Valentine’s Day Menu celebrates famous Mexican Couples

(Click on one image and they all will become large enough to see)
Who are these couples and why did I choose to celebrate them this Valentine’s Day?  This little selection represents a wide variety of love affairs.  According  to legend, the majestic Popocatepetl and Iztaccihuatl the volcanoes visible in their [...]

Festival of the City of Merida, Yucatan

Now that Merida, Yucatan, has become THE place for US ex-pats to settle and a major tourist destination, this yearly festival has evolved into quite an international affair judging from the promotional material and reviews of last year’s performances.  It’s no secret that I prefer to experience local popular culture when traveling  but I’m sure [...]

Monarch butterflies in Michoacan

Want to get away from this freezing cold?  Get on the plane and go to my next-Oaxaca nominee, Michoacan and see the Monarch butterflies.
I’ve sadly never felt the silky, fluttering sensation of being covered in monarch butterflies as they arrive in the State of Michoacan and the State of Mexico to rest in the [...]

Yes! You can eat at Mexican food at Zarela if you’re on a diet!

Thanks to Tex-Mex, all Mexican food has gotten  the reputation of being greasy, heavy and fattening at least among those who haven’ t  traveled in Mexico or haven ‘t dined at restaurants such as Zarela and other fine Mexican dining establishments around the country.
This is especially unfortunate at this time of the year when everyone [...]

Letter to Mom

I like to ask people what is the best gift they’ve ever gotten and what is the best gift they’ve ever given.  The answers are surprisingly varied. One woman said to me: “I got cancer.”  She turned a life frivolity into one of meaning and fulfillment by doing things for others and herself.  Another said [...]

El Saber del Sabor – Slowfood Terra Madre Day

Subject: Terra Madre Day 2009
Please see the information attached about the Slow Food conference this Thursday, December 10 at Los Danzantes in Oaxaca, Mexico
10/12/2009
Terra Madre Day
El 10 de diciembre Slow Food festeja sus 20 años celebrando la comida local en todo el mundo
Las comunidades de todo el mundo se preparan para celebrar la comida local [...]

To Give and to Get

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A Thanksgiving Thought: The Red Room

Every Thanksgiving, I like to personally write a note to each of my friends to thank them for making me part of their lives and being there for me throughout the year….Even before I had 337 “friends” on Facebook, that include the New York Botanical Garden and a brand of tequila, I had started to mourn how this site and others had trivialized the meaning of this once powerful and clearly defined word : “friend”.

Altar for the Dead

Someone at the restaurant asked me last night how people react to the altars for the dead.  Mexicans see death as a natural part of the life cycle and choose to laugh at it rather than cry. That’s easier said than done but one can bridge the gap by celebrating the life of the person [...]

Friends of Oaxacan Folk Art Sale

Friends of Oaxacan Folk Art (FOFA) together with
the Mexican Cultural Institute of New York and the
Mexico Tourism Board
invite you—con gusto! —to a
HOLIDAY FOLK ART SALE
Benefiting the artesanos of Oaxaca, Mexico
Friday, Saturday and Sunday, November 13-15, 2009
in Park Slope, Brooklyn
Opening Night Celebration—Friday 6:30—9:30 pm $25 admission
Be among the first to shop! Enjoy Mexican refreshments.
Entry fee [...]

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