10 things I like about Mexico

A recent trip to Playa del Carmen, Mexico, was the perfect place to escape from the snow-dusted streets of home. There are lots of things I like about Mexico, particularly when it's winter in Canada. Here are the 10 favourites from my recent trip.

1. Frida Kahlo sells everything

Negra Modelo beer with Frida label

2. The beach is beautiful and not just for beach bunnies

Lunch stop at Zamas

3. Skeletons with boobs

Day of the Dead attraction at a tourista shop

4. Bicycle parking in the jungle

At the Mayan ruins of Coba

5. Iguanas and other animals we don't have at home

Iguana at Tulum

6. Really old and historic stuff like Mayan ruins

Chichen Itza: sculls with Temple of Kukulkan (El Castillo) in the background

7. Real tacos and tequila drinks

Fresh lime margarita with achiote shrimp tacos at Zamas

8. Mariachi music and talavera pottery

Talavera pottery frogs playing mariachi music (use your imagination)

9. Brightly coloured buildings

Valladolid, Yucatan

10. Fresh coconuts. Everywhere.

Our home in Playcar

What are your favourite things about Mexico?

Beauty and death

I was saddened to hear of the construction worker who died of his injuries from falling off the Canada Place sails in Vancouver. I watched the workers in August, appearing as ants against the massive white sail structure they were repairing. I have the greatest respect for workers who could do that kind of job so high off the ground, exposed to the elements, and often in plain view of a crowd of tourists. The photos below show the scale of their work. RIP.

(Click photos to enlarge.)

Mushroom (funghi) memories

I don't know of anyone who has a middle ground position on mushrooms. You either love them or you hate them. I love them.

While digging out dandelions and mushrooms from the garden, thinking I should be making a nice insalata with them, I realized I had no idea how to pick a "safe" mushroom. The backyard mushroom yield reminded me that two years ago we were in Calabria during funghi season.

On our way to Bocchigliero, we stopped for lunch at La Tavernetta, an upscale restaurant outside of Camigliatello Silano, which is a charming ski resort with small shops selling the wonderful old-world foods Nonna Filomena used to make.

La Tavernetta specializes in local foods including fungi Silani. We savoured shaved porcini in olive oil while watching gigantic mushrooms being brought into the restaurant's kitchen.

After a very expensive but fabulous lunch, we returned to the winding road and forests of the Sila. We kept seeing guys smoking cigarettes, leaning against their trucks with a scale and basket on the ground. They were waiting to buy the haul from mushroom harvesters.

We decided to make our own trek into the forest in search of prized mushrooms. It was easy pickings rummaging though leaves and around tree roots. Sadly we had no idea what was edible and what was poisonous. I wished my Uncle Nick was with us.

For me, Uncle Nick is synonymous with mushrooms. One of my fondest childhood food memory is eating his amazing marinated mushrooms. Sadly, Uncle Nick died last month. I will never know his secret and I'm sure I'll never taste mushrooms like that again.

Happy Birthday Nonno

Although my Nonno Tony lived into his nineties, he didn't make it as far as today, which marks his 99th birthday. Ninety-nine years.

His mother carried him during the time of cholera epidemics in southern Italy. She was later taken by the 1918 Spanish influenza pandemic.

Italy, as a country, was only 50 years old. As was Italian as the official language, an adaptation of the Tuscan dialect, and the language of Dante.

In 1911, L'Inferno, an adaptation of Dante's Inferno was the first full-length Italian feature film ever made. It was a silent film, which wasn't shown in Nonno's town. When he was born, there was no electricity in town. Today, you can watch the YouTube version on your phone.

The world has seen much change since the days of Nonno's youth and life in his small Calabrese town. Today I remember his journey and his life.

What I did on my summer vacation

I've neglected this blog for far too long. If you've come back, I thank you so much for your patience. Now that fall is approaching I will dedicate more time to keeping up to date. In the meantime here are some snippets of things I've seen or done over the past four months, or "what I did on my summer vacation."

On the outskirts of El Paso, I fell in love with fresh fruit popsicles at Flautas y Paleteria Tepalca in Canutillo, Texas. When I say fresh, mmmm, I can't come close to describing how deliciously orgasmic they were. Take a look at the pinons in the creamsicle below; then I went back for mango. This was an unusual discovery due to road work on the Interstate but it will now be a regular stop on my trips to that part of the US.

I saw a sonoran gopher snake and heard coyotes howl in the desert of southern New Mexico.

I found a metal tray decorated with actual hotel stickers. Not a replica. Not massed produced. The real deal. Looks like someone had a better summer vacation than I did, 60 years ago.

I discovered more treasures amongst the wonderful things that were once my Nonna Elvira's. Here's a carefully preserved stencil that she used as a pattern for her cutwork linens.

On a quick trip to Nelson, BC and a lovely walk along the lake, I came across a playground for adults fitted with outdoor fitness equipment. Best of all, t's FREE.

In Vancouver, the BC Place stadium roof deflated and the new retractable roof is under construction.

In keeping with the roof theme, the Canada Place (convention centre) roof is being "rehabilitated." Looks like a hazardous job.

I went to Alaska and saw humpback whales bubble net feeding. A humbling experience.

And, finally, while the weather is still nice, this is my favourite coffee place.

While I'm having my coffee please leave a comment letting me know what you'd like to hear more about.

Ciao.

Canada Day 2010

To honour Canada Day I listened to slam poet Shane Koyczan's "We Are More," which millions heard during the opening ceremony of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics. Shane has joined the ranks of hockey and beer commercials in expressing the sentiment of what it means to be Canadian.

Here's an excerpt:

we are cultures strung together

then woven into a tapestry

and the design

is what makes us more

than the sum total of our history

A small part of my tapestry:

Listen to "We Are More" by Shane Koyczan.

Read more of Shane's poem at the Vancouver Sun.

In case you missed it, here's my Canada Day post from 2009.

Anniversary

Nonno Joe & Nonna Filomena married in Bocchigliero (Calabria, Italy) on May 1, 1915. I've been thinking about them a lot as my own parents pass wedding milestones. Here's an excerpt from their wedding registration:

"L'anno millenovecento quindici, il giorno primo del mese

di maggio, alle ore pomeridiane quattro e minuti venti,

in Bocchigliero, nella casa posta in Vico Manca."

Check out this family portrait from their 50th wedding anniversary in Canada.

While Nonno & Nonna are long departed, their descendants gather annually for a cousins' party. The family portrait -- now trying to contain over 100 cousins -- is a staple of the party.