No picture with this entry as it was pitch black when this particular event took place. I was snug in bed with Helen who had trouble sleeping last night. Out in the darkness of 4:30am a lone cat began to cry, that horrible cry that cats do that sounds like a child being dipped in oil. A minute later a friend hears his cry and seconds it. Two cats being boiled in oil. They are joined by a third and a fourth, the noise is tremendous. And then not to be upstaged by some puny cats, the leader of the more active and populous dog chorus sends up a cry! It's meaning is clear "every dog who can hear this call respond now!". (If I could figure out how to do all caps on the iPad, that would be in all caps.) First one, then another, then what sounds like every dog in the city of Oaxaca start barking and howling. The noise reaches a crescendo and abruptly stops....
Silence for 20-30 seconds...
And then the lone cat being skinned alive starts again. And the whole thing is repeated almost exactly, 3 or 4 more times. Including the silence part.
Round five or six, depending on your count, is just starting. The first cat having it's nails pulled out one by one begins it's song. When suddenly, something? Someone? Has had enough and the instigator of this ultra early morning symphony is dramatically and very audibly strangled mid yowl. Silence...
Harrison came running up the stair and said "did you hear that?" I did. It was amazing.
Tina, I don't think you'd want to live in Oaxaca.
--Natalie
Monday, January 10, 2011
Sunday, January 9, 2011
I scream, you scream, we all scream for... Little Devil!
So far we have been conservative with our food choices. If it were just me and Natalie, we would have tried more local dishes already, but to make the transition to Mexico easier on the kids we have sought out familiar foods. We have eaten more pizza than mole, and we have not eaten a single grasshopper.
That does not mean we have avoided all local foods. Natalie wrote about our meal at the market the other day. Before that, we had another good meal at a restaurant called Los Soles. Green chicken enchiladas, grilled meat cut so thin it was almost transparent, and chicken that came in a tin foil pouch with cheese, peppers, and herbs. Delicious. The owner told us about her second restaurant in Huayapan, a town a few miles away. They have a small swimming pool and a paintball area. You guessed it. We're going there today.
I tried a different local treat yesterday. We were in the town of Teotitlan del Valle, which is known for its rug making (more on that in another post). Our host and new friend, Celestino, took us for ice cream after lunch.
In addition to the chocolate syrup, there were some condiments we do not ordinarily associate with ice cream.
Chili powder and two kinds of chili sauce, which the woman proceeded to mix into Celestino's tamarind ice cream.
It is a called a "Diablito," or Little Devil. Celestino says people like the combination because they like to mix "pleasure with pain." He says they do the same thing with beer. It sounded so awful - ice cream with hot chili toppings - I had to try it.
Skepticism aside, it was quite good. Not your typical ice cream sundae dessert, more like a tangy hors d'oevre. When I finished, there was still some chili sauce at the bottom of the cup. Guess who killed it?
Celstino and I were impressed.
Overall, we are eating very well. I doubt the ice cream qualifies for the "nutrición" side of the sign we could see from where we sat, but in general it is very easy to eat healthy with all of the fresh foods and homemade foods that are available almost everywhere we go.
That does not mean we have avoided all local foods. Natalie wrote about our meal at the market the other day. Before that, we had another good meal at a restaurant called Los Soles. Green chicken enchiladas, grilled meat cut so thin it was almost transparent, and chicken that came in a tin foil pouch with cheese, peppers, and herbs. Delicious. The owner told us about her second restaurant in Huayapan, a town a few miles away. They have a small swimming pool and a paintball area. You guessed it. We're going there today.
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| Max's local restaurant choice (notice the paintballer at the bottom) |
In addition to the chocolate syrup, there were some condiments we do not ordinarily associate with ice cream.
Chili powder and two kinds of chili sauce, which the woman proceeded to mix into Celestino's tamarind ice cream.
It is a called a "Diablito," or Little Devil. Celestino says people like the combination because they like to mix "pleasure with pain." He says they do the same thing with beer. It sounded so awful - ice cream with hot chili toppings - I had to try it.
Skepticism aside, it was quite good. Not your typical ice cream sundae dessert, more like a tangy hors d'oevre. When I finished, there was still some chili sauce at the bottom of the cup. Guess who killed it?
Celstino and I were impressed.
Overall, we are eating very well. I doubt the ice cream qualifies for the "nutrición" side of the sign we could see from where we sat, but in general it is very easy to eat healthy with all of the fresh foods and homemade foods that are available almost everywhere we go.
PS: Some people have had trouble leaving comments on this blog. Natalie thinks she fixed that, so if you tried before you might try again. Or just e-mail us if you would prefer to keep it between us. friedpollakman@gmail.com
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Things Go Better With Coke
The back way into our house is actually a little more inviting than the "official" front with the wrecked car. It is also the short cut to the soccer field/park. The park consists of two broken slides, a set of functioning swings (along with two sets missing the swing seats), monkey bars, a couple of teeter-totters that would never be allowed in the Bay Area and loads of garbage and dog poop. Helen loves it!
