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
I never tire of your writing style. Each sentence is like a bite of a gourmet meal. I hope you write a book someday.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, you used the one word in your post you should always avoid..."never". Don't think you will never mix with the tourists or meet any good ones. Sure, we bloggers love to make fun of the tourists because most of them are truly idiots when taken away from their homes. But I have met some really fascinating people just by happen stance as they vacationed here. People that enrich your life for a few days and then vanish. And don't forget, another whole group of people will open up to you once you move here. They are the people who read your blog and want to stop by to meet you in person. I have met some incredible people that way also. And I still have more to meet!
A good friend isn't always somebody you have known forever. But, then, you know that.
Wayne -- Thank you and good point. Absolutes are always a danger. Just like that sentence. Some of the most interesting people I have met were in circumstances where I thought I would not meet anyone. Mexico will be no different. I was just thinking of the number of bloggers who started as tourists who I now count among my friends.
ReplyDeleteMexico is paradise for foodies. Everything is fresher, less processed and tastier--at least to me. And comida, that hours-long midday meal where large groups of family and friends gather to enjoy chicken molé and comraderie, is an event I never get tired of.
ReplyDeleteI look forward to every hedonistic second.
ReplyDeleteThere is a WONDERFUL restaurant in Melaque called Maya, I think and the chef is from California, I think, but that will be a good starting point.......and there used to be a French couple who had a creperie there and the best pate I have ever eaten anywhere in the world. I couldn't find them last time I was in Melaque (2 years ago) but I'll never forget how fun it was to sit and visit with them.
ReplyDeleteAt Maya I had a fish dish with a mango curry sauce that I will never forget! Delicioso......and you'll also have Manzanillo to explore.....and Costa Careyes which has so many Europeans staying there! Oh, and there is another place up the coast that right now I can't think of the name of, but I'll get out my book and let you know - it's 30 minutes north of Melaque - great food. Can you tell I'm a "foodie" too?
Babs -- Maya is great. I ate there three times in July. If I made it a daily habit, I would weigh 400 pounds and be broke within a year.
ReplyDeleteI like eating out now and then. What I like best is cooking my own meal from fresh ingredients. I will now have time to do that. I spent about 2 hours cooking a meal for myself earlier this week -- and luxuriated in time well spent.
Ah Steve, me too! It has rained off and on all day - which ALWAYS makes me want to cook. What is that all about? But anyway, I avoided the urge except to "do" veggies today - YUM. Was tempted to bake banana bread - but resisted. I DO love a slice in the morning with my coffee......
ReplyDeleteThe resort is Tamarindo and it is "muy bonito" -
One of the houses I looked at in La Manzanilla abutted Tamarindo. It is very nice, but I have no interest in it.
ReplyDelete