Our Mexican Adventure

This past year, John and I have been working a LOT. Our only diversions are hitting the bars and the all too occasional beach time. Playa del Carmen is an awesome place, but it’s a relatively small town and there’s not much in the way of culture. No theater, no museums, and the only sports we get are our 2nd Division Futbol (soccer) team, Interplaya (who we love and support). Hailing from the great city of Chicago, we really miss all that diversity.

So when our friend, Antonio, invited us to join him and his family for a night of baseball in Cancun, we jumped on the chance to do something new! Here’s Antonio at the game.

The night began with some pre-show cheerleader entertainment.

The players stood at attention for the singing of the national anthem.

Let’s play ball!

Our team, the Quintana Roo Tigres (Tigers) played the Yucatan Leones (Lions).

Chacho, our team’s mascot.

The variety of food available at the stadium was amazing. We made the mistake of eating dinner before the game. Next time, I’m saving room!

Pastor - yum!

Salchichas/Sausages. This guy posed so nicely for me, and I totally blocked out his face! Oops!

Cotton Candy

Even flan! And some sort of pasta salad that I’m sure was laden with the mayonnaise that Mexicans love so dearly.

Of course, they also had tacos, tamales, burritos, kibe, pizza, french fries, plantain chips, churros, marquesitas, and like a million other things that I can’t remember anymore!

And you couldn’t have a baseball stadium without a full-service bar with a cheesy name like the Strike Bar, now could you.

We had such a fun time at the game and hanging out with Antonio and his family! We can’t wait to do it again. Lucky for us, the games are incredibly affordable. You can get yourself into the cheap seats for a mere $2! And the best seats go for a whopping $13! What a great value!

Check out the Tigres baseball schedule if you’d like to catch a game, and see all of our Tigres pictures here.

Bookmark to:

Yesterday evening, we invited a small group of our Playa friends over to celebrate Libby’s birthday. Much fun was had, and (too) much wine, beer, and pizza was consumed.

In addition to the traditional birthday cake and singing, Libby was lucky enough to experience a very common Mexican birthday tradition. After the candles were blown out, everyone chanted “Mor-di-da! Mor-di-da! Mor-di-da” (”bite bite bite”) to her, indicating that she should take the first bite out of her cake. When she attempted her first bite, numerous friends (we won’t name names!) helped her by pushing her face into the cake. I’m sure the tradition is only the actual biting of the cake. However, I’ve never seen someone take their bite and get away without having their face shoved into the cake; therefore, the two will forever be considered part of the same tradition for me. Very, very amusing! ha ha!

Happy Birthday, Libby!

See more pics on Heather’s blog.

Bookmark to:

Sunday, September 16th marked Mexico’s Independence Day, the celebration of Mexican independence from Spanish rule. In some ways, Independence Day here in Playa del Carmen is very similar to Independence Day celebrations in the U.S. Families and friends gather for food, drinks and good times, stores and homes are decorated in the colors of the national flag, and a fireworks display enthralls crowds in the town square.

But instead of burgers and brats (sorry, I’m from the Midwest), Mexicans indulge in the traditional party food of pozole, a hominy and pork soup. They decorate their homes, cars and tiendas with Mexican flags and red, white and green ‘papel picado’, another Mexican tradition of decoratively cut paper banners.

The most interesting difference to me is the tradition of the grito (shout). The grito is a reenactment of the shout to fight for liberty made by Father Hidalgo in the wee hours of September 16th, 1810. Today, crowds gather in town squares all over Mexico on the evening of the 15th to participate in the reenactment. A government official shouts ‘Mexicanos, Viva Mexico!’ (Mexicans, Long Live Mexico!) to which the crowd responds ‘Viva!’. This is repeated several times, then the Mexican flag is waved, and then um …

Well, the truth is that John and I have somehow managed to miss this ceremony two years in a row now. This year, we were eating pozole at a bar just a block from all the action, when the ceremony began earlier than scheduled. We heard the shout, but missed the rest of the ceremony. We did run up to the roof of bar, and managed to see much of the fireworks display, which was even better this year than last!

The celebration in Playa was very much a party atmosphere. Revelers were shouting and using noisemakers, waving flags and banners. Vendors sold everything from Mexican flags to marquesitas (a tasty, crispy crepe filled with edam cheese) to ceramic frogs.

The next day a parade was held, which we missed. However, we were thrilled to accept an invitation to the house of a Mexican friend for an Independence Day party. Unfortunately, I had felt sick since waking that morning, and the aroma of the food which our friend, Ara, had so lovingly prepared for us, made my nausea unbearable.

So, I had to go back home to nibble on plain crackers and sip 7-Up, while John had a grand old time, eating home-cooked pozole and tinga de pollo (shredded chicken in chipotle sauce), attempting to understand and participate in Spanish conversations, drinking tequila, and singing along to Mexican music. Mexicans love to sing LOUDLY! John came home raving about his Mexican Independence Day.

¡Viva Mexico!

Watch a video of the fireworks display.
Watch a video of an auctioneer hawking ceramic bowl sets, frogs and angels.

Bookmark to:

November 1st & 2nd in Mexico mark the Days of the Dead or Los Dias de los Muertos. Despite the somber name, the Days of the Dead are a time to remember and celebrate the lives of departed loved ones. The souls of departed children are thought to visit on November 1st, while adult souls visit on November 2nd.

To entice and please the souls, altars are set up mostly in private homes. Candles and incense are lit to guide the way for the souls. The altars are decorated with photos of those who have passed, marigolds (the traditional Day of the Dead flower), pan de muerto (bread of the dead), sugar skulls inscribed with names of the departed, and foods and beverages preferred by the deceased. We’ve seen Burger King burgers, plates of enchiladas, and bottles of Coca Cola and tequila. Once a visiting soul has enjoyed a favorite meal, he or she may wish to partake of a familiar pastime. So, you will often see cigarettes for a smoker or toys for a child on altars.

Another Day of the Dead tradition is the visit to the cemetery. Family members of the deceased come to clean and decorate their graves. Often November 1st is reserved for grieving at the gravesite, while November 2nd is reserved for celebration at the grave. Families will bring picnic baskets and booze, celebrating and toasting to their departed loved ones.

Globalization and NAFTA have brought an increased interest in plastic pumpkins and Dracula costumes, and, some think, less interest in traditional Day of the Dead customs particularly among Mexican youth. These traditions are a wonderful way to connect with departed loved ones, and we hope they will continue for a long time.

Bookmark to:

• Today is Cinco de Mayo, better known as Batalla de Puebla (Battle of Puebla) in Mexico.
• This holiday commemorates the Battle of Puebla in which the Mexican Army defeated the French near the city of Puebla in 1862.
• Cinco de Mayo is celebrated more vigorously in the U.S, particularly in large cities such as Chicago, Minneapolis and San Diego, than it is in most of Mexico. Here in Mexico, it is mainly celebrated in the city and state of Puebla. (Puebla is the capital of the state of Puebla.)
• Today is not, as many Americans think, Mexican Independence Day. Independence Day is celebrated on September 16th, a large celebration in Mexico, but a non-event in most of the U.S.
• Any day is a good day for a margarita!
• Happy Cinco de Mayo & Feliz Batalla de Puebla!

Bookmark to: