Molly Hatchet

Yesterday, I spent a good deal of time listening to the Allman Brothers Band on the iPod out in the sun. I am talking about the original, original band before the motorcycle accidents. Duane Allman, guitar; Greg Allman, organ and vocals; Dickey Betts, guitar; Berry Oakley, bass; Butch Trucks and Jaimoe Johanson a/k/a Johnny Lee Johnson, both on drums. At Filmore East, 1971.

On the farm I was raised on country music, hardcore country music. Then I became enamored of rock 'n roll and slowly then the blues. Like so many my age, I had to be introduced to American blues by the Rolling Stones. When Southern Rock arrived, it was a perfect blend for me given my background.

I loved those southern rock groups at the time, and I still revisit that occasionally. The Marshall Tucker Band was another stalwart for me. I was never as fond of Lynyrd Skynyrd as others were, however. All those Southern Rock guys had trouble staying alive.

I look in on the second video of Molly Hatchet below periodically. It has been up for a long time. The voice sync has slipped a little, but I still like to see Danny Joe Brown. Massive stroke in 1998, and dead of renal failure in 2005. Nobody today can sweat like Danny Joe Brown could. God rest his soul.

That great triple guitar sound happens here at 3:23.




Danny Joe bulked up a little between 1979 and 1983. That great twin guitar sound happens at 4:04 here:




27 years ago. Hard to believe. In truth, though, I am happy the late seventies and early eighties are long behind me.

Indian Dancing

Let us take a break from cooking for a little touristy thing. Yesterday, various Indian groups were dancing up town around the jardin.

I enjoyed this. I myself am an aficionado of Indian dancing, having done some myself. My career in Indian dancing spanned about three months during the summer of 1957 when I was a ten-year-old Cub Scout. I mastered a lot of the moves, which gives me the background to appreciate the art more profoundly.










The Virgin of Guadalupe was there, too, getting it on.


In this 1:40 video, we start with a machete dance and then move into some freestyle stuff.

Indian Dancing from Tío Steve on Vimeo.

Free Form Cooking Without a Net: II

Four Dinners, I took the time to give you a detailed security briefing. It is in the comments to She Who Sells Flowers With a Half-Smile. You missed it. The short answer to your questions is, "Don't worry."

In this segment of the cooking extravaganza, things are still going according to plan. The project is yet to careen out of control. The whole thing will get chaotic when other ingredients that we have not talked about call out from the pantry that they want to get in on the action, too. That will happen. It always happens.

Cooking II from Tío Steve on Vimeo.

Free Form Cooking Without a Net: I

Here we go. In experimental mode. I am not going to edit this thing. I would have no idea where to start. We have had to shoot this with the video function of the little camera because I am having voice sync problems with the big Camcorder when converting from tape to digital. I will fix that.

This will be roughly a half-hour program in 10-minute installments. She will make fish soup for a starter. It is a Friday in lent. All the butcher shops were closed. However, the little fish shop was doing well. The entrée will be fish in La Mexicana's green sauce (salsa verde) with a kind of cauliflower medley on the side. We will not forget the lime to kill bacteria.

La Mexicana promises that next time she will know the names of all the chiles and also be able to tell you precisely what kind of fish. We have a fat chunk of fish in this, which is very good for broth. That goes into the soup obviously. Then we have two smaller chunks of fish that do not have much flavor by themselves. They are going to be covered with green sauce. That is all you need to know.

We will get these production values back up where they belong in the future.

Fish Soup and Fish in Green Sauce I

She Who Sells Flowers with a Half-Smile

This is my personal calla lily street merchant still holding my half-dozen of today. An English speaking tongue cannot pronounce her Indian name, but it roughly translates as “She Who Sells Flowers with a Half-Smile.”

Her calla lilies may not be of the highest quality. I think she acquires culls from the flower stores to sell in the street. But you have to look at it this way. We are not just paying for the product. We are also paying for the service. Flowers are so cheap here that when one also factors in the convenience offered by “She Who Sells Flowers with a Half-Smile,” there is no excuse not to have some around.

I hope that some of you have noticed that I long ago stopped peppering my entries with Spanish words. That is so boring. However, I think you would be interested to know that the Spanish word for calla lily is alcatraz.

So then, this calls for an encore of Nude with Calla Lilies by Rivera.

The New Mexican Food Blog

Just a painting that I like.

I am going to concede that everybody loves to talk about food, not just old people. I was persuaded by another conversation about food last evening, a table of nine, this conversation quite enjoyable. Also, I have been inspired by Mr. Anchovy's blog, 27th Street, recent entries in which have featured chile peppers. If you can't beat 'em, join 'em.

What a deal.

Working on the novel 2666 and writing whatever I wish about it is the best full-time job that I have ever had. Flexible hours. Work that I enjoy. No partners. No staff. I work at home in sunny México amid all the amenities and send in the work product.

If I could get this pay thing worked out, I would be in fat city for sure.

San Antonio Church and the Disabled

One of the items on my checklist the other day was to look in on the progress of the resurfacing of the plaza in front of San Antonio Church. I am very fond of this neighborhood gathering place in Colonia San Antonio, my neighborhood. It is very Mexican. A neighborhood fiesta is held there occasionally. Few norteamericanos hang around there.


Before, from the steps of the church.



The guys working on the surface are doing well.




The area around the fountain is completed.




Although it has not yet been hosed off, you can see that the brickwork is beautiful.




The design made of brick in the middle of the plaza will be beautiful, I think.

Which brings me to the subject of the plight of the ambulatorily challenged in the city. We can dispense with the euphemisms here. People who have difficulty walking are truly handicapped in this city as they are in Mexico for the most part. I am speaking of the aged, the injured, the diseased for whom walking is truly a challenge. To put it bluntly, the situation here is brutal for them.




The streets are steep in many parts of the city, particularly in el centro, the downtown. They are oftentimes cobblestone, which can be treacherously slippery when wet. The sidewalks are narrow and catch as catch can in the sense that they are intermittent. The traffic on the narrow streets at times reaches proportions that cause me difficulty crossing an intersection on foot. Although, I must add that the drivers here are not as aggressive as in the rest of the country. And they are alert to the handicapped, particularly the aged.

I remember when the “Americans with Disabilities Act” was first passed. There was a lot of sturm und drang about the cost of making public facilities accessible to everyone. Then we got used to it. The difficulties of handicapped people in this country in that regard are heartbreaking to see. There are insufficient public resources to address the problem. The whole thing is complicated here in San Miguel by the historical nature of the city, again particularly with regard to el centro. Any remodeling of the buildings in that part of the city is bureaucratically difficult to do. And I like that.




So what do you know? A handicapped ramp is being installed to allow easier access to San Antonio Church. I was startled to discover this and happy. I do not think it will detract from the appearance of the plaza or the church at all.