THE PHARMACIST

There is a myth circulating the United States that anyone entering Mexico can obtain prescription drugs at the corner store. Perhaps this was true some years ago but no longer. I know this from experience. To my friends in the United States, I tell you the party is over so be prepared to pay dearly for want you desire.

I arrived in San Miguel with a little congestion. With warm days, cool nights and the inability to heat your cement home the weather can make you a bit crazy and a little sick. Within days of arriving in San Miguel I had either walking pneumonia, bronchitis or both. I couldn’t breathe well and this greatly reduced my enjoyment of wine. Something had to be done.

For three days I tried cough medicine with fancy ingredients like guaifenesina and dextrometorfano prominently on the front label. I kid you not. With tongue twister ingredients like these surely they are not available in the United States without a prescription. I also tried ambroxol with “…y vaso dosificador” and it claimed to help “… expulsion de las flemas”. Being familiar with expulsion during my high school days, I knew this must be tough medicine. Only later did I realize that these medicines are made by, and distributed by, Vick and generally go by the name of “Vicks cough syrup”. Worse yet, that most sought after “dosificador”, is simply that little plastic cup that sits on top of the bottle. Yep, it’s that little plastic cup your wife uses to be sure she only takes the exact amount of cough syrup and the one you put to the side as you take a long pull on the bottle.

Desperation set in as I was still unable to breathe or enjoy a nice glass of wine. Lying in bed and drinking tea was not an option so I emailed my pharmacist back in Michigan. I only have a pharmacist because he is my neighbor. He suggested that I try amoxicillin. He assured me that in Mexico that I could buy it in the fruit and vegetable section of any store. Sounded easy, so I headed out to score amoxicillin.

Having no desire to prolong my agony, I went straight to the corner vegetable store as prescribed by my pharmacist. After what became a heated debate over the qualities of a “dosificador” I was asked to leave the store before I contaminated the produce. My next stop was the local pharmacy. The friendly pharmacist took pity on me but insisted that I needed a “receta”. Being well versed in Spanish I knew this word meant “recipe”. I told him I didn’t have one in mind but perhaps we could work out the ingredients together. I even suggested that we email my pharmacist for the ingredients. As the line behind me grew ever longer the pharmacist’s patience grew ever shorter. Finally, an equally sick Mexican man yelled out that a “receta” also means “prescription” in Spanish. He insisted I needed a doctor’s prescription. Obviously this man’s illness had driven him close to insanity as everyone knows you don’t need a prescription in Mexico. While I wanted to debate with him the unique attributes of a “dosificador”, I thought the better of it and headed out the door in search of a real Mexican pharmacy.

Within minutes I had arrived at Cielo’s pharmacy. Must be the right place because “Cielo” means, “heaven” in Spanish. I entered and asked to speak with Cielo. Moments later a woman in her early eighties and wearing big glasses and a dull colored skirt approached me and introduced herself as Cielo. She seemed friendly enough and was clearly of the “old school” of pharmacy. This must be the right spot. As cheerfully as I could, I asked for a box of amoxicillin. “I am sorry”, she said, “You must have a prescription”. Undeterred, I went on to explain that my pharmacist in Michigan had prescribed the drug so there was no problem. Equally undeterred she went on to explain the location of the nearest doctor, presumably her brother.

Cielo’s pharmacy is very busy. You only have Cielo’s attention for maybe one minute before she is off to help the next customer. Most receive their drugs quickly from a small storage area behind the counter. Other customers are asked to follow Cielo behind the counter and then behind a green curtain. Patients of all shapes and sizes move in and out from behind that curtain. “Okay”, I thought, “maybe I need to offer a little something extra to get behind that green curtain”.

Quietly and with a smile I said, “Cielo, is there anything I might do to secure the amoxicillin”? “Of course”, she said with a wink, “I am in need and you are in need”. Perhaps we can satisfy each other”.

Being desperate, and thankful that my wife was not with me, I took the bait. Smiling again, I said, “How can I be of help”. She motioned me behind the counter and behind the green curtain. At last I was about to score but what would I tell my wife?

She suggested that I make myself comfortable and have a seat in one of the small rooms behind the green curtain. She, on the other hand, was going to “change into something more appropriate”. A short time later she returned in a white gown. She seemed excited. I was nervous. Could I satisfy her and get my amoxicillin under this pressure? Should I perform first or make her perform first? What if she was just teasing about the amoxicillin?

She said, “I am ready and I have what you need”. With a wink she went on, “I will be gentle. I don’t want to hurt you”.

