Food Matters

(Grandchildren note: Find the secret code)

Rodriguez's

Their daughter, Elena, served in the Visitors' Center in Mexico City with us. They come to the temple twice a week now that they have retired. We were invited to their home for real "Norteño" (northern) food. First you heat up the tortillas and put them in a cloth napkin to keep them warm. Then you eat frijoles charros (cowboy-style pinto bean soup) and the yummy, warm tortillas. The drink is "agua de melon" (sweetened cantaloupe water). The main dish is called "discado" and is made by frying chopped bacon in the bottom of a big round pan with chunks of pork. Then chunks of beef are added, onions, green peppers, and finally chunks of Polish sausage. Cook it together for about an hour and serve. Apparently it is the main stay of church parties and family gatherings. 

Corn tortillas being warmed

Frijoles charros and melon drink

Discado

For dessert they served "capirotada," which is served during Lent or on Good Friday and dates back to the 1640s. It is like a bread pudding, but without eggs. They add raisins and other dried fruits, coconut, peanuts, pecans, almonds, chunks or layers of cheese and sometimes cookie decors. It is saturated with a syrup made from whole cane sugar, cloves and stick cinnamon. and steamed until set. It is made at Easter-time because the ingredients represent the suffering of Christ on Good Friday. The bread is for the Body of Christ, the syrup is his blood, the raisins are the nails of the cross, and the whole cinnamon sticks are the wood of the cross. The melted cheese stands for the Holy Shroud. There are recipes for this dish that were recorded by the Holy Office of the Inquisition and are saved to this day in the archives of the Catholic Church.  

Capirotada

Restaurant Dos Palmas--eat dessert first!

Our friends, the Meneses, invited us and the Jones' to lunch. The presentation of the food alone was worth the outing! After lunch they showed us around downtown where we played tourist and wandered the shops. Sweet people!

Fruit bar or sculpture?

Mexican noodle soup

Cream of cilantro soup

Taquitos, sopes and sausages

Farewell to the office couple: 

On April Fool's Day we said farewell to Elder and Sister Lilywhite. They have been a mainstay of the mission office here and will be sorely missed. If you know anyone who would like to work with a wonderful mission president in a fascinating part of the world--have them get in touch with us. You know, ask a missionary--we can help! 

Clockwise from head of table: Morris', Hoffman's, Lilywhite's, Jone's, Swapp's  after dinner and before the April Fool's Day Easter egg hunt.