We got back from our USA vacation last night, and I’ve realized there’s some sort of sign on our heads saying, “Search our luggage!”
When we went through Mexican customs, I pressed the button and the light turned red, which means the customs agent pulls you over to the side and makes you unzip everything. (This has happened to us four out of five times.) Luckily it was a cursory search. The agents looked under our clothes and then waved us on.
“You could have brought quinoa!” Crayton said.
“Eh,” I said. “I’ll just appreciate it more the next time I eat it.”
We did bring back a ton of goodies, though. Among them: good ol’ Kentucky-made bourbon, which you can’t buy in Mexico.
And dark chocolate M&Ms, which I promptly demolished when we got home. Notice the sexy lady M&M on the cover — I felt a little pang of nostalgia remembering how ferociously dark chocolate is marketed to American women.
Ghiradelli chocolate squares are impossible to find in Mexico City, if you don’t have a car and time to spend hours looking for them. So we bought them at duty free.
And I trucked back some crystallized ginger, for salads/breads/stir fries or chocolate-dipping experiments.
Among my other U.S.A. booty: wax paper and parchment paper, which none of the grocery stores I visit ever seem to have; discount designer jeans from Nordstrom’s Rack; a grill brush; lots of cookbooks and a few crime novels. Also snagged two cookbooks from my grandmother’s old stash, and I can’t wait to go all Betty Draper on them. (Sweet potato ham puffs, anyone?)
When we were coming back, I couldn’t decide whether our visit was too short or just right. The day before we left, I was sitting in my friend’s car in Seattle and staring out the window at the trees, and the light rail, and the nice grocery stores. I commented something along the lines of, “I don’t want to go back!” Although, of course, I did. I just didn’t want to leave the friends we only see once a year. They cheered while Crayton and I sang Sussudio at karaoke. They loved our jamaica flower quesadillas. And they were very patient and curious with all of our Mexico stories. I’m sure I’d get bored hearing them after awhile. (“And then we woke up without water… again.”)
It’s interesting, though. Finally, after seven months of living here, I’m not as conflicted about where my home is anymore. I live in Mexico. I’m a cuidadana here. The U.S. is a great place to visit, but that’s not where my heart is right now.
Today — with my tiny washer/dryer whirring, and clean dishes drying in my dish rack, and the cars occasionally honking outside the window — life seems just as it should be. Especially now that I have those Ghiradelli chocolate squares.
I’ve been thinking about this lately…my home is here.
We are going back to Seattle for a week the first part of September and while I want to see everybody and snag some goodies I think I would just rather stay here in Mazatlan!
Have fun with the ginger….
King Arthur’s Flour/ Baking Company sells these ginger “chips”- small pieces of candied ginger without getting your knife gummed up — that I just love. They’re great in peach and blackberry cobblers, apple or pear pies or crisps, blueberry scones…..molasses cookes, etc. etc.
At Charlie Palmer’s, they use the large pieces as a garnish for their G3 cocktail (ginger beer, lime, mint, gin).
Isn’t it wonderful when a place you’ve just moved turns into home? I always remember when that feeling first hits, usually after returning from an out-of-town trip, somewhere between the airport and the dwelling. This home misses you already though, dear cuidadanas (whatever that means.) =) Jamaica flowers, hoooooo!
MAKERS!! NOM NOM NOM.
Ok I’m practical in tears over the chocolate. I am a finatic and the chocolate here just inst the same. Ahhh another sigh over it.
Ok Im better now. My family recently sent me some stuff like parchment and wax paper. I find it so odd that they don’t have it here. But then again most people use the oven part of their stove as storage. lol
Ok Im gonna go look at the picture of the Ghiradelli chocolate squares one more time.