Gulp. “I don’t want anybody to get hurt I just want amoxicillin”.

“Yes, I understand. Now turn away from me and pull down your pants”.

Slowly, I did as instructed. She touched me gently with a small cold wrinkled hand. Then slapped my buttocks with unimaginable strength for an old woman. Antibiotic foreplay I thought as I bit my finger trying not to scream too loud.

A moment later the amoxicillin is coursing through my body. The spent needle now lying neatly on the side table.

With a smile she says, “Now you must perform. That will be the agreed upon 172 pesos. Also, please pull up your pants and please don’t say anything to my brother the doctor”.

In the afterglow of victory I returned to the Jardin to spend time with my wife secure in the knowledge that I will surely feel better tomorrow and will enjoy a glass of wine.

OUR DECEMBER CASA IN SAN MIGUEL DE ALLENDE

This is our beautiful home that we rented for the month of December in San Miguel de Allende.  We love this home.  Thanks so much to our friends, Tom and Linda.

http://s233.photobucket.com/albums/ee21/eplbobsam/Casa%20Knapp/

CHRISTMAS EVE IN SAN MIGUEL DE ALLENDE

We didn't make any plans for Christmas Eve. We decided to be spontaneous. That was a bit risky for Sam while Bob was happy.  Abut 5:30 p.m. after having a glass of wine on the patio, we decided to take a walk into town. We were surprised by the lack of car traffic. The other day, it was bumper to bumper traffic.
Our first stop was too see our good friend, Juan Carlos at Baile Cafe. We also had the pleasure of seeing his wife, Rebeca. Baile Cafe was just about ready to close as the owners, were having a private family Christmas dinner at the restaurant. We enjoyed a glass of wine with Juan Carlos. He and Rebeca were going to have a nice quiet dinner at their home. This is their first Christmas as husband and wife; they were married in May.

We were off to find our next stop. We didn't know what restaurants would be open for walk-ins. We didn't want to go to a restaurant that had a pricey fixed menu. In the back of Bob's mind, he was thinking about eating at Tio Lucas. We ate there a couple of years ago and enjoyed the Chateau Briand for Two. When we walked by, it was closed for the evening. It was still a little early for dinner. We walked to the Jardin and enjoyed all of the holiday decorations.

There was a beautiful nativity set in the middle of the jardin with live animals. There was a donkey and several sheep. The sheep were so still that they didn't look real. It was amazing.

In the background we could hear Christmas Carolers. A group of people, both gringos and Mexicans, were singing. Sam joined in singing quietly as we strolled through the jardin. The jardin was beautifully decorated and the church, La Parroquia, was stunning.

We decided to walk a few blocks to see if a restaurant, Socialitte, was open. Right next door to the restaurant is one of our favorite delis, La Cava. We stopped in to see the owners and wish them a Merry Christmas. By the way, La Cava just moved to this location within the last two weeks. They were closer to our home. They are now located right next door to Socialitte. Their grandsons own and operate the restaurant.

Sure enough the restaurant was open and serving off their menu. Our waiter from last year, Jorge, was still there, and he was our waiter last evening. We had a wonderful dinner. We shared a ceasar salad. Sam had veal marsala and Bob enjoyed a filet. Both were tasty with a nice bottle of Malbec.

After dinner, we strolled back to the jardin. We sat on one of the benches and just enjoyed people watching.  A short time later, we saw some of our friends, John and Lyn and John's brother visiting from Toronto. We chatted and decided to head back home. On our walk back, we saw a beautiful nativity set made out of polished aluminum. It was in front of a small store. The family was standing on the sidewalk greeting the passerbyers. The guy on the left was the designer and craftsman. As a side note, when we were walking to town earlier in the evening, we saw a couple of guys moving the piece of furniture that the nativity set is setting on. We admired it due to the detailed painting on it. The same guy also painted it.

We enjoyed our stroll home, read our books in bed, and had a good night's sleep.

Merry Christmas!!

LAS POSADAS - A CHRISTMAS TRADITION

Posadas are a Christmas tradition in Mexico.  Sam did some research on Posadas and thought you may enjoy reading about the traditions.  The article is posted below.  The other night we experienced  a Posada in our neighborhood.  Here are a few photos of the children and the pinata:

Below is the article.
Mexican Traditions for Christmas  http://www.nacnet.org/assunta/nacimnto.htm

Christmas for Mexicans, in traditional homes and rural areas, is a religious holiday.

