Apr. 5th, 2007

puerco!

Apr. 5th, 2007 09:21 am
mountain_laurel: (Default)
yesterday on my way home from work, i had to finally buy some actual groceries, so i stopped at the Mexican market on the corner. it's a pretty sad little market, really -- the prices are amazing, but the produce is pathetic (what there is of it -- they sell one kind of lettuce: wilted iceberg, and only three kinds of fresh peppers even).

at the butcher counter, i was momentarily stymied, because i couldn't identify most of what was in the glass case. i'm going to have to look this stuff up so i can figure out what's actually edible. but i knew what chorizo suerto was, so i bought some of that, and also some puerco al pastor, pre-marinated. the butcher asked if i spoke Spanish and i panicked and said no, even though i actually do speak a little. i always panic when i have to speak any non-english language to a native speaker, for some reason. either i try and i stutter and hopelessly mispronounce things i can ordinarily say just fine, or i pretend i don't speak any at all. it's stupid and lame and if i'm going to get around in Austin i'm going to HAVE to pick up more Spanish than i know. (for god's sake, i could have at least managed '¿qué es?'.)

anyway, he leered at me. i'd never been actually seriously leered at. i would've laughed except i was afraid of offending him. and then he charged me half price for the al pastor and said "special for you!" so now he's my favorite butcher, even if he does leer.

so i took home a pound each of chorizo and al pastor, a couple of pounds of onions, a couple of pounds of tomatoes, some jalapenos, lettuce, limes, cilantro, and 36 corn tortillas (the smallest package they had) for $10. i could get to like this place, although i wish they at least had romaine lettuce.

i also found there's a Central Market not too far from me, so now i know where to go if i need romaine and a non-leering butcher.

did i ever mention that i had an aunt Romaine? she was a Marine during the Korean war, but i think she died a few years ago. i only ever met her once that i remember; she married a descendant of Valentín Canalizo and lived in Long Island, where she had dogs instead of children. i think i'd probably have liked her if i'd had a chance to know her.

i made tacos al pastor for dinner, and god damn, but that was some fine pork -- tender, well-seasoned, and muy delicioso. and while i ate it, i watched the Mythbusters guys try to cut a pig in half with a steel cable. so i guess puerco was the theme of the evening.
mountain_laurel: (Default)
puerco aside, i'm feeling kind of weird and restless. three weeks ago i was unemployed and living with friends, and now i have a new job and a new apartment and no furniture to speak of. i can't even fully "move in" because there are things the landlord still needs to do in the bathroom, and the kitchen is so filthy i don't want to put anything in the cabinets until i've had time to thoroughly clean them and put down shelf paper. so it's all kind of jarring and a bit uncomfortable, and i'm not quite sure what to do about it.

i get paid today, so i'm thinking tomorrow evening or saturday i should go to Ikea and buy that loveseat i've been eyeing -- it's only $150, and i desperately need something to sit on in my living room. i should also put up my movie posters and get that kitchen cleaned out, but for some reason those cabinets seem like a really daunting task. and a couple of the drawers need some minor repairs that call for wood glue and screws and a couple of small clamps.

grrr. i can't concentrate on work at all today. this is annoying.
mountain_laurel: (Default)
in Berlin, a 95-year-old woman caught a mysterious nursing home thief by setting a trap and hiding in the bathroom.

i love crime-fighting grannies.

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