El Día de Revolución

Revolution Day has come again in Mexico. I love being in Banámichi for this Mexican holiday because of the parade and celebrations that are held each year in remembrance of the beginning of the Mexican revolution on November 20th, 1910.

Back in 1910,  Porfirio Díaz had held the presidency of Mexico for some 36 years. In an election in 1910, Franciso I. Madero challenged Díaz and lost. Because the election was rigged, Madero led a revolt and eventually toppled Díaz and was named the new president.His position didn't last long, however, as he was also ousted in 1911. After that, the revolution continued  for about 10 years with many warring factions.

The period of the revolution led to fundamental changes that are still some of the foundations of modern Mexico. Some f the changes included term limits on the presidency and local leadership, and land reform. One of the great things about the Mexican political scene is the strict term limits: each Presidente (local mayor) may only hold office for 3 years and then he/she is out! No holding on to the position forever! Generally the whole administrative staff changes along with the presidente, which leads to a steep learning curve for the local government every 3 years. On the other hand,  lots of people get a chance to participate in local governance which can only be good..

History aside, on to the parade! It is mostly a children's event, with many school groups from Banámichi and other neighboring villages participating. Many of the children dress in costumes from the early 1900's, depicting people and events from that period. There are marching bands, police sirens, horses, and school floats, all led by the local administration, which is new this year, having taken office in the summer.

I love seeing the kids - little "revolutionaries" - there is such a purity and innocence about them, unspoiled by rampant US consumerism and the sense of entitlement that seems to go with it. It is also heartening to witness their pride and loyalty to Mexico. It is a sharp reminder that the US is not the center of the universe, and that is a good thing! Cultural and national diversity is positive and is to be celebrated. Viva Mexico! And Viva Banámichi!

School group

School marching band

Revolutionary era costumes

Revolutionary era scene on float

Little "revolutionary"

The littlest cowboy on the tiniest pony

 Tracy and June meet the new
Banámichi Presidente

 

Video of High School Folklorico  Dance Group 

at post-parade celebrations

Lunch in Nogales, Sonora

The best thing about leaving Banámichi and driving back to Tucson is stopping for lunch at Asadero Las Ranas (The Frogs Grill) in downtown Nogales, Sonora. We always seem to arrive there around noon time, ready for a bite to eat, and it is just a short distance before the SENTRI lane and the border crossing. A perfect stopping point!

Not much to look at...the sign is actually yellow

We used to wait until we had crossed the border to go to the Golden Arches or Burger King, but after a while, this became less and less appealing. There is only so much processed food one can eat in a lifetime. We wanted Mexican food, something real and fresh. Right on our way to the De Concini border crossing downtown we spotted the cheerful yellow sign with the happy green frogs. It is not much to look at, but we thought it might be what we were looking for and decided to give it a try. We have been dedicated patrons of the place ever since.

Come to find out, this was a happy accident, since the place is highly rated online, with 4 out of 5 stars on its google rating.

Ongoing promotion!

 We really like the Tacos al Pastor, which seem to run as a never-ending special promotion, at 40 pesos (about $2) for 4. You can't beat the price! The meat is cut from a conical pile, roasting vertically on a spit. It looks similar to Greek gyros as it is roasting.

Cone of roasting pork...that's our favorite waiter in the background!

The special...4 tacos al pastor

The pork is nicely seasoned, savory and crispy, served on warm corn tortillas with chopped onion, cilantro and bits of pineapple. The combination of savory and sweet is just perfect. Las Ranas also provides a salsa/condiment tray for each table. We like sampling all the different salsas on cucumber slices while we wait for out order. Watch out for the orange one! HooHah! Very hot!

Salsas and codiments

This isn't some boring old chain with pre-fab food. It serves real food that real Mexicans eat, with a fairly extensive menu, including some items like Caramelos, Gringas and Vampiras.  These might seem exotic to some Americans, but in reality are just various combinations of meat, cheese, beans and tortillas. All are freshly made and very tasty.

Meanwhile, the cooks behind the grill might be singing, serenading the diners.Vendors of all kinds wander through, and outside, entrepreneurial window washers clean the windshields of the cars, hoping for tips. The wait staff is very pleasant and helpful and service is prompt. We can be in and out in about 40 minutes if we are in a hurry. But actually, it is fun to linger a bit and just take in the passing scene.