It is a celebration of the Nativity. This means the birthday of Our Lord Jesus. In order to prepare for the day of symbolic commemoration, we have the "Posadas". These celebrations are a "Novena" or nine days before the 24 which is the "Noche Buena" or "Holy Night".

These Posadas are an enactment of looking for lodging of St. Joseph and Virgin Mary, called The Pilgrims going to Bethlehem for the Census according to the Scriptures. In Spanish we called them: "Los Peregrinos, San José y la Virgen María". Each family in a neighborhood, will schedule a night for the Posada to be held at their home, starting on the 16th of December and finishing on the 24th on Noche Buena.

Every home will have a Nativity scene. The hosts of the home are the innkeepers, and the neighborhood children and adults are Los Peregrinos, who have to request lodging through singing a simple chant. All carry small lit candles in their hands and four teenagers of about the same height are chosen to carry Los Peregrinos, which are two small statues of St. Joseph leading a donkey, which Virgen Mary is riding sidesaddle. The head of the procession will have a candle inside of a paper lamp shade that looks like an accordion but open at the top and it is called a "Farolito" or little lantern.

The Peregrinos will ask for lodging in three different houses but only the third one will allow them in. That will be the house that is supposed to have the Posada for that evening. Once the innkeepers let them in, the group of guests comes into the home and kneels around the Nativity scene to pray the Rosary. The Rosary is a traditional Catholic prayer, which consists of the following prayers: 50 Hail Mary, 5 Our Father , 5 Glory and the Litany, which is a series of Praises for the Virgin Mary, plus singing traditional songs like Holy Night in Spanish of course!

After all the prayer is done, then it comes the party for the children. There will be a Piñata, (pronounce Pignata, for it has an ñ instead of an n), filled with peanuts in the shell, oranges, tangerines, sugar canes, and seldom wrapped hard candy. Of course, there will be other types of chants the children will sing while the child in turn is trying to break the Piñata with a stick while he/she will be blindfolded.

Although the Piñata was originally from Italy, it has become a Mexican tradition for celebrations where there are children involved. The Piñata was made out of a clay pot and decorated with crepe paper in different colors. Today's piñatas are made out of cardboard and paper mache techniques and decorated with crepe paper. This change was made to prevent the children from cutting their hands when going for the fruit and candy when the Piñata was broken and the clay piece would become a hazard. They have all kinds of designs besides the traditional star.

For the adults there is always "Ponche con Piquete"(sting), which is a hot beverage or "Punch" made out of seasonal fruits and cinnamon sticks, with a shot of alcoholic spririt. A good substitute here in Ohio is hot apple cider with fruits, without the "spirits".

On Noche Buena, December 24, everybody goes to Misa de Noche Buena which is at midnight. After the Mass, everyone goes to their respective homes to have dinner with family and any friend who does not have a family is always welcome to be part of a family celebration, and most important of all to place the Baby Jesus in the manger in the Nativity scene.

The presents are not received on Christmas, for Christmas is a celebration of Life of Our Savior.

The New Year's Eve, there is a Misa de Gallo, (Rooster's Mass) that takes place at midnight also. Some families go to church earlies to give thanks for all the blessings received during the year.

The children's celebration of receiving presents is not until January 6th, "el día de Reyes", the day of the Kings, or the Wise Men Day. It is the Magi who brought the presents to the Baby Jesus, thus, they bring the toys to the boys and girls who have been good. The children place their shoes by the window, so the Magi place the present in the shoe. It the present is bigger than the shoe, it will be placed next to it. Many children, get a new pair of shoes for a present.

El dia de Reyes is celebrated with a "Merienda" consisting of hot chocolate and "The Rosca de Reyes". "La Merienda is the meal that takes. place any time between 5 P.M. and 7 P.M. it is not a heavy meal but the equivalent of "High Tea".

The Rosca de Reyes is a big oval wreath made out of egg bread (like an egg bagel, but huge) with dry fruit decorations and sprinkled sugar on top, but inside, there is a little ceramic doll which represents the Baby Jesus. The person who gets the piece of bread with the Baby, must be the Godparent of the Baby Jesus in the celebration of the Candelaria, on February 2nd..

"El dia de la Candelaria" is the day of the Candle or Light, known as the Day of Purification. That day, the Nativity scene is put away with a party given by the person who got the Baby Jesus in his/her piece of bread during the Rosca de Reyes celebration. He or she will be responsible for making a "Ropon" or christening gown for Baby Jesus. Generally, they have a Dinner with Tamales (Tamales are corn bread filled with meats in a sauce or raisins wrapped in corn husks).

