Pork Loin in Mango Salsa

I’ve decided to broaden the scope of the blog a little, and include Mexican recipes that you may not find elsewhere. (There is some risk as I will be doing the translation myself.)

The most common use of pork, in this region, is to cook the whole pig, chop it all up, and serve it in tacos. The dish is called “carnitas”. They’re tasty but if you ask me, a waste of good loin meat.

When we began preparing this pork loin dish (from the state of Michoacán), the butcher asked our maid what she was doing with this particular cut of meat. When she explained, the butcher asked her for the recipe.

One day before:

1 ½ lb pork loin
½ medium onion
1 clove of garlic, peeled
½ cup of white wine
¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
Salt & pepper to taste
2 tablespoons cooking oil

Place the onion, garlic, white wine and Worcestershire sauce in a blender or food processor, and puree.

Poor over the pork loin and refrigerate in a covered container, overnight.

The next day:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a fry pan, brown the loin on all sides in oil and then place in roasting pan (NOT on a rack). Roast for 35 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the salsa (see below). (If loin appears to be drying out, add a little white wine or water to the pan.) Remove the loin from the oven and spoon a light layer of the mango salsa (which you should have ready by now) over the loin, and return to oven for 10 minutes more.

For the salsa:

2 fresh mangos (this doesn’t really work well with frozen mangos)
1 tomato, peeled, seeded and chopped
1 green chili (a serrano chili is what we use but you may want to start with half a chili and be sure to remove the seeds)
Juice of one small lime
1 tablespoon of honey
1/3 of an onion, chopped
Salt & pepper to taste

Place all ingredients, except salt & pepper, in a blender or food processor and puree. Empty liquid into a pot and bring to a boil. Let simmer for five minutes. Season to taste.

Slice pork loin and place on plate. Spoon a small amount of the mango salsa over and enjoy.

(Serves 4)

A Marriage of Challenge

I’m going to perpetrate a local rumor that has been represented as fact.

Maria de Jesus, Christine’s maid, is a woman in her 60’s. Not a particularly attractive woman, and from a poor family, she married late for a Mexican woman, probably in her 30’s.

Maria de Jesus had heard, from her sisters and friends, about the act of sex and was intrigued. On her wedding night she shivered in anticipation. But nothing happened. Not that night or any of the nights to follow.

Maria de Jesus settled into married life without the carnal benefits. After two years of performing the role of wife and housekeeper, she began to wonder. What was missing? Clearly the role of motherhood. And, as she understood, sex was required before one could become a mother.

She finally rallied her nerve and approached her husband with the subject. He begrudgingly explained to her that sex was not an option because he did not have a penis. When he was a small boy, he was bitten on his penis, by a spider. The site became infected and inflamed and subsequently, his penis had to be removed.

Given that he had not disclosed this prior to marriage, Maria de Jesus approached the Catholic Church and promptly had the marriage annulled.

There was a movie made in the U.S., called “The 40-Year-Old Virgin”. The lead character was male. Rumor has it; Maria de Jesus might be able to top his story. Or at least surpass his timeline.

Semana Santa

Semana Santa or Holy Week (ie., Easter) began the onslaught of house guests, visitors and events. The events included dinners, parties, and sightseeing. It didn’t stop at Semana Santa but continued for weeks thereafter.

One set of guests included one of Rodrigo’s gay cousins (there are several) and his partner. Both in their 30’s, they were bilingual and health nuts. (Also extremely well traveled, as I could hardly mention a country where they had not been.) Rod’s cousin went for a 17 kilometer jog while his partner alternated between an ab-roller and free weights on the back patio. They prepared protein shakes and made us enormous breakfasts. They spent most of their time wearing not much more than workout shorts (something our maid seemed to enjoy). We took them to a party and Rod’s cousin pulled out his guitar and sang. Our hosts approached me and said, “You not only brought the hottest guys to the party but the entertainment as well!” They were wonderful house guests who, being from Mexico City seemed to enjoy just soaking up the country life.

Christine’s landlord, Robin from Arlington Texas, decided to visit his house in San Miguel on short notice, and it happened to be the same weekend that Christine had out-of-town guests. So I offered our guestroom since we know him well and like him very much. The same weekend our friend Christian called from Mexico City and asked if he and a friend could stay. I said yes and after Christian left, his friend lingered with apparent interest in Robin. They split the bill for a very expensive comida as a thank you to Rodrigo and me. Christian was mortified when he found out that his friend had spent another night here after he (Christian) had left for Mexico City. “Get over it,” I said, “He made a nice playmate for Robin. And he bought us lunch at La Landetta!”

Karen and Bob came to their beautiful vacation home here, with Bob’s sisters and their spouses, and seemed to be gone before we had the opportunity to spend much time with them. Fortunately, they return frequently.

Shortly thereafter, Robert, Rudy and Rudy’s mother, Rita, came and stayed at Bob and Karen’s house. They seemed to be gone in a flash as well, but not before we were able to have them over for dinner. Since Rodrigo has started his business, he has felt that he is losing touch with his spiritual side. He and Rita spent some time together discussing the subject and Rodrigo came away saying, “I feel like someone sent me an angel.”

