Yoga for people who are stressed out while waiting for their visas

I think that book is yet to be written.

I just got back from driving all over town. I bought a book on yoga and a yoga mat. So after I recover a bit from the drive (the round-abouts are really nerve wracking) and have a glass of juice, I might try out some yoga in my bedroom.

I also went to the English language bookstore yesterday and I got “Portuguese Irregular Verbs” by that guy who writes the #1 Ladies Detective series. It’s a pretty small book, but I think it will keep me amused for a few moments.

Tomorrow, I am going with Adolfo to see a lecture by some Spanish architect (we’ll see if I can understand anything he says – I find Spaniards have an accent that is particularly difficult for me) and then we are racing across town to try and catch the end of an art exhibit opening. Then we are heading back to the same bar as last weekend for the “after party” with the artist. One of Adolfo’s friends is also the director of the organization that represents this artist.

Hopefully, it will be fun. I get a little starved for social activities by the middle of the week. So, having a night out usually helps me feel like I’m actually living in this city, instead of just hanging out in my apartment (which is a lot like any other apartment I’ve had, only much, much bigger) waiting for my visa.

The War on Trees

Now appears to be the season in Guadalajara to hack all the trees to bits.

I’m not sure why, and I’ll try to get some pictures, but apparently if you have a few extra pesos to spend, you hire some guys to come over with a big truck and chainsaws and they will cut all the major limbs off all your trees for you.

I’m perplexed. Adolfo says he never noticed this before.

I thought maybe it had something to do with power lines. But, I don’t think you need to strip the entire tree of its branches if you have power lines overhead. Also, some trees are nowhere near power lines.

Maybe the tapatios don’t like shade.

Fun in the rain

It rained almost all weekend and every time we left the house, we forgot to bring the umbrella. We had a very nice and eclectic weekend.

First, on Friday night, we went out to dinner to celebrate the first paycheck since arriving in Guadalajara! Yea! We had some excellent mole enchiladas and sopes de pollo. The lighting was very low and romantic, so the pictures turned out horrible.

We went to see the parade of the International Mariachi Festival, on Saturday. It was a lot of fun (and free!) and Adolfo posted some of the pictures on his site. (Check out the picture of the Mariachi de Estocolmo, sound it out, that’s right it’s the Mariachis of Stockholm!) There were mariachi groups from all over the world. Mostly, the geography was focused on the Americas, with California making a nice showing, and included Costa Rica, Cuba and Venezuela. In the middle of the parade, as you can see in the photos, it began to downpour! We took shelter under a tree in the plaza in front of the Templo San Francisco de Asis.

Later that night, we met up with some of the people Adolfo works with and went to a new bar in town. It was very nice; there were a couple Parisians and another guy who spent some time in Boston and New York. We got home very late.

Sunday was spent mostly recovering. It was cold and rainy most of the day. We didn’t have hangovers, since we had about 2 drinks in the 5 hours we spent at this bar. But, coming from California, we are unaccustomed to the smoky bar. I had a scratchy throat most of the day and my eyes felt like they were covered with sandpaper. We drank tea and had soup.

Sunday evening, we went to a café to meet with one of Adolfo’s high school friends. It was very nice and two hot chocolates made my throat feel much better. We had a very nice conversation about literature, the importance of reading, among other things. (He’s a fan of Oliver Sacks and has been reading War and Peace over the last 3 months.) Also, this friend is not an architect, a rarity among the friends, so the conversations are more even and less focused on one subject.

It was a very nice weekend, even if there was no time for Tortas Ahogadas. Next weekend, we are planning to go to an art exhibit opening and perhaps return to the same bar (as it is next to the art museum).

Tortilla Soup

This recipe is one that we use to make often. I made it for lunch this weekend and it turned out quite good. We used a recipe from Cooks Ilustrated and Rick Bayless’s Mexico: One plate at a time, and sort of mashed them together in the way that suited us best.

6-7 tortillas
1 chile pasilla or chile ancho
2 T. vegetable oil
1 white onion
4 cloves garlic
4 small tomatoes (like roma, or a can of diced tomatoes)
2 T. vegetable oil
4-6 chicken thighs, or other chicken parts (not all breast meat)
1-2 sprigs epazote (Good Luck!)
9 c. water (part chicken broth, or with additional ½ onion and 2 cloves garlic, or both)
salt
lime wedges
queso cotija (or some other kind of dry salty cheese)
avocado
crema (or sour cream) (optional)

1st – cut tortillas in strips that are ~ ½ in. wide and 1 ½ in. long. Fry, slowly, at a medium heat in a skillet with oil until brown and crisp. When the tortillas hit the oil they will soak it all up, so stir frequently in the first minute or two so that all the tortilla pieces get some oil on them. Be patient, stir occasionally. This should take about 30 minutes, or so.

2nd – place chicken thighs and epazote in water with broth. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to simmer until thighs are cooked, about 15 minutes.

3rd – quarter onion and place in food processor with garlic. Process until finely chopped.

4th – once tortillas are crunchy and brown remove from skillet to a paper towel-lined plate. Remove stem and seeds from chile and tear into flat pieces. In the same hot skillet, briefly toast until they smell nice, about 1 minute. Place on the same plate with the tortillas.

5th – remove chicken from broth and skin and de-bone, if necessary. Remove the epazote from the broth (and any onions or garlic). Shred meat and return to broth.

6th – heat skillet with vegetable oil and when oil shimmers, add onion and garlic mixture. While the onion and garlic fry, add tomatoes to the food processor and process until finely chopped. (Some people will want to skin the tomatoes first. It’s up to you. The skin will separate in your soup.)

7th – after the onions and garlic have started to turn a bit translucent, but not brown, add the tomatoes. Fry until they reach the consistency of tomato paste (10 minutes or so).

8th – carefully transfer tomato mixture into broth and bring to a boil for 1 minute. Taste for salt.

Assembly: In each bowl place a small handful of tortillas, some sliced avocado, crumbled chile and crumbled queso cotija (some people put runny monterrey jack in their tortilla soup, but I prefer a hard, dry, salty cheese in mine). Ladle soup over the garnishes. Serve with lime wedges and creama (if you like).

The soup will freeze without the garnishes. The tortillas and chile will keep in a sealed plastic bag.