Factor #5 -- new acquaintances; some with a love of food
Friends and food. Two of my favorite things.
One of our fellow bloggers recently noted that she is a fun person, but she is shy and finds it difficult to quickly make new friends. I do not have that problem. I am the annoying guy who sits next to you on the airplane who wants to be your best friend in the whole world -- even though the flight is about a half hour. Is anyone surprised that a golden retriever lives at my house?
I make new acquaintances very quickly. And a good portion of those relationships have lasted for years. I regularly email people who I met 30 years ago and have not seen since.
But I need to have a mine to dig out the ore. There are places where it is very difficult to get to know people.
And I cannot forget the second part of the factor -- love for food. I have few vices. My love for food comes close to making the list, though. And not any food. Good food. Fresh food. Food prepared by my hands or the hands of my friends.
Several years ago, I was a member of a gourmet club. (We used the adjective ironically. None of us were the type of people you would associate with elitist attitudes toward food. You know the type of Gang Member -- those who eat to impress.) Ours was a group who simply liked to try new food adventures. Doing it together was far more fun than doing it alone. The group eventually drifted apart because we all moved to different parts of the country. But I would like to try that idea again in Mexico. After all, new foods will be everywhere.
Is this factor still important to me?
Very
Grade for Melaque:
A-
As I have written earlier, I was amazed at how easy it was to meet new people while I was in Melaque. Some of them were low-hanging fruit: the church members, the people I met last year, the American and Canadian next-door neighbors. I never will make many connections with the tourists in town. But the resident Mexicans will be a great source for new acquaintances. When I told them where I was going to live, they immediately recognized the house and the acquaintanceship door opened wide.
If you take a look at my favorite blogs in the right-hand column, you will find several blogs dedicated to creative cooking in Mexico. They are an inspiration to me. Food is a major part of my life.
On this factor, Melaque will be a great place to start my Mexican adventure.
Next: the challenge of Spanish
Friends and food. Two of my favorite things.
One of our fellow bloggers recently noted that she is a fun person, but she is shy and finds it difficult to quickly make new friends. I do not have that problem. I am the annoying guy who sits next to you on the airplane who wants to be your best friend in the whole world -- even though the flight is about a half hour. Is anyone surprised that a golden retriever lives at my house?
I make new acquaintances very quickly. And a good portion of those relationships have lasted for years. I regularly email people who I met 30 years ago and have not seen since.
But I need to have a mine to dig out the ore. There are places where it is very difficult to get to know people.
And I cannot forget the second part of the factor -- love for food. I have few vices. My love for food comes close to making the list, though. And not any food. Good food. Fresh food. Food prepared by my hands or the hands of my friends.
Several years ago, I was a member of a gourmet club. (We used the adjective ironically. None of us were the type of people you would associate with elitist attitudes toward food. You know the type of Gang Member -- those who eat to impress.) Ours was a group who simply liked to try new food adventures. Doing it together was far more fun than doing it alone. The group eventually drifted apart because we all moved to different parts of the country. But I would like to try that idea again in Mexico. After all, new foods will be everywhere.
Is this factor still important to me?
Very
Grade for Melaque:
A-
As I have written earlier, I was amazed at how easy it was to meet new people while I was in Melaque. Some of them were low-hanging fruit: the church members, the people I met last year, the American and Canadian next-door neighbors. I never will make many connections with the tourists in town. But the resident Mexicans will be a great source for new acquaintances. When I told them where I was going to live, they immediately recognized the house and the acquaintanceship door opened wide.
If you take a look at my favorite blogs in the right-hand column, you will find several blogs dedicated to creative cooking in Mexico. They are an inspiration to me. Food is a major part of my life.
On this factor, Melaque will be a great place to start my Mexican adventure.
Next: the challenge of Spanish
