Meet Alexis Nikole Nelson, Known as The Black Forager

I was rather new to Instagram, when one day while exploring various posts, I was intrigued by the profile name: The Black Forager.

 

When I opened the post or rather reel, up popped Alexis, literally right in my face.

 

She was high octane energy, bouncing around and talking fast.

 

It took a few moments to follow what she was saying and doing. Gradually, after probably watching the reel more than once, I got it. She was ecstatic about a plant she had found and wanted you to know it was edible and delicious.

 

I was hooked.

 

I marveled at her knowledge and her appearance. I envied her artistic outfits. They were bright, cheerful and fun.

 

Since that moment, I have followed Alexis, a James Beard Award winner, and thoroughly enjoyed her ventures into areas around her home, her trips to forests in other parts of the world, where she finds plants throughout the year. Generally, she harvests them and demonstrates how to prepare them as a meal, snack, beverage or other uses.

 

I used to forage when I had a house and lived near a forest. I remember onion grass, sassafras (a root beer flavored root), dandelions, lambs quarters, onion grass, garlic, wood sorrel, heal-all, wild blackberries, and more.

 

I had several medicinal and edible plant guides, like Peterson's Field Guide to Medicinal Plants & Herbs of Eastern & Central N. America, all of Tom Brown, Jr.'s books, in particular, Guide to Wild Edible and Medicinal Plants. I, also, had Euell Gibbons' books, like Stalking the Wild Asparagus.

 

My ability to make recipes using wild food was limited. I think my best use of wild foods was making a coffee-like beverage from roasted chicory roots.

 

My big takeaway from my foraging experiences was I stopped calling any plant a weed. It's a poor classification for useful plants. Then, there are "invasive plants." The dandelion is an "invasive plant", meaning it is not native to North America. It came with the colonists, brought in accidentally in various shipments of foodstuffs, or grains.

Here is the USDA guide to "Invasive Species."

You may have heard of Kudzu. In some states, this plant grows fast and covers large areas along highways and fields, crowding out native plants.

Or maybe you've heard of the snake fish, according to the USDA, the fish may have been introduced to N. America via aquarium hobbyists, or some raising it as a food source. (https://www.usgs.gov/faqs/how-did-snakehead-fish-get-united-states)

 

By Wie146 - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0,

https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2781307

 

One suggestion to combat "Invasive Species" is to eat them.

Here are a few recipes ideas for Kudzu and Snake Fish:

Kudzu Recipes

https://cantbeatemeatem.com/recipes/kudzu/

Snake Fish Recipes

https://www.baltimoremagazine.com/section/fooddrink/northern-snakehead-ugly-but-delicious-and-sustainable-to-eat/

 

http://petslady.com/article/eat-mor-snakehead-10-frankenfish-recipes-won-t-bite-back

 

Unfortunately, where I live now, my forgaging options are limited to sidewalk wild plants and garden escapees. But, The Black Forager has rekindled my interest in wild plants.

 

I admire The Black Forager, she is brilliant. She always alerts followers to any dangers in using wild plants or issues of foraging in various areas. She know the Latin names for plants. Plus, often she gives a history lesson along the way.

 

The Black Forager has gone viral. She has appeared on Sesame Street, late night TV shows like Jimmy Kimmel, magazine covers, and more.

 

Foraging is a way to find your roots.

Some Links for The Black Forager:

 

NPR

https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2021/09/09/173838801/meet-alexis-nikole-nelson-the-wildly-popular-black-forage

 

YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/c/BlackForager

 

Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/blackforager/ 

 

TikTok

https://www.tiktok.com/@alexisnikole 

 

Rolling Stone Magazine

https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/forage-food-alexis-nelson-black-forager-tiktok-1323615/ 

 

 

 

 

Queen Elizabeth II - 1926 - 2022

 

The death of Queen Elizabeth II was an historic event. She reigned as Queen of England and the United Kingdom for 70 years. For many, she's the only British Queen they've known.

British residents and others lined the streets following her casket and stood in line for hours to see the Queen's casket before it was moved to the Westminister Abby for the funeral service.

 

(Note: Map does not show full route.)

These pictures hardly cover the various events and ceremonies over the nine-day funeral following the Queen's casket from Balmoral Castle to London and finally to Windsor Castle.

 

 

 

Among the hundreds of dignitaries and Royal Family members on The Queen's guest list, there were a few surprises, such as The Duchess of York.

Many have noted The Queen demonstrated, in many ways, her desire for her family to heal from its many tragedies. 

