Mexican Food?

Yesterday a friend in our office asked me to go with him today for lunch. As we were trying to decide where to go, he suggested a place for burritos. And then he caught himself saying “You’re probably sick of Mexican food.” I told him actually no because I have not been able to have a lot of Mexican food lately. Most of what you see on the menu of our Mexican food restaurants up here might have started with an idea in Mexico, but it is not Mexican. Well actually the Caesar Salad is but that’s another story. When you sit down at El Torito, Acapulco, or any of the other fine Mexican places and get your plate of fajitas, cheese covered enchiladas, chimichangas, or Spanish rice, it is not Mexican food. It is good. It can be delicious. And to tell you the truth, I like a lot of it. But it is not Mexican food. Mexican food is carne asada. About a pound of it. On your plate with a stack of warm corn tortillas, guacamole, grilled onions, and salsa. Maybe some beans for variety. Beans that have been cooking on the stove all day. Mexican food is pozolé. A rich stew or soup made with hominy and either pork or chicken. I like the red, but the white is also good. Served with flat tostada shells, not chips. Add cabbage, oregano, radishes, and salsa and you’re good to go. Mexican food is chiles en nogada [pictured on the left]. A poblano chile stuffed with spicy shredded pork, maybe some apple, covered in a walnut sauce and topped off with pomegranate seeds. All the colors of the Mexican flag, the national dish, and an unbelievable taste. Mexican food is a taco stand at the end of street. A place where you order your tacos one at a time, stand at a bar with ten of your newest friends and eat until your full, and then you pay. And the tacos are not loaded down with lettuce and tomatoes. The flavor of the meat is what sells them. Mexican food is molé. All seven of them! My new favorite is verde, or green for the Spanish challenged reader. It is a sauce made from chiles, spices, and chocolate. Serve it over chicken with white rice. It is fantastic. Finally, Mexican food is horchata. Or tamarindo. Or jamaica, made from the hibiscus flower. Or any of the other agua frescas you can find in most of Mexico. And so Kevin, yeah, I’d love to have a burrito today. Just understand, it’s not Mexican food.

We're Getting Close

No matter where you live, the elections are getting closer everyday. It is a sad commentary that in our country many people think it is not important to get out and vote. I generally have a view that says if you don't vote, keep your opinions to your self. I believe our country is better when we are part of the process and thereby part of the solution. None of us may like every decision our governmental leaders make, but at least we have a say in who is making those decisions. Folks in places like China, Saudi Arabia, Cuba, and Egypt have no real voice in choosing their leaders. And so today, I would like to call your attention to three sites I check almost daily to keep up and stay informed as we draw near our individual election day. The first is Conservatism with Heart, from Dee Vantuyl. Dee is a conservative Christian mom from Missouri and part of the Republican Central Committee of her state. Which means she is pretty well connected. Since she is also from a battleground state, her take on Missouri politics is not to be missed. You can also catch her on Internet Radio. Next up is Mike Miller. No, not my brother Mike that some of you know, but another Miller, from South Carolina. Mike's web site is called Mike's America. He is conservative, can't stand the liberal side of the equation, but is generally fair, albeit partisan. The best of his site is to be found in the comments. Mike is relentless in defending the GOP viewpoints, but will alway give you a chance to make your point. Unless of course you are just plain nuts, and then you get to become one of a growing number of Moonbats. So far, I have not made that list! Finally, check out Truthdig. This is the online journal of former Los Angeles Times [back when it was a great newspaper] writer Bob Scheer. Scheer is a dyed in the wool liberal and will make some of you want to wring his neck, but I believe it is always best to look at an issue from all sides to understand it better. Scheer can also be heard on KCRW's political show Left, Right & Center. So there you have it. Now it is up to you. Stay informed, and remember to vote. All of these links are also permantly posted on this blog so you can easily find them.