Lately, these traditions have been modified. For example, the Posadas are now nine parties that are celebrated in differentes friends homes before Christmas. Also, with the North American Free Treaty Agreement, known as NAFTA, Christmas is now celebrated the American style, with Santa Claus, the meals and presentes, mostly among the afluent people. Others take trips to sky resorts in the United States or Europe, or travel to turistic places within Mexico.

All the education institutions are on vacation during the holidays, they do not get back to school until after January 6th. Also, the government offices and the other institutions connected with the government close during those two weeks.

LA VIRUNDELA

The other night we ate at a new restaurant in San Miguel de Allende called, La Virundela. La Virundela is an Argentinean restaurant on Codo #4. From the time we walked into the restaurant, we loved the place. There were about 5 or 6 tables with seating for about 20 people. Our host and owner, Ricardo, was very pleasant and explained the menu to us. It is a meat lover’s paradise. Ricardo was very attentive and fun.

You may ask, "What does Virundela mean"?  It means a place where friends come to meet and talk about  family, work, politics, and soccer.  They enjoy their libations with some good food.

Both of us asked why we liked this restaurant. It is small. It is simple. You can talk to other customers at other tables. Everyone is friendly. The food was good but a little pricey for what we ordered. We split two empanadas; one was Empanada de Carne and the other Verduras. Both were very good.

Next we had Queso Provoleta with one link of Chorizo Argentino and one of Moicilla (black sausage) along with Salsa de Chimichurri.  Again, an excellent choice.

We decided to just have appetizers so we could try a few different menu items. We also had a very young bottle of wine. It was OK. It was the cheapest wine on the menu. We could have ordered anything we wanted but chose not to spend the extra money.

Sam was talking to a guy who is from the US but had spent the last 10 years living in Oaxaca. He recently moved to San Miguel de Allende to explore and live in this city. Bob was talking with the chef and owner, Dee Dee. He was taking pictures and asking many questions.

HELPER IN THE KITCHEN

GRILL

DEE DEE, CHEF AND OWNER

Another table next to us was also very friendly as they allowed Sam to take photos of their selection.

RIB EYE

FLANK STEAK

GRILLED VEGGIES

We also heard that the Sweet Breads are tasty.  We both had a wonderful evening and were still talking about it the next day.  In fact, we plan to return and we already know what we will order.

YES, BOB IS HERE

Several people have asked if Bob is really here in San Miguel de Allende.  They only see pictures of Sam on the blog.  Well, the truth is...Bob is the "official photographer".  But, yes he is here and enjoying life!

"STONED IN MEXICO"

CELEBRATION OF THE VIRGEN DE GUADALUPE/MOTHER OF MEXICO

This past Sunday, December 12th, Mexico celebrated the Virgen de Guadalupe, the most revered sacred image in the country.  She is the Mother of Mexico.  In many of the neighborhoods, a home is designated to have a nightly novena from December 3rd to December 11th for the Virgen de Guadalupe.  Normally the mothers and children meet at 6:00 p.m.  They pray and then have punch and snacks.  To the right is a picture of a home in our neighborhood that hosted this celebration.

On Sunday, we went to the main parish in San Miguel de Allende, La Parroquia. 

Outside of the church was a display of the Virgen de Guadalupe. 

The inside of the church was beautifully decorated.

We also visited Templo del Oratorio.  This church was packed.  The only standing room was outside the church.  People were kneeling and praying outside the church doors on the cement.  A true dedication to their faith.

An hour or so later, we were walking back home.  We walked down Ancha trying to find a store that sold vitamins.  Bob hasn't been feeling 100% (this started before we left home); he has had a cough and some congestion.  We didn't find the store, so we decided to walk up Callejon de San Antonio and head for home.  As we turned on the Callejon, we noticed a lot of grass burner excrement.  We mean a lot!  Then we came upon a horse.  Too bad we didn't have our camera immediately available.  A large horse and three guys were jamming a liter bottle of beer down the horses mouth.  The guys had their hands between the horses lips and were trying to pry open the horse's mouth.  We guess the horses don't even drink the water in Mexico.  We hope you can mentally picture this scene.

As we ventured further up the street, we saw over 100 horses.  All of the cowboys and horses from the countryside along with the residents of Colonia San Antonio were at the San Antonio Church for an outdoor mass celebrating the Virgen de Guadalupe.  It was a moving experience to witness this celebration.

We haven't been back down Callejon de San Antonio this week, but we are ass-u-ming that someone has cleaned up the manure.