Our excursion for the day took us to the fresh fruit and vegetable market. There are also numerous carnecerias and places that sell whole chickens, recently plucked. You can also pick up the delicious local cheese, quesillo, yummmm....
All the shopping left us a little hungry so there was a stop at the "food court". How to choose where to eat? The one with the people and the TV? They all have people and a TV. Ok, how about the place with the most colorful table cloths? Ok. Not sure exactly what we ordered, but what we got was very thin meat with onions, grilled. Rice and beans on the side. It was delicious, hopefully we haven't pushed our turista luck.
Helen whispered to me, "Mom, this is the first Coke I've ever had of my very own." Mexico is special.
-- Natalie
Friday, January 7, 2011
Like Son, Like Father
Yesterday, Max and I went to the park that is a couple of blocks away to kick a soccer ball around. Calling it a "park" might be a little generous, although it has a couple of old slides, swings, and monkey bars. (All it really lacks is a "Curb your dog" sign.) And of course there is a place to play soccer. It is a fenced-in, concrete field with goals that double as basketball hoops.
I secretly hoped there would be kids playing soccer so Max could join them and I could watch. Instead a group of men was arriving just as we arrived. There were no other kids. Uh oh. They gestured for me to join the game. I asked if Max could play too, and they said sure. Two hours of midday soccer followed. 6 on 6, 4 on 4, whatever. I'm pretty sure they took it easy on me and Max. They definitely enjoyed it whenever he would make a move or steal the ball from someone. They called Max "Pele" whenever he scored. He probably wishes he had worn his hair gel, so they might have called him Ronaldo, or more likely, Ronaldito.
Once I got over my own fear of passing out from all the running and the heat, I had a blast too. Max says I made a lot of mistakes, but I added a few G's to the scoring column for our various teams. I would have been even better if I had ascertained earlier that were no "offsides" in this game. Here's a picture. Max is wearing the black long-sleeved shirt (yes, he's a little crazy). I'm wearing the white short-sleeved shirt.
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| Park near our house |
I secretly hoped there would be kids playing soccer so Max could join them and I could watch. Instead a group of men was arriving just as we arrived. There were no other kids. Uh oh. They gestured for me to join the game. I asked if Max could play too, and they said sure. Two hours of midday soccer followed. 6 on 6, 4 on 4, whatever. I'm pretty sure they took it easy on me and Max. They definitely enjoyed it whenever he would make a move or steal the ball from someone. They called Max "Pele" whenever he scored. He probably wishes he had worn his hair gel, so they might have called him Ronaldo, or more likely, Ronaldito.
 |
| Ronaldo |
 |
| Ronaldito |
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Saving water
Water is scarce for half the year in Oaxaca. The city is what Los Angeles would be like if they hadn't raided the Owens Valley water. Our house has a well, but still we try to conserve. This morning I asked Helen if she wanted to take a shower. It was a rhetorical question, since she was going to take one no matter what. Nevertheless, she answered "no." Then she thought about it and added, "It's because we need to save water." Smart kid.
Another Helen story. Yesterday at the supermarket there was a yoghurt display where a couple of company reps were making balloon animals. Helen and Max were with me. Natalie was in a different part of the store. I asked if we could have a balloon for Helen. One of the reps told me in spanish that they were giving away balloons to people who buy the yoghurt. Then she told me the yoghurt is full of vitamins and it helps kids grow. Also in spanish. I bought some yoghurt and got balloons for Max and Helen.
Then this morning I asked Helen if she wanted some yoghurt. "You mean the kind that helps me grow?" I asked how she knew that about the yoghurt. She said it is what the woman said before giving us the balloons. So even though Helen is not saying much yet, clearly she understands more spanish than she lets on. It's very cool to see both of the kids picking up the language. -Harrison
Another Helen story. Yesterday at the supermarket there was a yoghurt display where a couple of company reps were making balloon animals. Helen and Max were with me. Natalie was in a different part of the store. I asked if we could have a balloon for Helen. One of the reps told me in spanish that they were giving away balloons to people who buy the yoghurt. Then she told me the yoghurt is full of vitamins and it helps kids grow. Also in spanish. I bought some yoghurt and got balloons for Max and Helen.
Then this morning I asked Helen if she wanted some yoghurt. "You mean the kind that helps me grow?" I asked how she knew that about the yoghurt. She said it is what the woman said before giving us the balloons. So even though Helen is not saying much yet, clearly she understands more spanish than she lets on. It's very cool to see both of the kids picking up the language. -Harrison
Harrison, Helen and Natalie walking down street (photo by Max)
Our house, is a very very very fine house
While there might indeed be two cats in the yard (we've spotted one so far, when arriving home from the movies last night), if Graham Nash were writing the song about our house the next line would be, "With an old car in the yard...."