 

 

 

While the Queen's funeral was a very public event, it was also a private family event where family tensions were visible on the public stage.

I feel the monarchy will struggle for years to reconstruct its image and importance.

September 17 -- Talking Health But Doing Sickness

Talking health but doing sickness

—Patricia Kinloch, Health Services Researcher in Samoa

The quote above is the title of a book on Samoan health. I find it to be a very profound epigraph.

How often do we talk health and do sickness. We talk about ridding our people of disease and we support industries that release carcinogens into the air. We talk about healing, and we use drugs that have side effects that are later found to be lethal. We talk about raising healthy children and we isolate our young mothers with little or no support.

The Samoans see sickness as a disruption in the social order. Illness, in Samoan culture, is much bigger than germs and biology. They recognize that illness is not just an individual issue. It affects the community and the group to which the person belongs.

It is important to see that even our ideas about illness are culturally based.

From: Native Wisdom for White Minds by Anne Wilson Schaef

Cathy's Kitchen Restaurant & Diner

Cathy's Kitchen Restaurant & Diner

 

 

From the ashes of the Ferguson, MO protests, Cathy Jenkins has found multiple ways to keep Cathy's Kitchen open and growing. In the midst of protests and a pandemic, Cathy has adapted. She also provides free meals during the pandemic, offers carryout and food delivery services.

"Her eclectic menu has now been served through protests, riots and a global pandemic." --Sauce Magazine

According to @CathysKitchens, Cathy Jenkins was inspired to open a restaurant after she took a two-month road trip around 2012.

 

Her menu is influenced by African-American recipe ideas.

 

 

Resources:

http://www.cathyskitchen.net  @CathysKitchens

https://www.saucemagazine.com/a/58855/cathys-kitchen-owner-cathy-jenkins-on-feeding-ferguson-throu

 

https://www.yellowpages.com/saint-louis-mo/mip/cathys-kitchen-475548665

 

  https://www.facebook.com/CathysKitchenrestaurant

 

DIY: Flowers and Bangles from Waste Materials

When I look at the items I try to save and/or reuse, I find I saved lots of TP rolls, cans and jars, carryout containers, advertising phamplets, travel magazines, newspapers, milk and juice cartons, and more.

Once this DIY project began, the carry-out containers were great as a places to let a variety items dry in various stages of preparation, all around the salon.

The cans and jars helped sort the bits and pieces, including lots of bread bag twists.

Then, I started to look for projects to use these items.

I am not one of those people who has to look trendy, I tend to favor off-beat ideas. Many of the flower ideas were appealing and I like bangles, so, I will probably be making lots of these items.

I was amused. In just a few days, I went from struggling to make one newspaper roll to feeling like a pro.

Credit: Large newspaper flowers
https://youtu.be/mzmzk_q0LR4

Large Flowers

While the artist uses newspaper and watercolors, I did not have any watercolors, so I choose to use magazine paper, it is a bit heavier and has more color.

Used a TP roll to cut out front and back buttons. Cut bits of colored paper to color “button.” Used a bit of twisted bread bag tie to secure the front and back of the button.

Made 2 flowers and 1/3 of a jar of confetti for future party favor projects.

I really like these flowers! They are large, colorful, and easy to make.

Can you feel my confidence growing?

Bangles 

Credit: Newspaper Bangles
https://youtu.be/Xprt1Bnh5ac

Magazine Paper Bangles
https://youtu.be/G1jqHLYUfgY

After looking at so many DIY videos, I am not surprised, I confused two videos and adapted their ideas into my own creation.

Again, one artist uses decorative "wallpaper" to customize her bangles, and the other artist uses newspaper and ribbon to make bangles.

I choose to use two types of paper, one, magazine paper for the shape, and two, a glossy menu pamphlet from my “memorabilia” collection, from one of my trips, for a ribbon-like decoration.

I used one of my bangles in my search for a jar or container to use to shape the size of the bangle.

 

DIY: Garbage Bag Dispenser

Rolling along, got the idea from this video:

https://youtu.be/UPs-jBdYKPU 

I used an empty wax paper dispenser and taped over the “saw” edge. 

Then, I tried to determine where make the cuts in the back of the box by eyeballing it. I made the cuts, then after marking the top of the box to indicate where the holes were, I used the box to determine where to affix the hooks. 

Unfortunately, I had to glue the hooks to the wall, after affixing the adhesive backs alone, they fell off the wall in a few minutes. 

