Hot days change the way you think about food.

It started out kind of normally for me with an espresso and a piece of toast with peanut butter.

We went to Mega for groceries mid-morning. So, for lunch I had a croissant a la Mega and a bit of Watermelon-Jicama-Mint salad that I made with our newly purchased produce. And a bag of gomitas, courtesy of Grocery Shopping Day.

Dinner was a half of a cucumber and about 20 almonds. Ben & Jerry's Chunky Monkey ice cream for dessert...don't even ask what that cost, or how far it had to travel to get here!

Around nine this evening I made palomitas (popcorn) popped on the stove, in oil, with red pepper flakes added to the oil. And a glass of wine.

A weird food day, but a good day!

Gas costs a lot. Refrigeration costs a lot. Loading and unloading do, too. So it makes a lot of sense - even in just financial terms - to eat food that is grown locally. A lot of people are beginning to question our desire for out of season foods - why eat strawberries in January in Seattle when they'll be fresh in May? Especially if they'll have to be shipped from South America? How good can they taste after travelling for weeks?

I just finished reading Barbara Kingsolver's book Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. She and her family set out to prove to themselves that they could eat from within 100 miles of home - with only a few exceptions. (Olive oil and flour for example) They grew a huge garden, raised chickens and turkeys, and bought the rest of their meat from local farmers. No more asparagus in winter for them!

I love buying produce here. But I am struggling to figure out what the seasons are for produce. Mangos and avocados I know - I see the trees around here and can watch the fruit ripening.

Being in a new climate has raised hell with my preconceptions of seasons. When are Mexican strawberries locally available? How can I do my part in buying locally grown produce without the basic schedule in my new environment? I haven't had any luck Googling, so I will need to talk to the fruteria owners and read whatever labels I can find. Even in our mercado you will see apples with stickers from Washington State!

I know Mexico values the US market for their produce, but the whole transporation issue means that it won't be the last time tomatoes or jalapenos or cilantro are suspected when illness strikes.

When food is being transported a long way, varieties are selected based on how well the produce travels and how uniform its shape is. This isn't a new concept. I remember that my father (a food consultant) was interviewed in 1974 lamenting the loss of taste in tomatoes which were being bred for their square shape and thick skins.

In the US, the Slow Food movement, the Locavore movement, and the proliferation of farmer's markets and organic produce create a support network for people who would like to eat good, tasty food that grew nearby. Heirloom varieties are sought after for their taste and their seeds that grow true to the parent.

Here in Mexico, we can buy from our local fruteria or mercado whenever possible. I occasionally see organic produce in the supermarket, but unfortunately it usually looks pretty unappetizing. Until I figure out the harvest schedule in our area Paul and I plan on driving into the countryside occasionally where you'll see heaps of watermelons or other produce being sold from a stand or back of a truck.

How else can we buy the best produce? How can we understand the use of pesticides in an individual crop? Is there a movement here brewing that will reduce the use of pesticides and even maybe embrace organic growing? Do any readers have sources they can share with information that would help me sort this out?

• Green onions - I have never seen them here - there are some kind of larger type green onions but the greens are always ratty and not too appealing. They grill them and put them on the side of the plate in restaurants here.

• Cheese - Some cheeses substitute for the ones called for in my recipes, sometimes they don't. I can find Gruyere and Feta cheese here and once in a while nice Cheddar and Parmesan.

• Herbs - Cilantro and parsley are easy to find. Last week I found nice mint. I want to make some dilled cucumbers, hopefully I can find dried dill. I've never seen chives. Last Thanksgiving I offered to bring stuffing to a potluck and I chased all over everywhere trying to find sage! I finally found a dried "Hierbas finas" blend that had enough sage to do the job.

• Milk/Cream - I haven't figured these out yet. I found media crema which I believe is like half and half but the rest is a puzzle. For the explanation I should go to the Mercado and talk to the Cremeria ladies.

• Vegetable Broth - WalMart was the only place in town that had boxed vegetable broth. I bought it there for months, but today I made a special trip there and now there's only chicken broth, darn it. I did buy some boullion cubes but I will need to make my own vegetable broth and freeze it I guess.

• Basmati rice - I saw it somewhere once, but didn't buy it and haven't seen it in ages now.

• Yeast - I have looked all over for it, and finally asked a friend where to find it. She had bought a big container and is going to share some with me so I should be fine soon for that.
  
