More Liana

The thing that the al pastor meat is cooked on is called a trompo. It's always done over gas, not over charcoal. As Computer Guy said, it came to Mexico with the Lebanese in the early part of the 20th century. It's made of thinly sliced pork, marinated in a kind of adobo and piled slice by slice onto the trompo to make the conical shape. The conical al pastor is roasted as you order it, so that the edges are crispy. It's sliced very very thin directly onto a tortilla or two--the small taco-size tortillas--and a thin slice of the pineapple atop the trompo is whacked off the top in such a way that it flies through the air and lands on your taco. The person who is preparing and cooking the al pastor meat is called a pastorero, which requires a particular skill and is highly competitive. In the second and fourth photos you can easily see how the meat is stacked and where the gas hits it as the pastorero rotates the trompo.

I bought a WENDY brand queen size mattress about 15 years ago in Guadalajara. I buy my sheets in the USA. They always fit perfectly. And my WENDY mattress is still fabulous, best mattress I've ever owned.

Voyeur, from the French, is more common if the Tom is peeping for secret sexual pleasure.

Ummm...I have a lavadero, which I use daily, in my laundry room in my 8th floor apartment in Mexico City. There is NOTHING like a lavadero to get one's clothes super-clean, to wash cleaning rags and mops, and to rinse out things you don't want to drip all over, like the measuring top of a bottle of detergent. I have running water, a washer/dryer, and sewage lines--and need I say it isn't rural here in the middle of the Gran Tenochtitlán.

At the times when I've hired a new household employee, I make a list of the duties that person is supposed to accomplish during the course of a day, talk with the new employee about the items on the list and give him or her a copy. Then I put the list up on the refrigerator so the new employee can refer to it as needed. After a week or two, when the employee no longer needs to refer to the list, I take the list off the refrigerator and keep my copy. Both the employee and I know what work has to be done, nobody has a surprise and nobody has a problem. If the employee forgets something for a week or so, I'll remind him/her. As for the rest of the legalities (vacation, aguinaldo, legal holidays), I follow labor law. My employee and I have a work relationship, friendly with one another but nothing more.

The most common Mexican term for one's female domestic help is muchacha. No, it isn't "politically correct". But it is what's used. Try thinking of it in the same way one calls a waiter joven, regardless of his age.

If you decide to let your housekeeper go and hire Spring Clean, remember that because you are firing her without cause, you are liable under Mexican Labor Law to pay her a finiquito. You'll need to figure out (based on labor law) exactly how much that is.

I'm sorry to hear this, Happy. I hope your other option is wonderful.

An update re this year-old post: as everyone knows, during the last year or so, the cost of everything has skyrocketed. Some of us really feel the pinch, others not so much, some not all. About a month ago I had one of those lightbulb-going-on moments: your housekeeper has to feel the pinch, she needs a raise. I'd been paying her the going rate (400 pesos/day) for a long time. I upped her salary to 500 pesos a day. She's happier, I'm happier.

Beatriz de la Garza, bilingual tour guide extraordinaire. She knows everything there is to know about Guadalajara and is a super-interesting person. 01-33-‭3615 2030 and beatrizdlg@yahoo.com ‬

That's a different City Market, USA-based and not present in Mexico. This is the one Sonia mentioned. it is indeed part of Comercial Mexicana. IMHO they are not much like Whole Foods, but they are several big steps above Soriana and others of its ilk. It opened in late 2017 in Guadalajara's Plaza Patria. Open daily 7:30AM to 10:00PM. https://www.lacomer.com.mx/lacomer/doHome.action?succId=408&succFmt=200&pago=false

If this is any help to you, I need to have a lightweight package (4 scarves, 0.67 lb) sent from the States to Mexico City. FedEx shipping price is $85USD--not for overnight, just standard shipping. USPS Priority is $35USD. That's not duty--or what you called tax. That's just the shipping charge.

Walmart, in the egg section.

