The story of food

Here we are back in Vancouver—the Frozen North—as my Mother refers to it. Today it does seem rather frozen. It is not raining, but extremely foggy with that bone chilling humidity and intense cold, only about 35F. We spent the morning at Granville Island and as we wandered through the food market I was struck anew by the beauty of the produce and sheer abundance of kinds of food items here in Vancouver— spices, breads, meats, fruits and vegetables, smoked fishes, candy, cakes, cheeses, Asian foods, herbal specialties, Italian delis, etc., each with a vendor specialized in a particular kind of item. What a contrast to Santa Rosalia.

I was just thinking before we left Baja that we had amazingly become accustomed to living a simpler lifestyle. I never would have thought I could get used to not having an Urban Fare or Whole Foods market nearby with all of its variety. However, lately I am convinced that when you can have really fresh squeezed orange juice every morning and fresh eggs—you can live without a lot of other seemingly important things. I still think that is true.

I have learned to be content with canned spinach and mushrooms since I am just using them as an ingredient in a meal and not the focus of the meal. What really broke my heart several weeks ago was to go to a market I wouldn’t normally shop at, find some fresh mushrooms that were about a week past their usefulness and to realize if I had known they were there earlier I could have bought them and been so happy. I bought them anyway and trimmed off the bad parts, but there wasn’t much left to use. They did add a lot flavor-wise to my pasta dish

I have just purchased the book The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth http://www.amazon.com/150-Healthiest-Foods-Earth-Surprising/dp/1592332285 by Jonny Bowden and I see where all the meager produce we eat in Santa Rosalia is on the list of seriously good-for-you foods. We even get purslane, or verdolagas as it is known in Mexico. I had never heard of it before. It is a food superstar and a weed in my garden in Denver. It grows so fast among my roses I have to pull it out everyday to try and control the growth. Now I will eat it instead of stomping on it or trying to poison it. When we serve it in Casa Boleo, it is presented as a stew with pork. So far it has been a big hit, and this from men that are especially picky eaters. Who could believe it?

Maybe you have it growing in your backyard and just don’t know it yet!

First sick animals, now sick people

Today the maid came to me and asked for some pills for her sister’s headache and oh, by the way, did I have a smaller hypodermic syringe. She asked this while holding an unused larger syringe in its wrapper in her hand. I leaned over to look at it, complete with needle, and almost wanted to faint. This is the second time since August when we first arrived that she has asked me if I had a syringe. I find this really weird especially since I don’t stock syringes and she doubtless has to know everything that is in my drawers by now (I mean, she knew where the tape measure was the second week I was here and that wasn’t because I had shown it to her). Then it occurred to me that early on the carpenter wanted a syringe also. I am now beginning to wonder if most people just buy syringes here like we buy Bandaids in the U.S. Maybe it’s cheaper to give yourself a shot than to go to a clinic or doctor, and people don’t have the money to spend for that kind of thing. I don't know why she needed the syringe or what her ailment is.

So ok, call me a glutton for punishment. It occurred to me after this conversation that perhaps the maid was trying to get me to offer to buy a syringe for her. Later in the kitchen I asked her if she needed money to buy one. Oh no, Senora I used the one I had after all. I need two shots a day she said. You know you will need a new syringe each time you have an injection I said. You shouldn’t reuse the one you used. Oh but I did she said, why not? Well its not sterilized said I, you could get an infection. It is a bad thing to do. These are the same people that think you that if you boil a chicken it can sit out overnight because it’s been boiled. I shudder to think what they don't know. I wonder if I should be teaching them classes in hygiene? I did go on the internet and find a World Health Organization guide to keeping food in Spanish which I posted on the refrigerator door. When the girls came back from break and found it to read I could hear alot of laughter which makes me think that they really didn't get it. It's sort of scary.

They are really big on shots here. For instance, I sent the cook home the other day with a bad cold when she looked like she was on death’s door, and I didn't want her spreading germs around. I figured I would be cooking for the next few days. The following day she was back at work completely well. I never saw anyone change from really sick to well so fast. She told me she had had two shots in the same day, and that they really hurt, but it was worth it because she was well. I hope I don’t get sick down here!! I don’t really like shots. And I don't want to give myself my own shot either.

Veterinarian in Mulegé

One of the difficulties living out in the middle of Baja is finding a good veterinarian when you need one. Thank God for Veterinarian Lorraine Sellers and her pet clinic in Mulegé, BCS! Lorraine lives in the Oasis RV Park and dispenses medications and advice at her clinic to those who bring their furry friends in to see her. On Tuesdays and Wednesdays she performs spays, neuters and other surgeries while her great volunteer staff help to maintain the calendar. Everything is paid for on a donation basis.

We were lucky enough to find Dr. Sellers recently just after her recent return to Mulegé to help us with our Australian shepherd Dash who had been diagnosed in Santa Rosalia by the local vet as having an obstruction in his intestines. That vet’s solution was to give Dash a antibiotic shot which he managed to screw up so badly that Dash was yelping and twisting, the syringe needle came off the hypodermic in Dash’s flesh, was bent when extracted, and the vet’s assistant quickly attached a muzzle to Dash’s head, though to his credit Dash didn’t try to bite the vet or snarl at him while all this was going on. When we got through with the second attempt at the shot, I came back to the house and called Esperando at work with the news. Both of us did a little reading up on the subject and were sufficiently frightened to take the hour’s drive south to seek a second opinion from a rumoured gringa vet living in Mulegé.

The Oasis RV Park isn’t signed, but it is right on the south side of the estuary and there were a sufficient number of gringos around to keep giving us directions. After we found her and she examined him, she opined that Dash just had a bad tummy from eating too many wrong things, something at which he is really good. She patched him up with some pills and he is much better now, except the during his convalescence he somehow twisted his leg painfully so I took him back this morning and now he is taking doggie arthritis pills to boot. She also gave me some medicine to feed Dash to solidify his poop. That comes in a squeeze out hypodermic looking contraption that you can put directly into his mouth or on his food. As I approached him with this large white syringe he started backing up and running away from me. Too many recent sour experiences left a bad impression on him!! It was only by calling out, “Dash, cookie! Dash, cookie!” that he would let me close enough to nab him. Ah, but the first bite of Retrosyn beef-flavored Canine 3R Gel administered through initially clenched teeth was an instant hit—maybe we will have even reversed his new-found nervousness at seeing a syringe!

If you're going to see Dr. Sellers, there’s something of an animal rescue group there and you could end up with a really cute new puppy or kitten! On our last trip we saw a beautiful purebred adult black lab looking for home as well. And if you're just driving through she can give your new pet the rabies shot it will need to get across the border.