Pulque

The trip to Tlaxcala contained elements that were both touristy and debauched, and while the tourism was impressive, I have to say I remember the debauched end of the trip with even more fondness.
On the way back from Tlaxcala, I watched the countyside of cacti, dilapidated houses and ever-present dogs while trying not to feel [...]

Chiles en Nogada

¡Exquisitos Chiles en Nogada! ¡Ricos Chiles en Nogada! ¡Autenticos Chiles en Nogada! !Una temporada: Chiles en Nogada!

Apart from the omnipresent chocolate and chile sauce known as Mole Poblano, the Poblanos seem to be most proud of their Chiles en Nogada, a specialty in Puebla available during for the summer, although with globalization, I [...]

Independence Day in Mexico

When I told my students at the posh university that my plans for my first Independence Day in Mexico were to “hang around in downtown Puebla and see what happens,” they were universally horrified.
“The people in Puebla get very aggressive.”
“It’s better to go to a nightclub.”
“Downtown Cholula (a half hour drive from where I live, [...]

Mexican Pastries

“If you love bread you’ll love Mexico,” said my boss at the Chilean restaurant in Vancouver who had lived in Mexico for seven years
This isn’t exactly the case. I find it extremely difficult to actually find bread in Puebla, and have distressingly found myself eating Bimbo much of the time, but in one thing [...]

Ex-wrestlers and Civil Servants

The old man I’d met on the street turned out to be exactly the type of person you want in your court. He did disappear after about a week, and I didn’t see him for almost a month, but not before he’d arranged me interviews with the Secretary of Tourism, the Secretary of Employment, [...]

Job-hunting the Unconventional Way

About two weeks after arriving in Puebla, it was time to voluntarily end my joyous state of permanent vacation and look for a job. That said, the decision was no sooner made than a million and one more interesting ways to spend the day presented themselves. I lied to myself that I would [...]

Military on the Streets

We drifted down the stairs early one day, grumpy about having to make photocopies at 8:30 in the morning, considering whether or not to go for a pastry on the way back. Puebla mornings are sunny but still chilly, and the streets are deserted. Except for a policeman. And another policeman. [...]

Vocho-land

Task # 1 in Mexico quickly became buying a car. Well, probably on my mental list of priorities this should have come somewhere after getting a bank account, a working visa and other more recognizably essential things. But all these things proved to be so difficult that we tried to forget about them [...]