Last December, we were in Oaxaca for this celebration.  There, they celebrated the Virgen de Guadalupe for several days.  Please see our posting of Friday, December 11, 2009.

GREAT FRIENDS PROVIDE WARMTH

We have wonderful friends, Lourdes and Peteco, that live in Buenos Aires, Argentina.  We met Lourdes and Peteco at Puerto Morelos, Mexico (about 20 minutes south of Cancun) in April 2008.  We became friends immediately.  Lourdes' and Sam's birthdays are one day apart.

In April 2009 and April 2010 Lourdes and Peteco met us again at the same resort, Paradisus.  We have kept in touch with our great friends.  Sam and Lourdes email several times each week.  This past April, Lourdes and Peteco brought Sam a wonderful and thoughtful birthday present.  A beautiful warm red shawl from Buenos Aires.  Lourdes knew how cool the evenings can be in San Miguel de Allende and she wanted Sam to be warm.

Last evening we went to a Christmas Concert and to dinner.  Sam was warm thanks to great friends.

PREPARING FOR CHRISTMAS

This year will be our first year that we have spent Christmas in San Miguel de Allende.  Last year we were in Oaxaca.  We are renting a house from our friends, Tom and Linda, for the month of December.  Linda told Sam that there was a collapsable Christmas tree in storage.  The other day Sam looked but couldn't find it.  She emailed Linda and Linda emailed back and said it looked like a hula hoop.  Sam thought it was a wreath.  Here's a look at our Christmas tree.  All we had to do was put the stand together and pull up the tree.  It was already decorated with lights and ornaments.  How cool is that?

The other day, we walked about 1 1/2 miles (could be further...who knows) to Plaza Civica and purchased three pointsettias and walked home with them.  The cost of the three pointsettias was 85 pesos or $7.08 or $2.36 each.  Only in Mexico!  And there was no tax.  Now we have our house decorated, it was time to make some Christmas cookies.

Sam really is not much of a baker.  She really doesn't bake a lot back in Michigan especially during the holidays because our sister-in-law, Sue, always takes care of the entire family with Christmas cookies.  We do miss them. 

However this year Sam thought she would give it a try.  She made a list of ingredients that she would need to make two different types of cookies.  Yesterday, we walked to the main grocery store, Mega.  Mega is a couple of miles.  Both of us had our backpacks with us.  With everything purchased and our backpacks full, we walked back.  Of course on the way home, Bob had to stop at El Maple bakery, his favorite, for a bolillo (roll) for lunch. 

Sam was up early this morning.  She was all excited to make the cookies.  When Bob got up, he saw Sam working away at the computer trying to figure out the conversion of liquid and solid measurements for US to metric.  Sam had a surprised look on her face when she figured out that she needed more butter and cream cheese.  You see...the package of Philadelphia cream cheese in Mexico is 190 grams and Sam needed 8 ounces.  Eight ounces is equivalent to 225 grams.  Also when you buy a pound of butter at home (4 sticks), it is 1/2 cup per stick.  Here in Mexico what looks like a pound of butter (4 sticks) is only 360 grams or a little over 12 ounces.  Are you confused yet?  So luckily there is a tienda about two blocks away.  Sam got dressed and headed to the tienda for another stick of butter (90 grams) and a small package of Philadelphia cream cheese (95 grams).

Sam was working away in the kitchen measuring all of her ingredients.  She was making two different types of cookies.  She has never made these before in her life and this is the first time ever that she has attempted to bake in Mexico. 

Besides the difference in the measurements, there is a difference in baking times due to the high altitude.  It took almost 50% more time to bake than the recipe states.  We'll save you from the calculus to convert baking tempuatures from farhenheit to celsius.  Sam was really worried.  The two types of cookies were Rugelach Cookies and Mexican Wedding Cookies.  It took Sam all day to make the cookies.  Here are the results:

RUGELACH COOKIES

MEXICAN WEDDING COOKIES

HOW LONG WILL THESE LAST?

The house manager, Javier, came over just as Sam was finishing the Rugelach Cookies.  Javier sampled the cookies and reached for another.  He said she could sell them on the calle (street) to make some money.  Sam told him she would have to charge way too much money!  We guess they were good (well we know they are good because we sampled them too).

After baking all day, Sam offered to go to the local markets to pick up groceries to make dinner tonight.  Bob said she had worked very hard today, and he would take her to dinner.  Now it is time to have a glass of wine, relax by the fire place, listen to Christmas music on our computer and admire our beautiful tree before going to dinner.  Sam is also emploring Bob to give her a foot rub!  Do you think it will happen?