Asadero Las Ranas is a slice of real life in Nogale,s Sonora. We recommend you give it a try if you find yourself there at lunch time. Actually, I see online that they are open until 2 AM should you crave a taco later in the day.

Too Many Cats!

We had one part-time cat at our place in Banámichi, known as "Mama." She is an orange and gray feral cat that is given to raiding garbage cans in the neighborhood,  dragging stuff out of the cans and generally making a mess. She is also the culprit that keeps having her yearly clutch of kittens in our yard.

Mama

Our friends Dan and Tracy started out giving her the leftovers from their two pampered pets because she was so skinny. She seems to get by just fine when we are not there, but she did appreciate the handouts. Then she began hounding me for goodies with her pathetic yowl whenever I was out in the yard. It made me crazy. It broke my heart. I can't stand to see an animal so hungry and desperate.  I felt so sorry for her that I actually went to San Antonio's grocery store in Aconchi and bought her some cat food.

When I told my daughter  I was feeding a feral cat in Mexico, she said:  "No, you mean you ADOPTED a cat!" Well, ahem, I guess that is true. But we are only there for a week or so a month! She really is only a part time cat.

Now, when we arrive at the house, she somehow knows we are there, and hops the wall to start begging within half an hour of our arrival. It is uncanny how quickly she arrives. Maybe she has figured out that our truck near her favorite garbage can means food!

As she has become more comfortable with us, she has started to bring her whole clan over the wall with her. Near as we can tell, she brings at least two litters of kittens with her now. There are some little bitty ones, some medium sized ones, and herself. Three generations of cats! And then there is the back and white adult cat that seems to come with them...no telling where that one fits into the familial mix. At one point I counted 8 cats around the food bowl!

The little pouches of Whiskas cat food that I got in Aconchi aren't nearly enough now. The littlest ones crowd in and literally snap the food out of the pouch before it hits the paper plate. I have to guard my fingers! Mama hangs back and lets her children eat first. A noble creature! I have started bringing dry cat crunchies in larger bags from Tucson.

Two little darlings

The two littlest ones are obviously from the same litter. One is a perfect little Siamese, with pretty blue eyes...probably a descendant of the infamous No-No, who was Vicky and Beto's cat before it ran away. The other  little one is orange colored and also very cute, climbing trees and stretching its body like a dog. One of the adolescent kittens is an orange one with a fluffy coat. It looks like it got its tail caught in a fan...it is only 2/3 the length it should be and has a right angle in what remains. Another medium sized one  is an orange short-hair with large blotchy markings, and beautiful big green eyes. Each one has some particular charming quality. We haven't named them yet, but I suppose that is coming.

A chaos of cats

The whole fam-damily now sits by our back door and waits for me to set foot outside in the morning before swirling and meowing around my feet. It is a chaotic sea of cats! Some of the bolder ones actually come and sit on our kitchen windowsill, peering in, curious about what we are doing inside. And with all of this, they are still very twitchy and run away if I step too close to them. They won't let me touch them yet.

Beautiful green eyes

Dan and Tracy occasionally let their two cats out in the yard on a leash. This last time, Bodhi, the gray cat was out when Mama and one of the small kittens came into the yard. I anticipated hissing and spitting, followed by a vicious brawl as cats are wont to do. But it was quite remarkable...Bodhi and Mama came face to face, sniffed each other's noses and then more or less ignored each other with one solitary growl passing between them. What was that about? So unusual!

One of the adolescent kittens got into my chicken wire garden enclosure in spite of my careful attempts to make it cat proof. I ran over to it clapping my hands and yelling: "Get outta there!" The poor thing freaked out, and could not find its way out. It ran back and forth from the wall to the chicken wire fence, literally launching itself at the obstacles. I was afraid it was going to knock itself out or get hurt. Finally, it managed to climb the cement wall and find its way out under the chicken wire.

We probably never should have started feeding them, but they were so cute and pathetic. And Mama will probably continue to pump out litters as time goes on. How many cats can we feed, even if it is just part time? If there were a competent, compassionate veterinarian in the area, I would gladly pay to get Mama spayed, but from what I hear that is not the case. I am not taking a cat all the way to Hermosillo to get it fixed. For now, the situation is interesting and fun to watch, but I don't know what is will happen as time goes on. Cats and more cats!