Fremantlebiz - Paul's Letter from Australia

Mexican mania

It's been raining during the night, but not much wind to go with it. Looking out my window to the east, the sky is almost clear - just a small patch of cloud in the distance. The sun has yet to make an appearance. The official forecast for today is "a few showers."

My mention of the American wedding of the year a couple of days ago got me thinking about Mexican cuisine. I don't know any Mexicans. I've never head of any forming an ethnic group in Western Australia. I have a vague idea I've seen advertising for Mexican restaurant, but never anywhere that sells Mexican ingredients. We're a long way from Tijuana in the physical sense. However, not in the online sense. I just Googled Tijuana and discovered there were 19 million results. So many.

In the past I've looked for Mexican pottery on Australian eBay. The results were as bad as for Moroccan pottery - zilch. We're a long way from Marrakech too.

I do have chilies growing in my vegetable patch. There's probably enough super hot-chili fruit to supply a couple of Mexican restaurants for months.

Plus about a month ago I acquired the seeds for three more varieties and planted them in pots. Two of the varieties have germinated. One of them will produce red chilies about a foot long. The other is the jalapeno variety, the commonest one in Mexico. (Click the pics for larger versions.)

How do I know it's the commonest one in Mexico? Last night on SBS TV there was a Food Safari programme with an episode about Mexican cooking in Australia. That was pretty good timing.

It seems most of the Mexicans hang out in Sydney, so there is quite a bit of support for their culinary needs. They even have a specialised bakery which fires up its line twice a week. It's good to be a Mexican baker. But Sydney is a long distance away too. Any 'authentic' Mexican style bread here its probably going to have to be do-it-myself.

I'm well equipped. I've had a bread press thingo I bought at a flea market for 50 cents a few months back. Someone had lugged the thing here from California in their excess baggage. By coincidence I'd cleaned it up yesterday without knowing about last night's show. Spooky!

Luckily I recorded last night's program. I need to watch it again. There's also an online page for the episode.

Maeve O'Mara, the nibblesome hostess of the series is a bit verbally challenged at times as she tastes the world's cuisine on behalf of us couch potatoes. Her favourite descriptors are "Yum" and "Yummy." Someone should buy her a culinary thesaurus.

© MMVIII Paul R. Weaver.

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Check out each month's subject index on the Calendar Page for my "common-man" monologues about survival in 21st century Australia – plus a little history occasionally. An original essay is added most days as part of an undertaking to write at least couple of million words. Zzzzzzzz!