Friday, August 27, 2010

Lechugueros



Last Saturday I went to a Mexican Professional League Basketball game. It was the local team, the Leon Lechugueros vs. Monterrey Fuerza Regia. We lost but it was a close game and I had fun with my friends. The Lechugueros' mascot is a man with a flaming lettuce head. It is really quite comical - he looks like Sonic the Hedgehog. A lettuce-head isn't exactly the most intimidating opponent, but the name comes from the fact that people in Leon used to grow a lot of lettuce ... Now onto talk about a real intimidating opponent: the Wolverines! I was actually able to listen online to the local radio station broadcast Michigan vs. Connecticut. I hope our season opener is a good sign for things to come.

The past week I tried a lot of new foods:
  • chiles en nogoda: this is the national dish of Mexico. It is a big pepper stuffed with chopped apples, nuts, and other fruits, then covered in a delicious cream sauce and topped with pomegranate seeds. It is served at room temperature, and tastes bittersweet but delicious! The reason it is the national dish of Mexico is because the ingredients are the colors of the Mexican Flag (green pepper, white sauce, and red pomegranate).
  • huarache: This is a dish that contains a thick, fried tortilla covered with some kind of meat , sauce, onions, cilantro, and cheese, and sometimes refried beans. It is yet another example of how Mexicans can prepare three staple ingredients (meat, tortillas, and cheese) in multiple ways. haha
  • tuna: no - this is not fish, rather the fruit of the cactus plant! There are green tunas and red tunas. I would describe it like a sweet cucumber with LOTS of crunchy seeds. They are good.

Monday, August 2, 2010

Dog Days of Summer



One cool thing that's happened since I last blogged is that I've started taking Zumba classes with another teacher at a local downtown gym. For those of you who don't know, Zumba is a dance/cardio workout. It's a fun way to burn calories and a lot more entertaining than running around a track. I enjoy it and have been going once a week.

The decorating and furnishing in my apartment is coming slowly...last week I bought a desk for my room, which has helped with my mental and physical organization. We also finally got a fridge after 6 weeks without one! It is green (just to give you an idea of whether it is old or brand new) ;-)

One strange thing that has happened lately is that people have been asking me for directions. You would think that after looking at my skin color, people would get the hint that I'm not from the area, but almost everyday someone asks me for directions to somewhere. Strange.

Lastly but not least, I have tried some new foods:
  • sincronizadas: these are similar to tacos in their appearance, but are made with a flour tortilla and have ham, yellow cheese, avocado, tomato, and onion inside. They are good, but I prefer quesadillas.
  • tacos de cabeza and tacos de pastor: literally translated, these are "head" tacos and "spit" tacos. Head tacos are made from the head of the cow or pig, and spit tacos are made from pork, but are roasted on a spit (hence the name). Both were good, but pastor was the better of the two.
The pictures are me with my friend Corie. Enjoy!