We think the car is a good security system. When you see it from the street, you cannot believe there is a nice house behind it. That's what Natalie and I thought when we saw it in June when responding to a local craigslist posting. We took this picture in June. The only difference is that now written in the dusty windshield is "Max is Awesome."
But the house is quite charming. We occupy a three-room, 2 bathroom addition on the back of the house. We also have a small studio/bungalow in the yard that we use as a family room. The owners and their 6-year old son live in the main part of the house. It's not so separate. One of their rooms has a glass wall that happens to be one of our kitchen walls. They keep the curtain drawn most of the time, but we are sensitive to the noise we make. We have no rugs yet. Even our normal conversations seem booming. Still, no complaints, yet. This weekend we will visit Mario's family (remember, we saw Mario on the plane), who make rugs, and maybe buy some rugs there -- although it sounds like their rugs belong on the walls, not on the floor.
Here's a picture of our house. The yellow part is the owners' living room, the glass and white part is where we live.
On today's agenda: commission some wooden bookshelves from a carpenter's shop we passed yesterday; get Max's soccer ball pumped up; drop off kids for a play date while Natalie and I have coffee with their friend's mother; buy hot dogs for a campfire with the friends Helen made (we haven't tapped into the local culinary riches quite yet); and go to the campfire. All in a day's work. -Harrison
Street front view of our house 
We think the car is a good security system. When you see it from the street, you cannot believe there is a nice house behind it. That's what Natalie and I thought when we saw it in June when responding to a local craigslist posting. We took this picture in June. The only difference is that now written in the dusty windshield is "Max is Awesome."
But the house is quite charming. We occupy a three-room, 2 bathroom addition on the back of the house. We also have a small studio/bungalow in the yard that we use as a family room. The owners and their 6-year old son live in the main part of the house. It's not so separate. One of their rooms has a glass wall that happens to be one of our kitchen walls. They keep the curtain drawn most of the time, but we are sensitive to the noise we make. We have no rugs yet. Even our normal conversations seem booming. Still, no complaints, yet. This weekend we will visit Mario's family (remember, we saw Mario on the plane), who make rugs, and maybe buy some rugs there -- although it sounds like their rugs belong on the walls, not on the floor.
Here's a picture of our house. The yellow part is the owners' living room, the glass and white part is where we live.
On today's agenda: commission some wooden bookshelves from a carpenter's shop we passed yesterday; get Max's soccer ball pumped up; drop off kids for a play date while Natalie and I have coffee with their friend's mother; buy hot dogs for a campfire with the friends Helen made (we haven't tapped into the local culinary riches quite yet); and go to the campfire. All in a day's work. -Harrison
Monday, January 3, 2011
Birthday Party
Two days ago, Helen and Max made friends at the hotel swimming pool with Eloisa and her brother, Fermin.
Their mother, Lourdes, then invited us to Eloisa's 7th birthday at her grandmother's house. The grandmother lives about 1/2 mile from the house we rented. So today we packed all of our bags and took two taxis to our new home. We moved in, then walked over to the birthday party. We saw signs along the way for La Fiesta de Eloisa, so we thought it would be a big party. Turns out it was just Eloisa's extended family and us. They had put up the signs for us! Helen was Eloisa's guest of honor, and got to share the birthday chair with her.
Max had a good time watching Toy Story dubbed in Spanish with Fermin, playing soccer in the courtyard with some of the cousins, and, of course, smacking the Christmas Tree pinata.
Now we're relaxing in our new digs, being serenaded by a chorus of howling dogs. Just stomped on the first cockroach and shoed the first spider out the window. But excited to be here, and looking forward to what lay ahead. Harrison
Their mother, Lourdes, then invited us to Eloisa's 7th birthday at her grandmother's house. The grandmother lives about 1/2 mile from the house we rented. So today we packed all of our bags and took two taxis to our new home. We moved in, then walked over to the birthday party. We saw signs along the way for La Fiesta de Eloisa, so we thought it would be a big party. Turns out it was just Eloisa's extended family and us. They had put up the signs for us! Helen was Eloisa's guest of honor, and got to share the birthday chair with her.
Max had a good time watching Toy Story dubbed in Spanish with Fermin, playing soccer in the courtyard with some of the cousins, and, of course, smacking the Christmas Tree pinata.
Now we're relaxing in our new digs, being serenaded by a chorus of howling dogs. Just stomped on the first cockroach and shoed the first spider out the window. But excited to be here, and looking forward to what lay ahead. Harrison
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