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Mexican BBQ Feast Story
Ingredients:
***See Directions***
Instructions:
By some miraculous feat, I have survived my trip to CA and Mexico.
Barely, but I lived to tell about it. I ended up getting a seemingly
life threatening case of the Mexican El Gotcha Gringo Flu! It makes
for an interesting plane ride, but I wouldn't recommend it as a hobby.
8^) While I was down there I mistakenly got on the wrong bus that
took me up in to the hills instead of back to the marina. While on
this fifteen cent tour of the local jungle roads, a truly bumpy, death
defying experience, I was treated to an amazing culinary delight.
While trying desperately to find someone on the bus who spoke English
to tell the driver that I didn't want to die out here, and wanted
to go back to town, my nose caught a wisp of familiarity in the air.
I had detected the faint, delightful aroma of pork mixed with what
I thought was the smoke from mesquite. The locals on the bus thought
that that I was "loco" by the child-like grin that came across my
face, and the way that I kept sniffing the air trying to find where
that delightful smell was coming from. My attempts to try and get
back to town had now turned into "Where's that smell coming from,
and can you get me there?" For some reason, they understood that part.
As the bus made it's way through the jungle the aroma got stronger.
By the time that I saw the actual smoke rising above the trees, I
must have looked pretty crazed to the locals. I guess that my size,
6'4" 400 lbs., gave them the impression that if I didn't get to that
pig soon, their lives may be in danger! A few of them had begun what
I assumed to be cheering on the driver to get there, "pronto!" When
the bus rounded the corner to where the smoke was rising, I got my
first glimpse of what was going on. The bus driver started saying
something to me as he stopped the bus and opened the doors for me
to get off. Which for reasons still unclear to me, I did. Along with
two of the other passengers. The bus driver slammed the doors and
took off up the road, laughing as he drove off. Not a good feeling
to say the least. The two folks who got off with me, said something
to me and motioned for me to go with them over to where the cooking
was going on. At this point it dawned on me that I'm miles up in the
mountains where no one knows where I am, following people I don't
know, to for what all I know is some sort of ritualistic sacrificial
tourist feast! All I'm thinking is, "I wonder if they have a dipping
sauce?" This area where they were cooking this pig in a pit was some
sort of communal eating area. This pig that was being cooked was to
celebrate the release of one of the local men from prison. Apparently
he had been falsely accused by a tourist for a crime that he really
didn't commit, and spent two years locked up for it. I can't tell
you how proud I was to be a tourist in there land at that point. Even
so, I was graciously welcomed into their party, even when I tried
to bow out of it, and started to walk back to town. They insisted
that I stay and eat with them. I had never experienced anything quite
like that before. When they brought that pig up out of the ground,
I darned near cried. My nose and taste buds were just having a field
day! When they served me up a plate of that pig along with some of
the veggies that they had cooked with it, I was ready to move in permanently!
I have never tasted anything so good in my life! It was just fantastic!
From what I could gather, they had prepared the pig by rubbing it
down with a mixture of mangos, an assortment of peppers, salt, and
stuffed it with sugar cane, and veggies. All of this plus a rather
healthy dowsing of tequila. They said that the tequila was more for
the pigs pleasure than anything else. The pig had been cooking for
about a day and a half. Did fortune smile upon me, or what? I got
there about 45 minutes before they dug that pig up. Oh, BTW. As if
the pig wasn't enough to send me into hog heaven, I was treated to
another local delicacy. Iguana. Yep! One of them lizard like things.
I guess that up in the hills it is considered as much a staple as
chicken. I must admit that I had trouble getting it down once they
told me what it was that I was smacking my lips on. But all in all,
it tasted pretty darn good! They joked about one day having a Kentucky
Fried Iguana stand! I'm not sure if the colonel is ready for that.
In case you're wondering how I got back to town, about two hours later
the same bus came back by on his way back to town and stopped to pick
me up. The bus driver just laughed at me as I waddled back on to the
bus, rubbing my belly and smiling from ear to ear. My family didn't
even notice how long I had been gone when I got back. When I told
them of my great adventure, they just smiled and said, "yeah. Right!"
I think that I'm the only one who truly enjoyed our stay, and can't
wait to go back again. It was even worth the El Gotcha Gringo Flu! |
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