  
• Vanilla Yoghurt - Yoghurt is big business here in Mexico, every flavor and style - twenty feet of cold case in some stores....but no vanilla.

In the US my favorite candies were Hot Tamales, Red Vines, and Spice Drops. I seem to like things kind of chewy and sometimes with sugar sprinkles.

When we moved here it took me a while to find a new addiction....above, you see my favorite pre-packaged treat and below, the ones I buy at the mercado. I like them both equally, but the packaged ones are more gooey. Yum.

Paul and I have been asked what we miss from up North by several people who are considering moving to Mexico. At first we said "nothing" and then realized that there are a few things that we miss - in varying amounts...


Natural Peanut Butter....you can get small jars of sweetened peanut butter in most grocery stores, and occasionally I'll see a decent sized jar of Skippy, but that's it. I should buy some peanuts and grind them in my Vita-Mix next time I have a craving, I guess.


Stash Tea - I love Stash Tea, especially Red and Green. Paul is partial to their Chai tea. In order to make iced green tea for myself here I need three teabags per glass- and it is still weak! I believe tea isn't a big seller here so it is probably pretty old.


Boca products - especially their Bratwurst. I used to take an onion, some cabbage, red pepper flakes, and one of these - cut on the diagonal - and make an amazing, hearty dinner. I used their smoked ones with red beans and rice or in place of a hot dog on the barbeque. Man I miss these a lot.


Memory Foam Mattress topper - We had these on our beds up North but they were too heavy to bring with us. And our mattress here is way harder than we like. I have tried to find these here and they just aren't around - and the funny thing is they are made in Mexico, just must be made only for export.


Genuine High Quality Parmesan Cheese - There are plenty of pale substitutes. I just want parmesan sometimes, is that so bad of me?


My Dyson - We didn't have any room in the van and I have missed it ever since. I even tried to buy one from Amazon prepared to pay a ton of duty and they won't ship it here. So I plod along vacuuming up dog hair, dust on the windowsills, and everything in between with my *&@#*! shop vac.


Vitamins & Ibuprofen in big bottles....I take a couple of vitamins a day and like to buy aspirin or ibuprofen in a larger bottle...hard to find here and they are pretty expensive. I have had a hard time finding aspirin or B-complex in anything but blister-packs of 20. Sheesh! When our son came down in March he was nice to bring me a stash that should last me quite a while.

So, folks, that's it for me. I miss these things a bit but not that much...but next person coming to Mazatlán could bring me a nice hunk of Parm and some Bocas and I wouldn't complain! (Just kidding, really!)

A picture of some vegies from my garden in 2002!

I'm a vegetarian. México isn't the easiest place for non-meat eaters. Meat makes everything more rich and tasty....but not to me. When we first arrived I ate more than my share of quesadillas and iceberg lettuce salads, but not any more! We usually eat vegetarian at home so when we go out it is also Paul's chance to eat meat. Here's a rundown of the meals I've eaten in restaurants lately:

• Wonderful roasted garlic pizza at Pizza Moreno in Centro. The owners, Linda and David, are amazing people and their food is wonderful. David makes their own sausage and has just branched out into baking specialty breads a few days a week. They have a salad and personal size pizza that is my favorite, plus that way Paul can have an italian sausage pizza of his own.
  
  
• Thai food at Zab Thai in the golden zone. These people came down from Washington State and have really made a wonderful addition to the Maz restaurant scene. Their Pad Thai with tofu is absolutely perfect, especially if you ask for it Thai spicy. Their normal spiciness isn't hot enough for me. Last time Paul had a curry dish and it was awesome, too.
  
  
• Beautiful vegie stuffed chile rellenos at Topolo in Centro. This restaurant is kind of a special date night place for us, and their wonderful courtyard with dark red walls and palms adds to the special ambiance. Paul always has something excellent there, but I always stick to the rellenos since they are so good. The owners, B.C. and Steve, and the manager Manolo are such nice people and service is excellent, too.
  
  
• Potato Tacos at El Túnel. This is a very old restaurant in Centro right across from the entrance to the Angela Peralta theater. It is inexpensive and very good! Long tables for sharing with others and a real family atmosphere. I love their potato tacos and a Pacifico beer.
  
  
• Vegetarian sandwich at La Cueva de la León across from the malecon at Olas Altas. This is a new restaurant and they have nice sandwiches on baguettes. The vegie sandwich has roasted vegetables, avocado, tomato, and garlic mayo. It's a great place to sit in the sun and watch the world go by, too.
  
