29 November 2014

Ex-Expat: Holidays

It's Thanksgiving weekend here in the USA, and the first in several years that we have cooked the traditional turkey dinner.
While it's true that this is a purely American holiday (or perhaps because of that), American expats around the world celebrate it. And that means Turkey and all the trimmings! But turkey is incredibly difficult to find, and mind-bogglingly expensive.  The first time I tried to fix one in Costa Rica, I "heard" that "maybe" the Automercado had some (that's a high-end grocery store that I had been to once, 'cause it's just something you had to see).  Later, when that high-end store was our neighborhood market (gulp), I priced a turkey - hah! A medium turkey (12 - 16 lbs) could be had for... Wait for it... $100. Yep, a gold mine.
We had chicken.
The Automercado was also the only place to find stuffing in a box (that's my speciality) and cranberry products.
We splurged on the trimmings :-)
To contrast, here are some recent ads in New Mexico: buy a ham and get a free turkey, free turkey with $100 grocery purchase, turkey for 89c per pound while supplies last!
Being back in the land of nearly-free turkey felt a bit like winning the lottery!

When we left the states, the Thanksgiving weekend was the typical kickoff of the Christmas Season. Christmas in another country has its own kind of hype, but the differences are interesting enough to let the hype slide (for a while).  In Costa Rica, this is the beginning of summer; it's the end of the year, and people have their bonuses to spend.  Festivals are in full swing - booths are full of hand crafts as well as cheap stocking stuffers (and the food! OMG, the food... Yeah, I just went away for a little bit, on a choriada* dream).
Sale announcements blare from store fronts into the streets via portable speakers or travelling amps-on-a-truck (yes, eardrum breaking, and not ignorable).  Christmas isn't completely focused on one day - gifts are given through Epiphany (January 6), and the frenzy is just not as intense.  I still remember seeing a woman buying a roll of wrapping paper a few days after "The Day" - and it wasn't for next year :-)
Eggnog is available year-round, but tamales are a Christmas treat!  Instead of Christmas Goose, there's Christmas Roast Leg of Pork.
We felt an unbelievable amount of relief to be away from the USA Christmas orgy.  Now, we not only have to re-adjust to the spend-spend-spend mantra, but we have discovered that the "jolly season" is even *longer!*  It has extended itself to *before* Halloween!
Perhaps you can tell, we're not fans.

The summer season in Costa Rica peaks during Easter week.  This was one of the oddest things for me get used to - Easter was never a big deal for us (every year, we bemoaned the fact that there were no work holidays between New Years Day and Memorial day).  But there, it is *the* biggest holiday.  The month of March is full of festivals and weddings, and then the Thursday and Friday before Easter Sunday are national holidays. Many people take the entire week off; the beach (any beach!) is the destination :-)
This is the holiday for cooking! Pastries are filled with chiverre (I am so gonna miss that). Fish soup is also very common (that, I will not miss :-\ ).
As strange as this may seem, I think this will be the hardest holiday difference for me to get used to.

This is from an Oxcart festival...


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* a choriada is a crêpe made from fresh, sweet corn - I liked mine with a type of natural sour cream, and all wrapped up in a corn husk

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This is part of a series On Being an Ex-Expat.  Click here to read the first post.

28 November 2014

On Being an Ex-Expat

Several years ago, we immigrated to Costa Rica. We officially became expatriates, aka expats.

We had spent a few years going back and forth, slowly getting accustomed to the life and culture of our new country.

Then we spent a few more years really living in Costa Rica. A couple of years ago, we found ourselves gravitating back to the states. Finally, we decided to make our new reality official yet again - we gave up our Costa Rican residency, and moved to New Mexico.

It is interesting for us, as ex-expats, to notice how different some things are; things we just lived with (either here or abroad), and how our expectations have changed.