Glued the hooks and waited an hour then hung the box. 

Got to be gentle with the box when I pull out a bag.

 

DIY: Glitter Water Bottle

Credit: http://www.kidsomania.com/diy-magic-bottles-of-water-and-confetti/ and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCaI-5WVRlY&feature=youtu.be

I had fun making this.

My motto "Use What You Have" came into play, here.

The instructions called for colorful rubber bands. I happen to have a set of NPS special rubber bands in the shape of NPS symbols.

No glitter, so I cut up some aluminum coverings from empty pill packages, instead. I challenged myself to cut these little tabs into pieces as small as I could cut them.

No food dyes, I am still working on making some natural dyes. My spinach green was too light.

Used hand bacterial gel in place of glycerin. Also, I used more than I thought the original hack suggested.

 

I dropped in a variety of beads from my jewelry craft box.

My kitchen is a strange place now, part kitchen, part chemistry lab. I worry I might use the DIY jewelry cleaner as dressing.

 

 

From COVID19 to DIY YouTube Adventures

I have not been blogging much lately. COVID19 has changed all our lives.

To attempt to blog about my experiences seems trivial because I am better off than many.

But, I have experienced a range of emotions.

 

Concerns about my family and friends. Concerns about everyone.

 

Distressed reading about doctors, nurses, paramedics struggling to help their patients.

 

Scared and sad seeing underpaid “essential workers” facing illness or potential illness.

 

Shocked watching those in power, some who fail to handle the situation and those who struggle to help their constituents.

 

Stunned observing the effects the pandemic is having on the global economy.

 

Proud so many people are taking this situation seriously and following the health guidelines.

 

Amazed at the innovation businesses are developing in a constantly changing environment.

 

My days are upside down. I often don’t sleep. I am not cooking much or trying any new recipes. I am sticking to my basic menu choices, mug recipes, toast toppings, pasta dishes, overnight oats, chicken, salmon, and potato salads, basic chicken soup and some fruit, and the infamous PB&J.

 

Grocery shopping is erratic. Sometimes store hours change. Store inventories vary. Occasionally, I get home delivery from nearby cafes or restaurants.

 

But, I am also becoming a recluse. I walk in circles in the parking lot late at night to avoid people. I don’t leave my home for weeks at at time. Then, try to schedule errands on one day to limit my exposure.

 

My attention span has shrunk and it wasn’t that long to begin with. Luckily, my health is ok most of the time. But, I have weeks where all I do is sleep and that wrecks havoc with my health.

 

Luckily, my family and friends are doing ok.

 

Recently, I began exploring DIY YouTube videos. I had always wanted to make pillows out of some favorite t-shirts. That search also brought up dozens of sites about various t-shirt conversations and more, and that began my DIY YouTube Adventure.

Vegetable Chopper

For years, I contemplated buying a blender, instead I bought a manual vegetable chopper.

It is simple to use and clean.

During COVID19, I did not go out much or very far.

Nearby tiendas did not have celery,so I got some chayote.

(Source: Wikipedia.com)

After I had washed it, removed the seed and cut it into slices,
I used the chopper to “dice” the chayote.

After adding the slices to the chopper bin and pumping the blades for a minute or two, the chayote was cut into variety of small pieces.

I added some of the chayote to a chicken salad mixture in place of celery. It tasted fresh and crunchy.

See also, Chicken Salad Mixture post.

Vignette: Mary's Story

Mary's Story

Late one Halloween evening as I got ready for bed, I got indigestion. I was unable to lie down, sit down, or standup with any comfort. I hurt. Nothing helped.

By morning, I called the doctor and made an appointment. I went by cab. Once there, I threw up. The doctor told me to go the hospital and asked how was I getting there. "Cab," I said but, at that moment, a neighbor stuck her head in the door and offered to drive me. She had followed me to the doctor’s.

After an agonizing ride and entrance interview that I moaned and stumbled through, I was taken up to a room. Surrounded by doctors, nurses, interns, and residents who kept asking questions, I rolled on the bed unable to lie down. Eventually, I faded out of consciousness, vaguely aware they were attempting to hookup an IV and were having trouble inserting the needle.

Time blurred.

I moaned and groaned my way in and out of a fever. I heard indecision above me about what was the true nature of my illness. I buried myself in blankets, levered myself up to a sitting position, and rocked between sleep and consciousness. I dreamt in purples and greens, and somewhere in the middle of it all, a woman in the next bed moaned and groaned, too.

