An Authentic Mayan Cooking Lesson

Maria is the mother-in-law of the guy who gave us the local tour of Leona Vicario on his taxi-cycle. (A taxi-cycle is a motor cycle with its front end replaced by a side-by-side, 2-seater bicycle)

His name was Oscar. Our tour guide that is. He ended the tour with a quick stop at his mother-in-law's house and, it may have been the end of the tour, but it was the beginning of something wonderful.

We took a few photos of Maria and, a week later, we brought her the best one, printed and enlarged so she could display it. She was thrilled.

While we were there, handing out our photo gift, we saw a HUGE jack fruit hanging in Maria's tree. So, we asked about it. Maria said it would be ready in another week and, if we liked, we could come back (again) and eat some of it.

We thanked her and arranged to come back the following Tuesday.

Right before we left, I remembered I had purchased a bag of powdery cafe-colored spice, but I didn't know what to do with it. I figured Maria would know, so I asked.

Of course, she knew what it was. She started to explain how to make a special Mayan dish, but then stopped herself and suggested she would just make it for us and teach us how to do it by demonstration.

Wow! Things move right along, don't they? The end of a tour becomes an invitation to dinner complete with Mayan cooking lesson and fresh jack fruit!

Needless to say, we showed up on Tuesday. We showed up with all the ingredients needed to make the Mayan dish. And we showed up hungry!

The video above is of Tuesday and comes complete with a pet bird, lots of laughing (even the bird was laughing), and hand-made fresh tortillas. I think you will enjoy it greatly!

Dreaming of hugs and tortillas,

laura

Comments

The Secrets of Happiness and How to Happify Your Life with Happy Food

Maria with a guanabana ripe off the tree. Panama Tell me please: What are SECRETS OF HAPPINESS? According to the Happy Planet Index , Costa Rica is the #1 Happiest Place on Earth! I love this quote from the study: People living in Costa Rica have higher well being than the residents of many rich nations including the USA and the UK, and live longer than people in the USA. Panama has repeatedly been the NUMBER ONE SPOT to retire overseas according to International Living. Check out this quote: Internatio nal Living’s Annual Global Retirement Index is hitting the presses. And in the top spot: Panama. I should say: Panama again . Because this tiny powerhouse has topped this index more times than any other country. And this year, International Living is going over the top promoting Mexico as the up and coming best place to retire saying: The U.S.’s southern neighbor consistently makes...

Why I Am Here: The Beauty in the Poor Places

I don't write about myself very often, but this time I just want to share a little bit. I want to tell you why I am here. I have been in Central America for five years now. I came on vacation and never went home. Something happened to me that is hard to explain. I walked streets I wasn't sure were safe. I went places I wasn't sure I would come back from. I got really far out of my comfort zone. And in the most unlikely places, I found life. Now I understand why Jesus ate with the prostitutes and drunkards. Why he went to the lost and the broken. They are actually cool people! You cannot imagine how amazing it was to hear their stories, to feel their pain and share their joy, to meet their families and get to know their names. I wish I could explain to you the beauty I see. I wish I could take the feeling that swells inside me and put it in your heart. I am without words, and so I try to convey in pictures the depth I see in their eyes the joy in the e...

Surprising Discoveries About Why Poor People Are Happy

My time spent living with the poor and the indigenous people of Mexico and Central America has turned up some interesting correlations. You understand that your life is full of stress in the Western world and I am sure you have been exposed to the idea that people who live simpler lives with less things seem to be happier. But do you know WHY? Is it just a mental thing? Is it because they don't know what they are missing? I believe it is much more than that. I lived in an impoverished community in Panama. Many of the home were square wooden boxes that were partially open to the outside. There was no plumbing, no running water or electricity. There were no beds nor any furniture. Families slept on the ground and cooked over an open fire outside. They had no refrigeration (and neither did I for nine months). They collected rain water in buckets which they used for drinking, cooking and bathing. They often went without shoes. They ate very little meat and instead a lot of th...

Poverty Project International Stories

Search This Blog