Yep, we made a list; it's probably not exhaustive, but here it is!  I expect to expand on at least a few in future posts, so keep an eye out :-)

  1. Holidays - Turkey at Thanksgiving, Christmas hype, Easter week
  2. Plumbing and Electricity - Hot water, toilet paper, water outages, grounding
  3. Driving and public transportation
  4. Doors (push, pull, or ring the bell?), sidewalks, one-way streets, crossing streets down from the corner
  5. Language - learning new ones, and reevaluating how we use our mother tongue
  6. Music - venues, open mics, symphony
  7. Weather, seasons, changing daylight hours
  8. Children and Family - raising children, living with an extended family, care facilities for elderly or handicapped family
  9. Health Care - different responsibilities, pharmacies, blood tests, family involvement, and what's most important
  10. Politics - election rules, campaigning, trust in the government
  11. Bureaucracy - it's everywhere!
  12. Renting - finding, applying, maintenance, laws
  13. News, and how to find out about things
  14. Grocery shopping - where to go for what, how often, learning from mistakes
  15. Time - sense and anxiety
  16. Cafecito or Happy Hour
  17. Allergies and irritants - Pollen, fragrance-free, cigarette smoke, car fumes
  18. Manners - what really is polite, what is important?



18 November 2014

Long Weekend Odds and Ends

Yes, a long weekend! We made our own, and sprinkled some fun around :-)

We had our long-awaited French dinner out at Café Jean Pierre; I tried a new wine while I was at it - M. Chapoutier, La Ciboise Luberon 2012 - it was perfectly yummy! (As was dinner...)

This weekend featured the Weems Artfest, and we popped in to give our eyes a workout! It turned out my hands also got some action ;-) ... There were textiles (hanging blankets, quilts, "fiber" necklaces, scarves), clay, metal, glass, wood (instruments, boxes, bowls, fantastically beautiful tables), AND! The featured artist, Michael Naranjo, had bronzes that begged to be touched (no, I did NOT resist!)  And besides, his wife said to go for it :-)
I was very tempted by these scarves (but, yes, resisted).
This was the only picture I took (Krysteen Waszak's booth) at the entire artfest - I really like the style! (And I would have been there all month if I had taken pictures of everything I wanted ;-) )

One thing all the photography and paintings told us - we have sooo many more Southwestern places to visit!

Speaking of places to visit... The Flying Star Café is a must! And we did! (I had the key lime pie; you just knew it)



11 November 2014

ABQ Murals and More

Today was a bonanza for Mural Strolling in Downtown Albuquerque!















Plus, these buildings just look like they should count!





ABQ Mosaics!

Practically from Day One, I've been wanting to get pictures of these mosaics at the Albuquerque Convention Center!

Enjoy!

















09 November 2014

Having Some Fun

Sometimes paintings take *weeks!*

And then, sometimes... You just gotta break out and slap some paint around :-)

*This* was a LOT of fun!



Mountain Cornflower

I've been painting again, albeit slowly!

Paper and paint wait, sometimes patiently, sometimes accusingly :-\
I eventually get pulled back to the easel, even if it's only for 15 minutes.

Then, after that one fateful episode, I finally have my Mountain Cornflower*


* acrylic on paper, from Snug Harbor, Staten Island.

05 November 2014

Pork Cherry Roll-Ups

I had a lot of fun Cooking with Carlee in California.  Here is one hit (and it's what's for dinner tonight)!


Pork Cherry Roll-Ups

Pork tenderloin or shoulder, pounded to 1/4 inch thick

Roll up with these fillings (use toothpicks if needed):
- dried cherries
- cheese (strong, soft: eg port salut)

Coat the rolls in this order:
- flour seasoned w/ chili or chipotle powder
- beaten egg
- crumbs (chopped mixed nuts)

Place in casserole pan
Bake @400 ~30 min
- 20 min covered
- 10-15 min uncovered

Serve with:
- Broccoli or asparagus in Alfredo sauce with nutmeg
- Green salad

Goes well with a Spicy Zinfandel

03 November 2014

Rick's Peanut Curry

Today was a good day to stay inside and experiment!
So we did :-)

Rick's Peanut Curry
Saute in oil:
- 1/2 onion, chopped
- 1 TB minced ginger
- 1 stalk celery, chopped
- 1 zucchini, diced
- 2 tsp minced garlic

Add and stir well:
- 1/2 can coconut milk
- 2 large spoons peanut butter
- 1 TB soy sauce
- curry powder to taste
- chipotle to taste
- sesame seeds to taste

Thin with water as needed.

Add cubed chicken, cook till done

Serve over brown rice.

Goes well with oaky, buttery Chardonnay

30 October 2014

Rio Grande Open Space III

It's the end of October, and smack in the middle of Fall in Albuquerque!
I had to take a few minutes to revisit the Rio Grande Open Space nearby, and check out what the season had wrought*...









*the more artistic-sounding younger brother of the menacing "wreaked"