Gradually, I became aware I had a roommate, Mary. She and I agreed to moan together. As I lay there drifting in and out, between the doctors and nurses who kept telling me I was seriously ill, Mary told me about her family, a living horror story, and I remember thinking this is too much.

Here's a woman next to me with her whole body out of whack and a family from hell. She had worked two jobs to support her fatherless family, buy a home and literally with every ounce of her soul, her energy, and her body, she supported countless people who gave her nothing in return. She had more stamina than I could ever dream of.

I fell asleep thinking I would die with her life's story in my ears. I thought it an irony as my consciousness faded. As I regained consciousness again, my inside voice said, "you can be positive or negative about this, you make the choice."

I woke up laughing.

I joked with the nurses and doctors, said please and thank you, and tried not to complain. Eventually an exploratory procedure found the blocked bile duct and it was cleaned out.

Nothing in my life helped me understand what was happening to Mary. I listened as she told me of generations that pulled away, each generation less supportive, less warm. Now there were grown children who had forgotten what it meant to be human.
I heard of beatings, theft, vandalism, drinking, unwanted children, abandoned pets, and fights. I heard of her attempts to hide food and money from her children because they took everything. I heard of her attempts to shield her aging father from her children's physical abuse, going so far as to put a lock on his door.

What advice could I offer her after all her years of doing? I had no children. Silly me, I tried to teach her meditation exercises to reduce stress. I remember lying there trying to describe, in an unpracticed voice, mountains, ocean beaches and forests, wishing for some comfort in her life.

When I visited the hospital chapel, I thought this Mary's story and that her survival was a miracle, her strength a wonder, so much without joyous fruition.

As medications began to make me feel better, Mary and I became "the pajama party" on the floor. Mary joked constantly. We laughed and teased the interns, technicians, nurses, and doctors. We had IV contests to see whose IV needle would stay in the longest. I lost.

All day and all night, she worked her phone managing her home and family from her bed, paying bills and instructing family members to care for her aging father left at home. By the end of the week, he, too, was admitted to a hospital.

Then, it came time for surgery. After I was prepped, moved onto a gurney and rolled out of the room, Mary came up to me and wished me luck.

The last face I saw before going into surgery was that of the Indian resident. He was beautiful. I could not have asked for a better last vision. I smiled and thanked God.

After surgery, it was pain big time and, of course, they wanted me to get up and walk immediately. I did and Mary and I called it the gall bladder slide as I shuffled my feet and pushed my IV along the floor.

I had not eaten in a week. When they brought my first meal, I could not even eat a pea. My mouth just would not accept it. Great way to diet, I thought. For the rest of my stay, I gave most of my food to Mary. She either saved it in plastic baggies she brought with her or feed her family when they came to visit.

When any of her children entered the room, darkness descended as they stood like large, grim, silent shadows against the wall. No words of affection or concern. No smiles. Pain from low self-esteem like beaten dogs emanated from them.

Once Mary sighed and said she wished her family had sent her flowers. When they came to take Mary for her procedure, I went to her side, squeezed her hand and wished her well.

As we both began to get better, we talked more. I was eager to return to my life. I do not think Mary was. She had been hospitalized many times for an odd digestive aliment I did not understand. Her throat, her stomach and most of her digestive organs were scarred and ulcerated. I think her hospital stays were a respite from her life.

The time we spent together in that room was intense. She was more comfort to me than I was to her but we had a good time. When I started roaming the hospital floors, I ventured downstairs to the gift shop and bought Mary flowers and a teddy bear. I got a nurse to help me surprise her. She was. I wanted give her something to take home.

Becoming a Tightwad

Becoming a Tightwad

Anyone who knows me, knows I love books. My interests range from mysteries to scientific non-fiction. I also like self-help books. Several self-help books have enhanced my life. One book saved my life, The Tightwad Gazette (TWG) by Amy Dacyczyn.

If you are not familiar with the Tightwad Gazette, let me briefly describe it. It is a book about money, how to save it, how to spend it wisely, how to understand the power of compound interest and the power of setting financial goals.

Sounds like more dry text about math, stocks, and mutual funds doesn’t it?

Well, does saving vacuum cleaner lint, storing cans of tomatoes under your bed, buying pounds of chicken on sale, or yardsaling with a map, thermos, and a packed lunch sound like dry complicated math?

These are just a few tactics from thousands of similar tips offered by the author, Amy Dacyczyn, and her readers, to save money.

