Tag Archives: food

Travelogue Spring Break 2011, Day 9, Domingo Pascuas: A lazy Sunday in Zacatecas

After eight busy days, we promised the kids and ourselves that Easter Sunday would be very restful. We all agreed to sleep in until whenever and other than eating and maybe seeing a movie, we had no plans.

After we were all up and showered (around 1:00 pm), we ventured out to eat. On the way, Danny found something he just couldn’t resist playing with and eventually buying. He found a Predator action figure (think Alien vs. Predator). I don’t fully understand the excitement, but this thing has some interchangeable parts and Danny sees resell value in its future.

Until then, he can play with it…

None of wanted a fancy meal (last night was steak night), and we had read about Gorditas Doña Julia. All the great things we had heard were dead on. 10 or 12 pesos each, great choice of fillings and excellent quality.

The concept is simple: seat yourself, fill out the order form, thank the joven for bringing you the drinks, wait two more minutes and a big basket of Gorditas arrives. Find which ones are yours and dig in. Yummmm.

After that, we bought Danny some drawing supplies, traveled out to the “Centro De Plata” which was a bust (sort of open and more about selling than showing how things are made). Then we went to see the movie, The Adjustment Bureau which we all loved. After that, cab ride home, a stop for chocolate and back to the hotel room. Just the lazy day we all needed.

Still lovin’ Zacatecas…

Travelogue Spring Break 2011, Day 10, Our last full day in Zacatecas

Today, Monday, was our last full day in Zacatecas. We had plans to have Dianne, Danny and Mara do a craft project with a group of local residents, go to the University Science Museum, go on the Tirolesa (zip line), shop and eat.

How’d we do? Well, we showed up for craft time and there were so many little kids that all three in our group backed out. The museum is closed for renovation. hmmm – not a good start! We decided to head up to the zip line. It was a very windy day, especially on top of the hill. The Tirolesa is 840 meters long and is the longest in Latin American – or so they say. Three us us decided to go, with Dianne staying back to hold valuables and act as videographer. It was exhilarating and well worth the 150 pesos. Dianne shot mainly video, so we also purchased the pictures from the local photographer. Mara’s parents will undoubtedly be a little shocked, but we call made it home in one piece.

We celebrated our success with a refresco and a quick trip the observatory, which is really a weather station with an awesome view. Then, we headed out to Viva Mexico – another great restaurant I had found out about on some foodie website. Man, was it great. Three of us had enchiladas (all different types) and one had Chile Mestizo (a stuffed pepper with incredible walnut sauce). I still cannot decide where I had the best enchiladas ever – Viva Mexico or Los Dorados de Villa. All I know is the best enchiladas ever are in Zacatecas.

After eating, we took a slow walk home. We proved once again that we are all great shoppers. We all bought some stuff for ourselves and for others. We then plopped down in a plaza to have an adult beverage and enjoy the passers-by. As an added bonus, we were entertained by folkloric dancers as part of the cultural festival. Those of under 20 were too tired and wanted to go home to text, chat and do whatever. Dianne and I enjoyed our quiet time and came home a couple of hours later to write blog entries.

I am on strike with Blogger. It is so frustrating to line up text and pictures that I am giving up. Below are self-explanatory pictures including one extra just to remind us we are in Mexico! (For those of you not in the know an E with a slash through it means no parking.)


















Tomorrow we head for Durango (yes, a change of plans). Stay tuned…

Fishing for Jellyfish

 

We walk the malecón nearly every morning, and at least 2-3 times a week we stop to buy fresh-caught fish. Most local panga fishermen, as fishermen worldwide, seem to have a very difficult life. They work through the night and make very little profit on their catches. Shrimpers have also had a difficult time in recent years, with fewer shrimp to be found, smaller sizes, and lower prices.

This morning in the paper I read that one new fishing market is to catch jellyfish. There have been three new permits issued in Sinaloa state, each permitting the catching of two tons of jellyfish per day. Now, having lived for so many years in Japan, I love jellyfish, and have eaten a lot of it. But I have never heard of a Mexican eating a jellyfish, so the article caught my eye. Sure enough, local fishermen are harvesting jellyfish in order to sell them to the Asian market.

They are fishing for cannonball jellyfish, the same species that US fishermen harvest off the southern Atlantic coast and the Gulf of Mexico.

Jellyfish have been eaten in Asia for over a thousand years. They are a huge market; Japan alone annually imports over $25 million worth of jellyfish, and that’s in addition to what they harvest locally! Jellyfish have a high nutritional value. They contain lots of collagen and protein and no cholesterol; it’s believed jellyfish rejuvenate cells and restore one’s youthful appearance.

There is a very short (two months or so) fishing season for jellyfish. It seems local shrimpers caught cannonball jellies in their nets, and found out that they could market them to Japan rather than throw them back. While many species of fish and shrimp suffer from overfishing, this same overfishing has caused an overpopulation of jellyfish. For years Japanese have created new ways to use and eat jellyfish, since they were in such over-supply.

What has no heart, bones, eyes or brain, is made up of 95% water, and yet is still a remarkably efficient ocean predator? You guessed it! Eat up now!

Some jellyfish recipes
Jellyfish salad
Stir-fried chicken with jellyfish
Jellyfish silk
From Australia
Jellyfish BURGERS????!!!
Jellyfish ice cream
Jellyfish shooter (not really jellyfish, but looks cool!)

Couldn’t resist concluding this post with a jellyfish photo from this year’s Carnaval parade, lol!

 

Tejuino: Bebida sagrada

Tejuino is one of the favorite beverages sold here in Mazatlán. It is sold from push carts and in roadside stands. Supposedly it was originally made by the Tarahumara Indians. Very good, icy cold, perfect for our hot humid summers!

Today the Noroeste, our local newspaper, ran an article on Tejuino. Check it out:

Tejuino: Bebida sagrada

Cheeseburger in Paradise

First, there is a typical day on our terrace: paradise, Mazatlán style. (Click here to listen while you read.)

Add to that two men (and sometimes a woman) who love burgers. But, the beef here is VERY lean, not that marbled fat-filled juicy stuff my boys are used to. No worries!

Chef Greg, charter member of “Cooking Club of America,” to the rescue! He has learned to add some extra fat to the ground beef, to make it juicier once it comes off the grill. Turkey chorizo along with his secret spices in a frequent combination. But the best-ever cheeseburger in paradise was made from our local ground beef with some summer sausage, portobella mushrooms, and pineapple.

“I like mine with lettuce and tomato, Heinz 57 and french fried potatoes.” In our house, we go for sriracha mayo on the bun rather than ketchup, though of course we like lettuce and tomato (and sprouts), too. However, no normal bun will do. Chef Greg must go shopping for ciabatta bread. Mmmmmm. Not easy to find here, but doable. And what about the french fried potatoes? Hey, we’ve got a grill! Grilled vegies are loads better than the french fried variety. We nuke the potatoes first, then refrigerate till they’re cool and firm. Slice ’em, spice them up good, and grill ’em in a basket.
We put the sriracha mayo on the bun, but we still need the Heinz 57 for the fries! Since we live in the land of tomatoes (they appear on the Sinaloa car license plates), you’d think our local ketchup would rock. Not! The ketchup served here in the land of bountiful tomatoes is thin, watery and lacking flavor. Like Jimmy Buffett, we prefer Heinz 57. It’s hard to find here in Maz, but, with planning, doable.

¡Buen provecho!