The Mission Top Five

Alright all you USC Haters last week was your week to crow. After Michigan lost in the upset of the century, the only question this year was how long 'til another giant bit the dust. Since SC barely got by Washington, I think we all thought they were going to be the one, but no one thought Standford would do the deed. It is indeed a Topsy Turvy season so far. If you want to think about some of the potential hijinx, check out the full rankings at Shadow Sports. He likes to think in terms of worst nightmares for the NCAA and the BCS. 1. LSU (6-0) – The Tigers knocked off Florida in a hard fought game. It doesn’t get any easier with a road trip to Kentucky this week and Auburn, slayer of top 10 opponents next week. 2. Ohio St. (6-0) – Ohio St.’s defense has looked great so far. The question is how it will hold up against a top level offense after last season’s collapse. Another question is will it matter as there are no top level offenses in the Big Ten. 3. Cal (5-0) – The Bears were one of the biggest beneficiaries of all the upsets the last two weeks, and nearly ascended to the number one ranking. 4. Boston College (6-0) – The Eagles have one more game on the JV slate; then we will really learn how good they are. 5. Arizona St. (6-0) – The Sun Devils didn’t have it last week at Washington St., but found a way to win, something past Sun Devils teams have been unable to do, and something others have been unable to do this year. (as always, take all you want, just give us credit)

A Little Reflection

A good friend passed this on to me recently. As our society becomes more litigious and people become more concerned about what might go wrong, I worry about our ability to live a simple joyful life. So for all of you who were born sometime before 1970, enjoy the memories and think about how much life has changed over the years. We survived being born to mothers who smoked and/or drank while they were pregnant. They took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing, tuna from a can, and didn't get tested for diabetes. Then after that trauma, we were put to sleep on our tummies in baby cribs covered with bright colored lead-based paints. We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, doors or cabinets and when we rode our bikes, we had no helmets. We rode in cars with no special seats, seat belts or air bags. And riding in the back of a pick up was just something cool that we did. We drank water from the garden hose and not from a bottle. We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle and no one died. We ate cupcakes, white bread and real butter, or margarine loaded with trans fats, and drank Kool-Aid made with sugar, but we weren't overweight because, we spent our days outside playing. We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back when the streetlights came on. No one was able to reach us all day and we were O.K. We spent hours playing every type of game you could imagine from tag to hopscotch. We built go-carts out of scraps and old lawn mowers and then rode wherever we wanted only to find out we forgot the brakes. After running into the bushes or the curb a few times, we learned to solve the problem. We did not have Playstations, Nintendo's, X-boxes, or video games. Television consisted of only a few channels and our parents always made the choices. We had no videos, no DVD's, no surround-sound, no cell phones, no personal computers, no Internet, no chat rooms and you listened to music on vinyl. What we did have was friends and we went outside and found them! We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth and there were no lawsuits from these accidents. We ate worms, fruit off of trees, mud pies, and God know what else and lived to tell. We were given BB guns for our 10th birthdays, made up games with sticks and tennis balls and, although we were told it would happen, we did not put out very many eyes. We rode bikes or walked to a friend's house and knocked on the door or rang the bell, or just walked in and talked to them! Little League and Bobbi-Sox had tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who didn't had to learn to deal with disappointment. The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard of. They actually sided with the law! These generations have produced some of the best risk-takers, problem solvers and inventors ever! The past 50 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas. We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned how to deal with it all. If you are one of them, congratulations, somehow you managed to live through it.

The Mission Top Five

What a week for college football upsets. I am currently in Oregon and have noticed that the streets are a little less crowded. I think that is because of the ever present doom and gloom weather and the Oregon Ducks loss to Cal, many people have chosen instead to jump off of the nearest tall building. The Ducks almost made it but could not finish in their big game. So... sorry Gordon, but here is a little Disney love for your beloved team. USC on the other hand, did manage to eek out a win against Washington in a game where the Huskies almost had more penalty yards awarded to them than they gained. If SC continues to struggle, I am sure someone, maybe Cal, will knock them off. So here we go with this weeks Top Five, as always courtesy of Shadow Sports. 1. LSU (5-0) – The Tigers did nothing to harm their status as the number one team last week. This week they could solidify it. 2. USC (4-0) – That was about as ugly as it gets. Play that sloppy in the upcoming road games against Cal, Oregon, and Arizona St., and it’s curtains for the undefeated season. 3. Ohio St. (5-0) – Amazingly, the Buckeyes have jumped 20 spots from 23 to 3 in the last three weeks in these rankings. Part of that is the upsets, but part of that is the opening up of the offense starting at halftime of the Washington. They have the best chance of anyone other than LSU of remaining undefeated. 4. Cal (5-0) – Still having defensive problems, but there aren’t many teams with a better pair of wins than Tennessee and at Oregon if any (South Florida, maybe). 5. Boston College (5-0) – Boston College took the week off last week. The struggle with 1-AA UMass went largely unnoticed with all the upsets though.