Then another gay cousin of Rod’s (Abram, one of the gay twins) came to visit with his new boyfriend. This cousin has been living in Canada, speaks Spanish, English and French perfectly, and is only in his early 20’s. He was part of the first gay marriage in Canada and the first gay divorce. (Both he and his identical twin are gay so if there are any questions about genetic pre-disposition about being gay, this should help to settle them. This is the second set of identical twins where I have found this to be true.)

Rodrigo’s cousin Abram (right) and his new boyfriend Juan Manuel. The only physical difference between Abram and his twin Moises is the scar above his right eyebrow.

Abram now works for an internet trouble shooting hotline in Mexico City and told a story about helping a rather remedial customer.

During the call, Abram asked the client, “How many windows do you have open?” “A lot,” was the client’s response. “Ok,” Abram said, “You need to close them all so we can diagnose the problem.” Then the client seemed to disappear for five minutes. The line was open so Abram couldn’t hang up. He kept saying, “Hello?” with no response but he could hear background noise.
I think you get it by now. The client didn’t understand that Abram was talking about browser windows and ran around his house closing all the real windows.

In general I’m very happy about one thing in particular. In the past it was usually my friends who were coming to visit. I’m glad to have more visits from Rodrigo’s family members and have the opportunity to get to know them better. It is, after all, a huge family and if I am to be part of it, it is nice to know the players. It should make the next family Christmas even easier and more enjoyable than the last. It also stretches my Spanish skills. I need this very much.

There is so much about living in another country and culture that one misses when one is not fluent in the native language. I need to get back to school. Living with a bilingual native is not much help. If I ask him a question in Spanish he answers in English. I guess he programs himself. ("I speak English to this person and Spanish to that.")

What I Don’t Like

I’ve written a great deal about aspects of living in Mexico, that I find wonderful or interesting. However, in the spirit of providing a balanced report, it is only proper that I also describe the things that are not so great. Some of these are specific to living in Mexico. Others relate to the difference between city and country life.

Litter

It baffles me how little respect so many can have for the environment. This is probably my biggest peeve. Garbage service is free (although I’m not sure that it is provided to the people out in the campo) yet vacant lots and roadsides are strewn with debris. Most of it non-biodegradable plastic and glass bottles and snack wrappers. A favorite place to through trash seems to be rivers and creeks. Recycling has yet to arrive and it is so desperately needed.

Service Failure

If you are unable to provide a service, or merely unwilling for whatever reason (maybe the job is too small), tell me. I’ll find someone else. Apparently it is rude to tell someone “no” in this culture. It is more acceptable to say “yes” and then never follow-through or show up. Also, if you can’t make an appointment or are going to be late, CALL. Don’t just show up some other day or time and expect me to be available.

Driving

In town is not bad. Even though one may need to drive up on the sidewalk and fold in a mirror in order to pass another vehicle on a narrow cobblestone street, no one is going very fast so it is not that bad. However, surprise potholes on highways are scary. So is a lane being resurfaced that is several inches lower than the other lane and there are no warning signs. Slow moving trucks can make you slam on your brakes when you round a curve and then worry that someone is going to hit you from behind; because if you’re not a slow moving truck, you’re probably moving well above the speed limit. For a people who are known for being “laid back”, why are they in such a hurry when they get behind the wheel of a car?

Water Issues

A quarter inch line is not sufficient to supply water to four properties. If a hose is turned on in one part of the yard, turning another on will completely eliminate the pressure from both. Sprinklers will not operate. My workers, gardener and maid are competing for water. I just leave the property and think, “Let them work it out together.”

And the water is so full of lime that it stains the sinks, toilets and fountains. I went out and bought these fancy designer sinks with special surfaces that can only be cleaned with mild or neutral cleaners. As a result, our sinks look dirty all the time. To scrub the lime off would be to remove the special patina. (The next time I will only buy regular white porcelain sinks and chrome fixtures that can be scrubbed with the scrubby side of a sponge or soft steel wool.)

Cost for Certain Comforts

Decent clothes, electronics and comfortable furniture are imported, therefore subject to import tax and nearly twice as expensive here. We wait to buy these things when we go to the states or have them made. (Being patient and having things made can save one a bundle.)

Electricity

Or a lack thereof. The electric company here is rumored to be bankrupt. Solar is prohibitively expensive (because the materials are imported). We’re paying nearly $300 USD per month in electric bills for a two person home. (We are not negligent energy users.) And after a big storm (or for no apparent reason) we can be days with a brown-out or a complete blackout. This complaint is not unique to us. There have been protests at the electric company offices. How can a poor Mexican family be expected to pay these prices?

There are other issues but they exist in the states as well. Maybe just a little more so here. Poverty, animal abuse or population control issues, smog (not so much in San Miguel but in the big cities), dry dusty summers and petty crime.

I miss central heat two months of the year. I miss wood construction of homes (they are how I was raised and seem warmer to me).

Preferring not to end on a negative note, I’ll reiterate some of the things that I love:

I love being able to afford a maid and gardener.

I love waking up to blue skies and temperatures above 70 degrees Fahrenheit 300 days of the year.

I love the family culture.

I love good, cheap Mexican food.

I love paying $10 for a haircut and $45 for a massage.

I love living in a big open space and wild flowers during the rainy season.

I love not having a mortgage or paying rent.

I love low property taxes (i.e., $300 USD a year).

I love not working.

I love my friends and “alternative family” that I’ve met here, as well as the diversity that this town offers.