February 16

After Aquafit, Bonnie meets me in the shower (really – she comes into the suite – we leave our doors wide open all the time - and I tell her to come on into the bathroom) with her new discovery: a shooter glass full of cream of tequila. We decide it has to be a staple of our diet from this moment onward.
Maddison has new fingernail polish: a Mexican landscape of her own design with greens and pinks and orange. She is an artist!
Food in Mexico: Don’t mind the spelling, but here are some of the dishes you can enjoy in Mexico. Chilaquiles, tortillas, tacos, caysedias (all variations of tortilla breads). Con papas, chiles o arroz (with potatoes, chillies or rice). Carne de res o cerdo o cordero (meat: beef, pork, lamb); pollo (chicken); pescado (fish) o mariscos( seafood). You can roll it up, slice it, dice it, cook it al pibil (in a pit) o de barba a cola (the origin of BBQ). Everything is served with tomatoes, onions, lime, and various sauces. You can have your sauce picante o muy picante (spicy or very spicy). Vegetables are either fresh or grilled, rarely boiled. When you eat steak, you will be asked, “A que termino?” Which, to a crime writer, sounds like, “When do you want it to be killed?” but actually means, how do you want it cooked?
When you are in a restaurant, even if you are finished and all the plates have been collected, you must ask for la quenta, or you won’t get your bill. Once you sit down at the table, it’s yours until you signal very clearly that you want to pay your tab and leave.
Manners are important, so remember to say gracias (thank-you), me gusto/gusta/maravilloso/que rico (I liked this; marvelous or delicious) or hasta luego (see you later)/adios (bye) or a combination of all three.
John, Maire and Vince and I go out for lunch at Bricio’s. It’s not our fault that we drink three beers, because Bricio gives us one for free. We plan to see Avatar because it’s quite cloudy today, but we miss the time, so we go shopping instead. At one point, I can’t see Vince, but I spy Maire and John, so I ask them, “Donde es me esposo?” I must’ve said it loudly (that damn beer) because several heads turn, not just Maire and John’s. The locals smile at me indulgently: isn’t that cute the way she’s trying to speak our language?
When we get back, we swim in the pool, sit by the ocean and watch the surfers. It’s getting dark – we hope it doesn’t rain again! It’s FAT Tuesday so it seems fitting that most of this blog was about food.