No Fear of Litigation

There is nothing like spending a little time in Mexico to make one appreciate how the fear of litigation (or the lack thereof) shapes a culture. I went to a fair in Sayulita the other night and nearly every attraction exhibited something that would not fly in the US.

The bumper cars left trails of sparks both from their electricity poles and from the metal undercarriages dragging across the floor. There were shaky, two-story trampolines (I still don’t understand how those worked). A massive, inflated slide for kids was surrounded on either side by shooting booths where they hand out real BB guns.

Far and away the best, most highly-addictive and most egregious attraction was the Throwing-Rocks-At-Bottles-For-Beer booths. For about a dollar, you pick 3 baseball-sized rocks from the table and huck them full speed at a wall 10ft away that has 100s of bottles turned upside down on spikes. A broken beer bottle nets you a beer, two bottles, two beers and if you shatter 3 bottles, you win a 6 pack. Between you and the wall, kids dodge rocks and shattering glass and to replace the broken bottles with whole ones.

Jarabe de Maíz de Alta Fructosa

As many of you know, I cannot resist talking about the evils of high fructose corn syrup. While it is a bit easier to avoid here in Mexico, Alex still spent a good 10 minutes reading labels on ketchup and syrup bottles, because most brands are imported from the U.S.

It seems the official Spanish translation is jarabe de maiz de alta fructosa, but we have been told it could also be listed as fructosa as well. Since we are still trying to weed through and translate most of the ingredients listed on the labels of pre-packaged foods, we've decided to keep it simple and stick with products that are just sweetened with good old azucar. Coca Cola happens to be one of these, and an ice cold coke with a taco every now and then is a nice treat.

Anyway, I just came across another article to fuel my no high fructose fire, which I'm sure we will be hearing more about as the debate continues;

Researchers find traces of mercury in high-fructose corn syrup

Big Drama in Our Little Town

One of the most charming parts of San Pancho is the main street, El Tercer Mundo, which runs from the highway to the beach. It's a combination of cobblestone and interlocking brick lined with shady trees, taco stands, shops, galleries, and houses.

The notices were posted at 4:00 PM on Thursday afternoon and work began early Friday morning; with less than a 24 hour warning the brick street was gone and and rumors of the county's plans for cutting all of the trees began to spread. By noon on Friday the residents and shop owners were protesting.

Mexican Residents Stage Sit-In to Halt Destruction of Local Trees

We have already been recruited to paint Adopt-a-Tree signs; but it's probably too late. Several trees were cut down today and the trucks are still a rollin. The new plan is to lay concrete slabs and line El Tercer Mundo with palms, ready or not Puerta Vallarta here we come. Alex is making plans to open a Senor Frogs or two or three.

The One and Only

San Francisco, California vs. San Francisco, Mexico

There is that expression about rubbing salt in a wound; Mexy-style includes salt and lime.

I know it's cliche and we don't want to discourage any would-be readers, so consider this the one and only time we'll write about the weather in San Pancho and we'll allow the images to speak for themselves.

My favorite is the "Sunny and delightful" weather we'll be having on the 18th.

Mobile-Mart

Here is a short list of things we have found you can buy from the back of a truck!

1. Shrimp the size of your arm
2. Tamales - three varieties with salsa on the side
3. Brooms, but not dustpans
4. Every vegetable you know and many you don't
5. Oysters & Octopus
   
6. Mattresses & Bed Frames
7. 5 Gallon jugs of H2O
8. Propane
9. Ceramics
10. Tires

If you wait long enough it seems as though just about anything you want will eventually drive by your front door. Makes it easy to decide what to have for dinner.