Thanks for the memory-jog, pappy! I used to see that sign all the time and loved it. Do you know Paquita La Del Barrio, the iconic Mexican singer? "Rata de dos Patas" is one of her most famous songs. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9obV__MFMaY

Telmex has reported that this outage affects the entire country and into the USA. Even the Telmex telephone lines aren't working. Some people are reporting that Infinitum comes up and lasts a few minutes and then goes back down. I doubt that this is much consolation, but it's not just you folks at Lakeside who are affected.

Joco, thanks for taking the time to look this up. As in many things, this is yet another that differs from place to place. At the Farmacia Similares in Mexico City where I shop, a prescription is required. YMMV.

Joco, one also needs a prescription for any controlled substance--whether it's something very strong for pain relief or whether it's a psychotropic drug taken for a mental health issue. Farmacia Similares does indeed sell controlled substances, including psychotropics.

Amanda mentioned that she has Asperger's Syndrome and doesn't make friends easily. Maybe one or more of you who have responded would like to meet Amanda for coffee. Amanda, I live in Mexico City so can't meet you. Best wishes in making new friends at Lakeside!

If you use Facebook, take a look at their FB page. Lots more much better looking furniture there. https://www.facebook.com/MarqCó-by-Covadonga-Hernandez-301094829937842/

I really like the designs that this Mexico City company produces. I've seen (and sat on and slept on) the furniture; the quality is excellent. http://marqco.com/beta/

Similar situation in Mexico City, arguably the most expensive city in Mexico. The woman who works for me arrives at 7:30AM and leaves at 3:00PM or sometimes later, depending on her own schedule here. I pay her the going rate for domestic workers: 400 pesos a day. No one here--as far as I know--pays domestic workers by the hour. She brings something with her from the street for breakfast (coffee and a pan dulce, usually) and prefers to go home for comida with her family rather than eat a meal here. We have a purely business arrangement: I don't know her family, I don't know her financial circumstances--although I know that she has other domestic work every day--and I don't loan her money, bring her gifts from any of my travels, support her two children's education, or otherwise treat her as other than an employee. She's worked for me for about four years; she's happy, I'm happy. When retired foreigners ask me why I'm not involved with her personal life, I usually ask, "Remember when you worked? Was your employer involved with your personal life? Did he or she support your children's education, or bring you gifts from his or her vacations? Did your employer loan you money?" The answer is generally no--you did your job, you got your paycheck, you had a business relationship with your employer. Friendly in the office or the plant, of course--but that was it. That's certainly how my work life was. YMMV.

Nope, not this one. The current gas shortage is being caused by other thieves siphoning off money.

CHILLIN, I'm curious to know where you buy "local fresh raised, farmyard chickens".

"Bone broth" has been known as (beef, chicken, fish) stock forever. "Bone broth" is only remarkable because it is so easy and such a throwback to making our own meals. I ALWAYS have a gallon or so of beef or chicken stock in the freezer--right now, I even have a gallon of shrimp and fish stock. I most recently made 15-hour beef stock: roasted marrow and other beef bones, small amount of herbs, celery, carrots, a leek or an onion, and bring to a boil. Skim stock to remove foam, turn down the heat to as low as you can get it, and simmer it (with the pot top tilted to allow steam to escape) for hours and hours. Remember to add hot water as the stock evaporates. Be sure not to let the pot simmer dry! The last batch of beef broth simmered for 15 hours; the last batch of chicken broth simmered for 6 hours. It's roasting the bones before simmering them that gives the broth the really deep flavor one wants. Once the simmering is finished, I partially cool the broth, remove all the bones and vegetables, then chill the broth until any fat congeals on top of the liquid. It's easy to remove the solid fat. Then I freeze the clear broth in gallon zip-lock bags, laid flat on a cookie sheet until frozen. Then stack the flat bags in the freezer--they take up very little space that way.

Sweet corn is grown in Querétaro and available in season, fresh on the cob, in many Mexican supermarkets and tianguis. There are several brands, including Mr. Lucky.