Conversion to becoming a tightwad was a joy. The book made me laugh. But conversion to becoming a tightwad was not without its mishaps.

One fundamental of being a tightwad is cooking your own meals from basic ingredients and not buying ready-made foods, or eating out a lot. I am not a cook, So, I learned to cook, sorta.

When I got the TWG in the mid-1990s, I had one cookbook, a rice cookbook. I made a lot of rice dishes. Having only a microwave also limited my cooking repertoire. But, hey, I could do potatoes five different ways.

Plus, I made muffins. Of course, I had to experiment in order to get them right. It amazed me how recipes try to describe the correct consistency for dough mix. I made probably thirty muffins before I got it right.

Then I went and made over 100 muffins and ended up offering them to anyone who would take them. I finally stopped making muffins when my consumption dropped and the muffins turned green.

Two other TWG tactics I use are the once a month shopping routine and the price book. You enter the price of items from receipts, or from direct mail advertisements into a small notebook to carry with you to compare prices when you are out shopping to determine if you are getting a good price. What a wonder, I had no idea how many sales were not really sales.

Using the price book idea also added a sense of intrigue to the task of grocery shopping. In the States, when I was in a grocery store comparing the prices of various gallons of ice cream, I found myself blushing as if I were doing something illegal. When what I had discovered was I could get ice cream cheaper at a competitor’s store.

Though I already had ceiling fans, used cloth napkins, and bought used clothes, books and various household items, I still felt like a failure as a tightwad. I didn’t salvage items from alongside the road, or bargain with yard sale entrepreneurs for a reduced price. It felt like I paid full price compared to the deals Amy got, like tennis shoes from a freebie box, or a blouse for a quarter because it had a small tear.

I did learn to make pickles, apple crisp, and use leftovers in various ways.

Using the price book as a guide, I held the line at .99 for a pack of four rolls of toilet paper. You have no idea the joy in finding toilet paper on sale for less than .25 a roll.

I had to figure out what fruits and vegetables were in season in order to catch sales at their peak, it was like surfing a monetary wave.

I’ve got good at making milk from dry powder and I would go out of my way to buy juice concentrates on sale. I had enough shampoo to last a year, several boxes of raisins in the refrigerator, and tubs of butter in the freezer I got on sale over a year ago.

Amy also suggests saving 10% or more of your salary. While I was working, I did this. As my savings grew, I was able to put some of the cash into certificates of deposit, which at that time, paid higher interest rates.

Mexico Update

The above article was written in the late-1990s. Today, I still struggle to be a good tightwad. Yet, it is because of the TWG I was able to travel to Mexico to get good, affordable, accessible health care and survive on my emergency savings.

When I look at the various frugality posts on my blog, I see I could do better. For example, I could find a bank where I can get an ATM card and make withdrawals for no fee. Banking in Mexico is complicated.

When I started a new “frugal” hobby, making my own earrings, I hesitated to begin a new hobby because I had a bad habit of buying supplies for a new hobby and never investing time into the hobby.

But, I love earrings (aretes), so after spending $900MX (~70.00US), I have made more than 80 pairs of earrings, so far.

In the marketplace, street vendor or retail store, aretes (earrings) can run from 20pesos to hundreds of pesos.

What is also great about my hobby is if I need a gift for someone, I make a pair of aretes. Or, if I want aretes to go with an outfit, I just make a pair.

I think my aretes now cost about 12 pesos a pair. So, you could say my hobby has already paid for itself.
 
But, I could go more often to open food markets or flea markets to buy food, or household items, spices, clothes, and other items for less.

I could learn to “haggle”, to negotiate for a favorable price with a vendor. I have heard that “haggling” is common in Mexico.

I do research and attempt to understand the local economy. Because the minimum wage is low, I am not comfortable “haggling” for a lower price. Usually, if I do not like the price, I do not buy the item.

In the case of a taxi ride, I do know how much it should cost to go from A to B, so if the taxi does not have a meter, I ask the driver what the price would be to go to B. If the price is too high, I decline the taxi.

Living between countries puts pressure on my limited tightwad abilities. I still haven't figured out the an easy, frugal way to travel.

But, that is part of what it means to be a tightwad, to me. It's means you continue to experiment with, explore, and research ways to save money that will enhance your life. I can't paint, dance, write poetry, or other artistic endeavors, but I can creatively save money. Being a tightwad is a creative endeavor anyone can do.

