new and different things

One of the real joys of living in another country is discovering new and different things, things that I might not have ever discovered. Prime example: Taco Bell tacos are not real tacos! And,as much as I enjoyed a tray of Taco Bell tacos before, there is no way I am ever going to order/eat at Taco Bell again. I have tasted the real deal and there is no going back. Saturday night, we dropped the kids off back at their father's and, as we swang (swung?) back home, stopped of at La Unica. Eighty pesos purchased three carne asada (that's beef) tacos and two adobada (pork) tacos. These were stuffed with meat, guacamole, and salsa, wrapped in a freshly made soft tortilla. I was also given an empty bag which Maria filled with grilled onions, grilled chili peppers, slices of cucumber,  radishes, and lemon halves)*. Luvverly.

One of the joys of living with Maria is discovering new and different things, things that I might never have discovered. Prime example: books. I never feel guilty about buying books and reading books. There is never a moment when I suddenly say, I want to read and she looks at me with that whole there-is-a-lawn-to-mow/dishes-to-wash/tummy-button-fluff-to-weave look. She understand that there are moments that you just want to dive into a book and stay there. She has also opened my eyes to so many other books - can you tell I'm excited at the moment? I'm reading Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, a book I would never have picked up (she bought it), and I am loving it. Luvverly**.

One of the embarrassments joys of living in another country is explaining new and different things, things that are part of my culture that Maria has never discovered. Prime example: Triffids. I received an email from my mum, telling me that she had just finished Chocky - a John Wyndham novel - and it appeared that Maria had never heard of John Wyndham. More to the point (because I am pretty sure that 85% of the British nation hadn't heard of him either), she had no idea what a Triffid was. This amazed me. Maybe I'm wrong about this, maybe I just existed in circles who knew the term Triffid, but the idea that someone didn't know what a Triffid was, I found unbelievable (hell, even my spell-checker knows what one is!). This had to be rectified. I spent an hour, or so, trying to explain what a Triffid is/was. This didn't work. I downloaded a television series and sat her down in front of it. This was a mistake. Oh, sure she now knows what a Triffid is but I don't think she was really scared. Actually, she was horrified - but not by Triffids. I thnk she was more frightened by the acting/the plot/the haircuts/the blue eye shadow. Maybe I should have got her the book rather than a television series from 1981!

I now live in fear. What if she ever asks me: "What is Blake's Seven?". Now, that is something I will never be able to explain.

 

*this still excites me. The fact that you can fill an empty gallon plastic bag with as much free stuff as you want. I am that easily excited!

** and I just can't start to list the wonderful books she has introduced me to - although you should go read "The Dancer Upstairs", "The Life of Pi", "The Queen of the South", and I've stated to list them! Just go read something!

Comments

[Blue Witch]

Talking of lemon halves, how are those lemon pips you were growing doing?

[Alan]

If she ever asks you about Blake's 7 refer her to Ann

[Three-Legged-Cat]

I remember that DotT TV series, I'm sure it actually looked badly dated when it was first broadcast, so I can't imagine it has aged well. I do love John Wyndham though, I've also recently re-read Chocky, one of my all time favourite books since I was a kid.

I think Blake's 7 is probably best if fondly remembered rather than actually rewatched - it was on one of the satellite channels a year or so ago, I was really looking forward to it. In my memory it was a brilliant sci-fi series, in reality it was so bad we were literally rolling on the floor laughing at it. It did have amazing special effects though (as in amazing how bad they were).

[(S)wine]

here in the States, some of us have known that dirty little secret about Taco Hell for decades. two words: mystery "meat" (in quot. marks for last word).

reading supersedes everything.
except writing.

welcome back to hell....uh...work.

[Vanessa]

1. Adobada? Never heard that word. We have chancho, puerco, and cerdo for pig/pork (no difference between the two states; probably because the pigs eat the trash from toilets that don't accept paper or solids, so nobody wants to eat pork here).
2. My mum sent me a bag for J Strange but not the actual book. Is it good? (note, not a beg, this, just want to know whether to invest in it next time the roads open up and I can get to a bookshop)
3. Ah ha ha ha. Wyndham is great. Tell Maria to read the short stories.
4. Found this the other day .... ! http://www.flickr.com/photos/digitalia/18370490/in/photostream/