  
• The Papas Locas cart on Zaragosa. These folks do a booming business in the evening. Most people get their baked potato mashed with cheese with strips of beef on top, but I have it "sin carne." Then you add all the condiments you could want and chow down at the long table alongside the cart. Not low calorie, but excellent.
  
  
• Both La Mona (a pizzeria) and Shrimp Bucket in Centro have excellent salads. Several different lettuces and nice vegies and dressing.
  
  
• La Guamuchilito is a favorite because of its marlin paté and shrimp. They actually don't have anything vegie on the menu! But several times I have asked for a salad and I have been served a wonderful and artistically arranged salad. No dressing, but a few squeezes of lime and some salsa make it wonderful.
  
  
• Il Mosto at the Plazuela Machado has the most wonderful appetizer in the world. They roast zuchinni and then drizzle balsamic vinegar on it. They also have several excellent pastas.
  
  
• In the golden zone we like Villa Italia for its pastas. I love their pesto sauce and we share a salad and they have a nice Chianti, too. It's just south of the El Cid entrance.
  
  
• Also in the golden zone is Gus Gus. I don't know why we like it so much but the food is good and you sit under large ficus trees and it just feels nice. They always remember us and although I always end up with a quesadilla it is a good one - not greasy and they bring three different dishes of salsas which are all delicious.
  
  
  So that's a rundown of some of the places we've eaten. I'm sure there are some good ones that I'm forgetting but it is possible to be a vegetarian in Mazatlán. There are also a few places we haven't tried yet, such as Natura Besa on Ejército Méxicano, Bolero (a tapas bar) in Centro, and a vegetarian place that is in a neighborhood, but I need to get more complete directions.
  
  All in all, I do ok when we eat out, and now that our house is getting where we want it, we're eating at home more, too!
  

I love food. And I am a vegetarian. I don't eat meat or seafood because I have an active visual side to me that brings up images of the critter in its live state that spoils any chance that I might want to eat it in its (dead) state...

I really sometimes wish I could eat meat, as life would be a lot easier, especially in Mexico.

But I can't change who I am, so there are always a lot of challenges for me that relate to food.

I love vegetables.

I love spring vegetables, peas and asparagus tossed with some parmesan, red pepper flakes, pepper, olive oil, and penne pasta.

I love summer with zuchinni, corn, onions and black beans.

Winter and fall with hearty lentil soup and crusty bread. Roasted root vegetables. Baked potatoes with chile on top.

It's a whole new world with new seasons and foods to go with them here in Mazatlan. I have a lot to learn!

Last night I made a pot of rice and we topped it with an onion-jalapeno-zuchinni-black bean mixture that was really delicious.

But it's when we go out to eat that things can be challenging. I eat a lot of quesadillas - or sometimes I push them around on the plate...too greasy to eat. Sometimes the salad that was requested without bacon comes with it instead. Sometimes the refried beans have so much lard or something in it that I can't eat them.

Yesterday we wanted a little celebratory comida next to the ocean (we picked up our FM3's) and I ordered a green salad. It was a couple of pieces of iceberg lettuce with a few bitter pieces of green pepper and some tomato and cucumber. No dressing, just a couple of squeezes of lime.... Would it have been so hard to put a little cilantro and maybe a shake of chili powder? Or some jicama? Or a red pepper?

So, my question is - where is the love for vegetables in Mexico? What am I missing?

To be fair, I had a wonderful meal a couple of days ago of a potato taco and tostado that they whipped up for me when I explained I was "vegetariana." There is also a place with a wonderful vegie chile relleno, a pizza place with wood fired pizza and usually good salads (except for the mishap with the bacon.) And there is a juice/sandwich place that is really excellent, too. We had excellent pasta at a restaurant up in the golden zone, too. We have heard about a place that makes baked potatoes with many different toppings and we need to try it soon.

There must be several hundred restaurants at least here in Mazatlan, and I don't want to restrict us to only going to ones that seem like they'll have good options for me. Makes me feel like a party-pooper. I don't mind eating salads all the time if they were actually salads that I felt like the chef cared about.

So there's my challenge - trying to be a good sport when I don't get good food. And being open enough to try restaurants that may not seem at first to be a good candidate for a vegie meal. I was very pleasantly surprised the other night....and look forward to many more great vegie meals like that potato taco.