San Judas Tadeo

October 28th in La Plaza Romita

volcanos & waterfalls

Today we went to the volcanos Popocatepetl and Iztaccihuatl with our friends Jacinto, Abdi, and Ashley.  Popo, at an elevation of 17,802 feet, is active and spit out a few poofs during our hike.

Tortas Poblanas

This old-school torta joint only sells two options: turkey or pork.  The oven roasted meat is accompanied by avocado and a chipotle chile -nada mas.

33 pesos/torta
Isabel la Catolica / Regina

Tostadas La Güera

Now that we're settled in the Centro Historico, we're discovering a new crop of street food stands and cheap restaurants.  These tostadas around the corner are pure heaven.  I go for the two middle options: salpicon (pulled beef in a pico de gallo with avocado) and tinga de pollo.  It's one of the best tingas I've ever tried -mostly onion and super-moist.

14 pesos/tostada

5 de Febrero / Mesones

twentyruof

Election Fever 2012

As we enter the final weeks of the US election, I want to look back at Mexico's big day a few months ago.  An election cycle offers a condensed shot of a country's politics.  What is talked about?  What is ignored?  Who won?  How did they win?  How is the process covered by the media?  We learned so much about the intricacies of Mexican politics in this thrilling and historic time.

It is also interesting to note the differences from the way we do things back home.  Yes, the corruption here is unparalleled, but there are some advantages -at least structurally- to the Mexican process.  The candidates have a strict 3-month window to campaign, not a day more.  There are limitations to spending.  Also, there's an independent, non-partisan committee to tally the votes (called the IFE).  The president is elected by a popular vote, and after a six-year term, he or she cannot run for reelection.  Despite all this, Mexicans expect scandal in the political process.  Vote-buying, skewed media coverage, fraud...

The video above summarizes the several hours of nervous anticipation awaiting results on the Zócalo.  DF's favored presidential candidate Andrés Manuel Lopez Obrador, or AMLO, set up a stage here in case of a victory.  AMLO and the rest of us in the city suffered a bitter defeat.

-PJ

Libby, Val, and Kenny

Libby and Val Curran came down from New Jersey last week for their first visit to Mexico City.  They brought with them beautiful fall weather and clear skies -thanks!  Here they are relaxing in front of the yellow church in Coyoacán.  Hasta pronto!

SMOOTH

test kitchen

an olive oil and butter poached egg with fresh herbs and japanese-style cucumber pickles

Kenny whipped up this late night snack using whatever he could scavenge in our empty fridge.  The vinegar and fats were perfectly balanced.  It had warm and cool and crunchy and soft.  Sometimes the best inspiration comes from limitations.

straws/cups/bags 2

Pichón at Kurimanzutto

Pichón is taking the art world by storm!  Kurimanzutto, one of the most prestigious galleries in the world, invited Pichón to participate in their current exhibition.  Kenny, Emma, and Niki served up an omelette brunch for gallery goers in this make-shift living space.  The artist Rirkrit Tiravanija made a replica of musician Arto Lindsay's New York apartment with copies of all his music, books, and art.  Tiravanija made a name for himself in the 1990s by cooking pad thai for anyone who came to his gallery.  Now Pichón is bringing his artwork to life in a new way.