Grocery Shopping as an Adventure

Grocery Shopping as an Adventure

In the past, going to the grocery store was just an errand squeezed in during a busy work week. Grab what you need and go.

But, three changes occurred in my life that altered my perspective on grocery shopping.

First, I got the Tightwad Gazette by Amy Dacyzcyn, and learned to use a "price book.” Also, I limited my grocery shopping to one day a month and learned to cook some basic recipes like the Universal Casserole, Cuban Bread, various "baked" potato toppings and more. The recipes replaced my usual potato chips and PB&J dinners, and the microwave frozen dinners I took to work for lunch.

The second change was when I moved back home to live with my elderly mother. She had stopped cooking, so I learned to make Reuben sandwiches, dump cake, grilled cheese sandwiches, crock pot dishes and more, always attempting to make dishes my mom would like. The crock pot made me look like a good cook. They are amazing.

At that time, I went to a day-old bakery for breads and sweets, an Asian market for eggs and other items, and a grocery store with lower prices for the rest. When I went grocery shopping, it was a break from work and some time alone, where I explored each aisle looking for bargains, examining new products and thinking about what mom would like.

The third change came years later. I traveled to Mexico and wrote a cookbook for noncooks. Now, I continue to research and try “new” recipes.

So, when I go grocery shopping now, still approximately once a month, it is like a mini-escape from the world where I still explore the aisles and ponder ideas like 'how did this can of Heinz potatoes get here?'

Maybe it was trucked from a farm in the U.S. to a canning factory, then trucked to a U.S. shipping port, then moved by ship to Mexico, then trucked to a distribution center and finally trucked to individual stores? Most of the food in grocery stores, around the world, travels thousands of miles from farms to stores.

I love the Ad Council's media spot on The Life and Times of Strawberry which highlights some of the rigors of food transportation and distribution.

Among expats here, there is a saying, “If you see a product you like, buy several because it may not be there next time.” So, when I see canned chicken, I buy several because it may only be on the shelves for a short time and not replaced for many many months.

When I first came to Mexico, the contents of the shelves in grocery stores were puzzling. I remember being amazed at the rows and rows of canned corn.

I wondered, “What do they do with all this corn?” I don’t have the final answer but I am living in the land of corn. It is worshipped and is part of Mayan mythology and many Mexican recipes feature corn.
 
Also, I saw lots and lots of hotdogs of various brands and types. I still don’t know what they use all these hotdogs for, there is a snack made from fried hotdog slices, street vendors do sell grilled hotdogs, and hotdog slices can be found in several recipes in restaurants. But, I never hear the term “backyard barbecue.” I have never been invited to a Mexican barbecue. Hamburgers are becoming popular but that does not explain all those hotdogs.

As I push my cart up and down the aisles, I still think of mom and often buy products she would have liked, like sauerkraut for Reuben sandwiches.

Mom was a great cook. Nothing I make compares to her dishes. I remember she was always trying new recipes and hated it when we kids turned up our noses at some new dish when we wanted "pigs in a blanket" (hot dogs with cheese wrapped in bacon).
 
American, British, Japanese, and food products from around the world can be found on many aisles these days.

I like Earl Grey tea from Bigelow (another item I buy several of if I see it).

Also, I am always amused when I see the familiar, famous Kraft blue box of Mac & Cheese.At one time, this was a mainstay meal for me. But, now, I can make my own "Mac & Cheese" from scratch in a variety of ways.

When I go grocery shopping, I also like to discover new items like this one: “powdered butter." I found it on my last trip. I've never seen this before. I used it. It does taste like butter, hummm.

I remember when a recipe called for descented onion juice. I thought, 'why bother'? But, powdered butter could be useful.

This spice is made by McCormick.

McCormick like Heinz and other American brands can be found more frequently in “high-end” grocery stores.

I am intrigued by the penetration of U.S. products into the Mexican market.

Coca Cola has been here for decades. It was one of first things I noticed. You could see the battle between Coca Cola and Pepsi played out in the economica cocinas.

These cafes carry either Coca Cola or Pepsi products and for their patronage, the soda companies provided lots of plastic tables and chairs emblazoned with their logo, so when you scan the landscape, you see Coca Cola won the war by the number of Coca Cola tables and chairs versus Pepsi's.

Hurray! On my recent trip to the grocery store, I finally found “Wagon Wheels” or Rotelle pasta for the Star Trek Cookbook recipe, Garrett Wang’s Chicken and Sun-Dried Tomatoes.

 I have been looking for “Wagon Wheels” for at least a year.