Living in Mexico - Archives: August 2006
Saturday, August 26, 2006
Exceptionally (please don’t expect this to turn into a habit) I shall be raving about a new shopping option in Mexico City: the City Market upscale grocery store in Interlomas.
I’m afraid but my digestive system hasn’t been designed to process truck loads of greasy tacos and other Mexican ethnic specialties. For a foreigner, finding good quality food can turn into a scary experience reminiscent of Cro-Magnons hunting mammoths in the frozen tundra!
Besides the usually superb green limes and avocados found in Mexico, the average quality of grocery is well below-par compared to the markets of Europe in general and France in particular. My main complaint goes to the quality of bread, just good enough to feed pigeons in public squares. Luckily a few specialty bakeries exist, such as Globo and Bread & Co.
City Market on the other hand is a valuable attempt from Comercial Mexicana to tap into the upper-class population residing in Interlomas. They have plenty of fresh vegetable, European cheese (including my beloved Parmigiano Reggiano), etc. all presented in a spotless environment supported by an organized and courteous staff.
Who knows, one day the ominous Seven Eleven’s and their disgusting taco hot dogs might even get complemented with Sainsbury-style express supermarkets boasting a variety of ready-to-eat fresh salads? Some early signs suggest that Mexico is finally stepping into the modern world of finer grocery shopping – I’m anxious to see more!
Posted by Serge @ 05:54 PM MEX [Link] [Karma: 0 (+/-)] [No Comments]
Friday, August 18, 2006
Today I had to go to Torre Mayor for a business meeting. I was eager to finally experience first hand the city of tents that our beloved AMLO has erected in defense of Mexico’s budding democracy.
I was sorely disappointed.
First of all, the traffic was only marginally worse than normal. Granted, I had to walk the last few hundred yards from the Camino Real hotel to Torre Mayor, but it was a welcome opportunity to exercise without choking in the lethal exhaust fumes so characteristic of the city. Perhaps tomorrow I’ll even go for a jog there?
Next, arriving onto Reforma I was greeted with a spectacle of absolute and utter emptiness: all these tents dotting the avenue that is the pride of Mexico are devoid of people! Where are all the jovial PRDistas gone? Have they given up because of boredom and bad weather? Their conspicuous absence is not a testimony of the staying power of Mexican political activists, emulating the brave example given by Mexico’s football team during the World Cup!
If the police finally decided to apply the unofficial law that Lopez Obrador himself promulgated, they could clear up all of Reforma from Torre Mayor to Fuente de Petroleos in 2 hours and with only 50 overweight tamarindos and a few lazy dogs.
I just cannot fathom any civilized city such as London or Paris letting a few idling campers obstruct Pall Mall or the Champs Elysees for weeks without even lifting a finger to resolve a situation that is making Mexico the laughing stock of the world.
Obviously Lopez Obrador doesn’t give a damn about his own rules, the welfare of millions of honest Mexican workers affected in their daily life or the opinion of the world – he just wants to become the next president of Mexico, at any cost.
Posted by Serge @ 07:18 PM MEX [Link] [Karma: -1 (+/-)] [1 Comment]
