My Mexican Observations

~ The Travelling Chopsticks ~ 5 Comments

Well, I have now been living in Mexico City for exactly one year and thirteen days, and I thought I would share with you some of my observations on various aspect of Mexican life that I have encountered:

The People:

  • The Mexicans are some of the most polite and courteous people I have come across (except when they are driving)
  • They dress according to the official season and not to the actual weather. If it’s supposed to be Autumn, they will dress for Autumn wearing jeans, jumpers, boots, scarves and jackets, despite it being sunny and 28°C outside!
  • Chivalry is still alive – as a woman you will never have to open a door, or pull out your own chair as long as you are here. Note: this does not apply while driving.
  • Plastic surgery is perfectly acceptable – the older you are, the tighter your face
  • Spending 3-4 hours in the salon every morning is the daily routine for the women of Polanco.
  • Tipping is a way of life. Be prepared to tip everyone you encounter – which means carry lots and lots of loose change.

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Vichyssoise

~ The Travelling Chopsticks ~ 1 Comment

Unfortunately I have no photos to share with you on this beautiful creamy yet refreshing soup – I served it as a starter at a dinner party the other night, and you know how hectic that can be when you have a house full of people and your concentrating on preparing all your dishes, the last thing you think about is taking a photo…at least that is the last thing I think about! Maybe that means I’m not and will never be a great food blogger, but so be it! The quality of the food is more important than the picture!

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Birthday Rambles and Bouef Bourguignon

~ The Travelling Chopsticks ~ 4 Comments

It was recently my birthday…I have hit my last year of my 20s and to be honest it does not bother me at all. I have never been the sort of person who plans her life around her age I have always just gone with the flow and taken the opportunity that life has given me– and I have found that has suited me very well indeed.

However, I would be lying if I did not admit that I had a few episodes of anxiety running up to my birthday and a few niggling brain gremlins that I couldn’t keep quite in my more vulnerable moments. “What, your almost 30 and you don’t have a career?”, “This is the time to be making a name for yourself and start really making money!”, “What exactly do you contribute to society?”, “What are you doing with your life?”, “where is that bikini body you keep talking about?”….and the list continues!

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Banana and Chocolate Chip Muffins

~ The Travelling Chopsticks ~ 3 Comments

Finally Sucess!

As we all know by now, baking is not my forte and the last few attempts have left a lot to be desired. However finally today I think I have cracked my ‘baking curse’ and managed to produce something quite good (If I do say so myself!) Or it is the fact that this recipe was so simple there was no way to fail (although I thought the same thing about my Coconut macroones…and we all saw how they turned out!) Keep Reading

Sommar, Sommar, Sommar

~ The Travelling Chopsticks ~ 1 Comment

Hello friends, I am back!

Initially I was going to write  about the wonderful summer holiday I had in Sweden, but as the saying goes a picture can tell a thousand words. So I wanted to share these lovely pictures with you – give you a taste of what a Swedish summer is all about! I think you will understand quite quickly why there is no-where in the world that I would rather be, than in my house in Mölle during the summer…spending time with my family, eating good food, and just relaxing in the garden and enjoying the beauty that is Sweden.

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Ostkex – Cheese Crackers

~ The Travelling Chopsticks ~ 1 Comment

I have been in Sweden for almost two weeks, and although I have been really inspired to write many different posts, I never felt that urge to put my thoughts to paper. I have just really enjoyed being here and not having to capture everything. Although today, I am feeling very motivated and ready to blog. Keep Reading

Hasta Luego Mis Amigos

~ The Travelling Chopsticks ~ 2 Comments

‘C’ and I are off to the UK tomorrow for 10 days, and then I will continue on to Sweden for a few more weeks, while poor ‘C’ has to come back to Mexico to work ….ahhh the benefits of being a lady of leisure! :) So it will be rather quite month here on the Travelling Chopsticks as I am not entirely sure how often I will get the chance to write or the urge to write for that matter…sometimes it is just nice to enjoy the ‘now’.

So, in the meantime – enjoy this picture that ‘C’ took when I brought him to San Juan market on Monday. Of all the things I showed him…I wonder why this caught his attention?!  ;)

Apparently you can use sex appeal to sell anything here in Mexico!

Hasta luego mis amigos X

Creamy Chutney Chicken

~ The Travelling Chopsticks ~ 1 Comment

Its been a while since I last posted, but the last couple of weeks have been hectic. We have had a full house with not only a friend of mine from London visiting, as well as a friend of ‘C’s from Peru visiting, but also we are dog-sitting our neighbours Italian Grey Hound. Everyone, meet Venus…

Venus

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Rokkaku – Taberna Japonesa Nikkei

~ The Travelling Chopsticks ~ 1 Comment

Rokkaku is a rather  interesting restaurant in Polanco – although both the name and the decor suggests that it is a fully Japanese restaurant, however in actual fact, it is a Peruvian-Japanese restaurant or Japonesa Nikkei as it is called in Peru.

When I heard the term Nikkei, I immediately thought of the Japanese Stock Exchange and did not realise that this is a term used to describe Japanese emigrants and their descendents.  I immediately went home and did a bit of research and stumbled upon this interesting website  http://www.discovernikkei.org/en/ which gave me a bit more information on this community (must be the anthropologist in me that finds this fascinating!) Keep Reading

How To Be An Expat Brat

~ The Travelling Chopsticks ~ Leave a comment

A very good friend of mine in Hong Kong sent me this article from Thought Catalog on “How To Be An Expat Brat” and my goodness does it hit the nail on the head (in a satirical and self deprevating manner), that I just had to share it with you guys.

http://thoughtcatalog.com/2011/how-to-be-an-expat-brat/

When I was in my late teens and early twenties I really shared a lot of these feelings, and at times felt a bit lost. However I am  still an expat today, and will probably always be one as this is the life I know – but I feel far more settled now (mentally) than I have ever been before, and would never have changed my childhood for a moment!

For all you expat brats out there…enjoy :)