Adventures in Mexican Cuisine

Yum, had me some nice, fresh huitlacoche (pronounced “QUEET-la-coh-chay) for dinner last night.  That’s Aztec for corn fungus. Well actually, huitlacoche translates as “raven’s excrement”. Nothing like a little bird poop to get the ol’ taste buds dancing.

NOLA’s Running of the Bulls

A Running of the Bulls a little closer to home than San Miguel de Allende and Pamplona.

Fiesta!

This morning I woke up to the sound of petardos. The petardos started so early they woke up the gallos (roosters). How charming, I thought. The locals are having fireworks for the 4th of July, in honor of all the American expats that live here in San Miguel de Allende. (But why do they have to start at 6 am?)

Not exactly.

On the road again…

Woke up this morning* to a steady rain (compliments of Alex) and a serenade of quiquiriquis (that’s Spanish for cockadoodle-doos). I’m in San Miguel de Allende for the next five weeks, studying creative writing. Seemed like a good time to crank the blog back up.

Best links for info on the oil spill and volunteer opportunities

Here are some particularly good links I’ve found:

Volunteering:

• Mobile Bay National Estuary Program – Provide contact information to the MBNEP office by phone at 251- 431-6409 or by email to mbnep@mobilebaynep.com.
• Pascagoula River Audubon Center – “If you are interested in being trained to help wash oiled birds, please email the Center (contact us) with your Full Name and phone number. We are being inundated with phone calls for volunteer request, please use the contact link to submit your information.”
• Oilspillvolunteers.com – An excellent site created by a couple in Ocean Springs, MS. Includes general information on the volunteer effort (not Mississippi-specific) that is constantly updated. Mississippi-specific information includes how to sign up to volunteer and training sessions.
• Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana – Collecting volunteer information for Louisiana

Spill Status

Happy Earth Day!

Hey, wanna join me in my new Earth Day tradition? Let’s commit to giving up something specific for Earth Day. Sort of like Lent, except permanently. Change one habit that’s hurting Mother.

I like to think I’m pretty green.

Lil’s Gigs for April

If you’re a Lil Greenwood fan, get out your calendar. For the uninitiated, Lil is an incredible jazz/blues vocalist and songwriter. She was discovered by Duke Ellington at the Purple Onion (the one in the other LA, not here in Mobile) in the 1940s, and she spent three decades touring with the jazz/blues greats including The Ellington Orchestra, Billie Holiday, Sarah Vaughn and others. We’re lucky she calls Prichard home, and she performs regularly in the Mobile area.

Lil performs with Hosea London, leader of Mobile’s legendary Excelsior Band. Below is their schedule for April. Here’s the amazing part: these are all free events (at least I think so; call to avoid disappointment).

Fishing fun with Moon Doggie Smith (and others, Thursdays through May…)

The things I trip across while fishing (sorry…) for information. Found this while surfing for photography info. Go figure.

McCoy Outdoor Company is holding a spring fishing seminar series and the next seminar it TODAY at 5pm.  All seminars are free and open to the public.

A lot of tails are on the line: The world’s best cook-off, coming at you April 17

I’ve been to a cook-off or two in my day. And, geez oh pete, Mobile has its share of ‘em. Chili, wings, Irish stew. BBQ. They’re all good but I’m amazed how many people I talk to have never heard of what is, in my never-to-be-humble opinion, the best: The Annual Shrimp Cook-off.

Be healthy the au naturel way: April 10

No, this isn’t about nudist colonies (got your attention though, didn’t it?). It’s about healthcare. Waaaaay too complicated a topic for a single blog post. Suffice it to say I’m a big fan of holistic and alternative healthcare. This Saturday, the Gulf Coast Holistic Health Fair will give you an opportunity to learn about holistic heathcare options