Thanks to the Ethicurian, I´ve added a new feature to The Slow Cook: an interactive map to the biggest polluting factory farms in the nation, provided by the environmental group Food and Water Watch.
Most Americans are just waking up to the fact that their beef, chicken, pork, eggs and dairy are no longer being [...]
Entries from July 2007
Factory Farms: The Interactive Map
July 31st, 2007 · 4 Comments · Uncategorized
Tags: factory farms
Ninfa, Healer
July 30th, 2007 · No Comments · Uncategorized
I am looking back at a certain glass of agua of watermelon consumed in Oaxaca as the cause of certain distress in the nether regions. Otherwise, I can´t think of anything I consumed that was different from the others in our party, who are feeling no ill affects.
Needlesss to say, I am disappointed by a [...]
Tags: herbal medicine·Mexico·teas
Domingo es Market Day
July 29th, 2007 · No Comments · Uncategorized
I was merely walking into town to look for a couple of batteries for a blood monitoring device when I stumbled into what must be the national passion in Mexico, Market Sunday.
We´d driven from Mexico City with friend Tom and Ninfa to the town of Amanalco about two hours west. It´s a sleepy, unobtrusive place, [...]
Waiter, There´s a Chicken in My Cocktail
July 27th, 2007 · No Comments · Uncategorized
On our return from the ruins at Mitla, we stopped at one of the many mezcal operations lining the road. Mezcal is similar to tequila but made from a different variety of agave or maguey plant. The agave looks like it could be a member of the cactus family, with long, spiky leaves of pale [...]
Tags: mezcal
The Tibet Thing
July 26th, 2007 · 1 Comment · Blog
Our friend Ninfa recently returned from a pilgrimage to Tibet. Already a keen observer of things, Ninfa seems to be in a heightened state of spiritual awareness.
At the ruins at Mitla outside Oaxaca, Ninfa was descending into one of the tombs when she noticed the earings being worn by another tourist. They were from Tibet. [...]
Tags:
Fonda Withdrawal
July 24th, 2007 · No Comments · Uncategorized
Our friend Tom has introduced us to breakfast at the Mayordomo restaurant here in Oaxaca as one of the best bargains going. Seventy pesos, or a bit less that $7 US buys all you can eat at a buffet that opens for business at 8 am. Along with fresh fruits, ranging from cantaloupe to pineapple [...]
Mole and More
July 24th, 2007 · 1 Comment · Uncategorized
There was some question whether we would make Oaxaca our destination on this trip. Last year protests by local teachers turned into clashes with riot police, leaving some teachers in prison and raising calls for the resignation of the Oaxacan governor. This year the teachers have focused their grievances around the Guelaguetza, an ancient dance [...]
Eating in the Streets
July 23rd, 2007 · No Comments · Uncategorized
There is food in the streets in Mexico. And by that I mean literally in the street.
At heavily trafficked intersections the vendors are walking in traffic lanes, selling everything from candy bars to fruits and vegetables. In a country without a social safety net, this is a means of subsistence for many. Even young children [...]
Tags: Mexico·street food
Hola from Mexico
July 19th, 2007 · No Comments · Uncategorized
The Slow Cook Very stealthfully boarded an early flight this morning and arrived in Mexico City just around lunch for some serious touring in Oaxaca.
Our friends Tom and Ninfa brought us home to a refreshingly simple lunch of cheese quesadillas in whole wheat tortillas. Then we drove to the local Thursday market where there was [...]
Tags: Mexico
Killer Tomatoes
July 18th, 2007 · 1 Comment · Uncategorized
Before we can eat the tomatoes we must grow the tomatoes.
I am following the methods advocated by Charles H. Wilber, who holds the Guinness record for tomato production. Wilber has achieved tomato plants that tower nearly 30 feet high and produce more than 300 pounds of tomatoes per plant.
And, no, I don’t plan on [...]
Tags: tomato cages·tomatoes


We are engaging the concerns of a hungry planet--slowly--right here in our kitchen garden in the District of Columbia, one mile from the White House.

