“If you go back to the Greeks and Romans, they talk about all three – wine, food, and art – as a way of enhancing life.” Robert Mondavi

On: May 27, 2018
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We hit the four week mark – the longest time I have been away from home besides my work assignments in Hong Kong and Sydney……….can honestly say that I have not missed much from home – well, family, friends, and Chinese takeout when I don’t feel like cooking.

We are finding a new life here, at a much slower tempo than in LA, where so far the most stressful part of any day is crossing the Carretera (the main drag).

This week we attended a Wine tasting sponsored by a local small restaurant that is quickly becoming one of our favorites. The Mexican wine industry, although fairly young to the world, is starting to make significant strides.

First wine pairing, a Sauvignon Blanc, light, and airy perfect summer drink. This was paired with a cold onion and potato soup, accompanied by caramelized onions and crushed walnuts on the side. A red Sangiovese Cabernet was paired with cod served two ways, wrapped in steamed lettuce and hoja santa (herbaceous leaf) accompanied by a light nutty walnut sauce and the thinnest slices of pan-fried papas.

Up to this point the meal had been a winning game using baseball analogy .. dessert hit it out of the park.

At first, I thought we were being served an assortment of sorbets since each serving was a different bright color ball drizzled with dark Oaxacan chocolate, little did we know that we were in for a new taste sensation…………… Pitaya, a wild fruit from the Stenocereus Cactus, the prickly plum comes wrapped in a leathery skin, once peeled it reveals a flesh dense in rainbow hues of yellow, orange, pink, red, purple, or white dotted with tiny seeds. I was served an orange one and once I sank my teeth into it, it burst with delicious juice of indescribable flavors.

This was followed by two type of tequila served and music…..just another mid-week evening at the lakeside.

On Saturday, we were introduced to new friends by Bev over lunch. They lived in a complex about 30 minutes east of the lake. Being the small world that this is Mary Kay’s husband, Jeff, used to work for JD Edwards, my former employer.

After lunch, we attended the Lake Chapala Society’s tequila tasting event. It was represented by 7 different distilleries; each offering between 3 to 6 types of blends: Reposado, Blanco, Añejo, Extra Añejo, Plata, and Mezcal. Since becoming a tequila snob, I concentrated only on the Añejos with a definite winner – the Insolente Extra Añejo, which was smooth to the palette with hints of dark cherry and vanilla.

A great end to our fourth week, which also included, thrift stores rummaging, weekly trips to the Tianguis ( we are not longer schlepping – David bought a little collapsible cart) massages, and pedicures.