bacon, some chopped chipotle peppers, chopped onion and chopped pineapple rings.  The mixture was fried up in a pan and then stuffed into the bird.

The turkey was set into a large pan, seated upon a bed of pineapple rings, covered with aluminum foil and put into the oven for several hours.  Around 11 PM, it was removed from the oven, and we sat down for our supper.

The turkey was very good.  However, it's always been the stuffing which I like the best.  This stuffing, although very different from what we are used to in the U.S., was delicious.  Alejandro's sister Sandra prepared what I think is a family recipe... an apple salad similar to Waldorf salad.  The dressing for the salad is made from "crema" (similar to sour cream) and sweetened condensed milk.  French baguettes also seem to be a traditional necessity.  Sandra and Alejandro brought several bags of baguettes from the bakery.  We tore off pieces of bread and put turkey and stuffing on them.

It was well after midnight before we were done with supper.  As the start of Christmas Day approached, neighbors set off firecrackers.  For a change, the pyrotechnics did not wake us from our sleep; it was after 1 AM before we headed to bed.  We were tired and decided to save the gift-giving until the next morning.

¡Feliz Navidad!

Here in Mexico City, it is Christmas morning.  It is time to reveal my Christmas card for this year.

The subject of this year´s card is Heidelberg Castle.  Last year I traveled to Germany and Switzerland.  One of the places that I visited was the historic city of Heidelberg, Germany.  Perched on a hill overlooking the city is the medieval castle which is partially in ruins. As my readers know, each year I do a painting which I then use for my Christmas card.  I used one of the photos that I took of the castle as the basis for my painting.  I was there on a warm, sunny September day, but I converted the picture into a snowy winter scene for the card.

Since moving to Mexico, I have been finishing the cards...  doing the painting, having the cards printed, and making them out... months ahead of time so that I can give them to friend when I visit Ohio.  He mailed them out the day after Thanksgiving.  This year, however, it seemed that the U.S. Postal Service was very slow.  It took weeks for some of my cards to arrive to friends within the United States.  I am seriously considering sending the cards... well in advance... from Mexico next year.

To all of my readers, wherever you may be, I wish you a very joyous holiday season and a happy 2026!  

More Christmas Music

 Here are some more video excerpts from the Christmas concert last Sunday by the "Sinfónica de Minería".  For the second half, the conductor had changed from his white tie and tails into a more casual holiday sweater.

"Bugler's Holiday" by Leroy Anderson

Tenor Alan Pingarrón returned to the stage dressed in a "charro" outfit to sing some traditional Mexican Christmas songs.

The audience joined in singing "Feliz Navidad" by José Feliciano.

This song from Spain, "Hacia Belén Va Un Burro" (A Burro Goes Toward Bethlehem) brought back memories.  It's a Christmas song we learned in one of my college Spanish classes.

"Sleigh Ride" by Leroy Anderson

The "posada" song is sung during the neighborhood processions which represent Joseph and Mary looking for lodging.  The tenor and chorus sang the verses of Joseph and Mary asking for room at the inn, and the audience sang the responses from within the inn.

After the "posada", the "piñata" song is sung while the children attempt to break the piñata.  "Dale, dale, dale..."  "Hit it, hit it, hit it..."

It was a wonderfully enjoyable concert, and we hope to make it an annual holiday tradition!

Christmas Music

 Last week, Alejandro told me abouts a Christmas concert to be performed by the "Sinfónica de Minería", an orchestra affiliated with the National University of Mexico.  It was going to be held on Sunday just down the street at the Pepsi Center, the concert venue of the World Trade Center.  I asked him if he wanted to go, and he said "yes".  I immediately walked over to the ticket window of the Pepsi Center and bought tickets.

The symphony orchestra was very good.  The Christmas concert gave the musicians a chance to let loose and have some fun, and to dress in holiday sweaters and caps.  Accompanying the orchestra was the orchestra choir, and an excellent blind tenor by the name of Alan Pingarrón.

Ironically, after having seen "The Nutcracker" ballet the night before, this concert began with excerpts from Tchaikovsky's "Nutcracker Suite". 

Next, Alan Pingarrón appeared on stage to sing "Oh, Holy Night" in the original French.

The orchestra and choir performed a spectacular medley of familiar carols in English.  I have  exactly same arrangement on one of my of the Cleveland Orchestra Christmas CDs.

 The first half of the concert ended with the "Hallelujah Chorus" from Handel's "Messiah".

More from this festive concert, later today.

Another Snowy Peak

Another place where you could enjoy a white, and very cold, Christmas would be on the slopes of Mexico's tallest mountain, Pico de Orizaba (altitude 18,491 feet).

This photo was taken by Alejandro's friend Andrés, who lives in the city of Orizaba, which lies at the foot of the peak.

The Nutcracker

I have to admit that I am not a fan of classical ballet.  But it's hard to resist "The Nutcracker" at Christmastime.  There is the score by Tchaikovsky with so many beloved tunes that have become a part of the holiday season, and the magical story of the Nutcracker Prince who comes to life on Christmas Eve.  So, when we saw that "The Nutcracker" was being presented at the National Auditorium in Mexico City, we bought tickets.  We attended last Saturday's performance.

Performing were the National Dance Company of Mexico and the Orchestra of the Theater of Fine Arts.  Not being an expert on ballet, I really can't judge whether the dance company is a world-class troupe, but their performance seemed to be very good, as was the orchestra.  The production values were definitely first-rate with beautiful stage settings and costumes that made it a lovely spectacle to behold.  It was certainly well received by the nearly sold-out house.

One thing which puzzled me was an addition that they made to the performance.  I may not know ballet, but I do know Tchaikovsky's music.  Toward the end of the second act a piece of music from "Swan Lake" was inserted.  Alejandro and I think that it was added in order to showcase two of their principal dancers in what I think is referred to as a "pas a deux".

Cameras were not allowed for the show, but many in the audience were taking videos with their cell phones.  Alejandro finally took a few snippets with his phone.  Here is a short clip from one of the ballet's most popular dances, the Russian trepak.  The audience was encouraged to clap along with the music.

  It was an enjoyable evening of a holiday classic.

Underground Passage

Last Friday, after spending some time downtown, I wanted to return to the apartment by taking the newly renovated Line 1 of the subway from the Pino Suárez station to the Glorieta de Insurgentes.  From there I could take the Metrobus the rest of the way home.  From the Zócalo, it´s less than a half mile walk to the Pino Suárez station.

However, the street is always crowded with people, and it was even worse than usual with holiday shoppers.  So, I decided to take another route that I had not taken in years.  I don't know if that many residents know about it, and I wasn't even sure if it still existed.  There was an underground passageway that goes between the Zócalo station and the Pino Suárez station.

I descended down into the Zócalo station, and, before going through the turnstile, I asked a policeman if the passage still existed.  He said "Sí" and pointed me in the right direction.

The cool thing about the passageway is that it is not just a tunnel.  It is a veritable shopping mall of bookstores. It is called "Un paseo por los libros" (a stroll through the books), and the 650 meters are lined with several dozen bookstores.

The passage was opened in 1997 as a joint effort of the Mexico City government, the Public Transport System, the subway's Cultural Foundation, and the Chamber of Commerce of the Mexican Publishing Industry.

This route avoids all the hustle and bustle of the street above, but is not so deserted as to feel lonely and unsafe.  There were a few stores that had gone out of business, and some were closed, probably for Christmas vacation.  But there were plenty of stores that were open, and, if I had the time, I could have spent much of the day perusing the vast selection which ranged from children's books to tomes on Mexican law.

Porrúa, one of the nation's major bookstore chains, had not one, but two stores in the passage.

 

How ironic that in the United States bookstores are struggling to survive, but here beneath Mexico City's streets there is a booklover's paradise.