The Cruise--Details
I didn't include more details in the prior "The Cruise" post for two reasons. 1) I didn't think anyone would be interested; and 2) This trip didn't include much of the normal topics: good beer, good coffee or John-style travel. But there are details, which may be useful to some people contemplating how such a trip is put together. On the first day of the trip, we drove three hours to pick up my mother in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. At 85, she isn't comfortable driving for long distances and hadn't flown for many years. We then drove 3 1/2 more hours to Chicago, where we checked into the Wyndham, where you can get a room that includes the cost of parking for up to 12 days. We were up early on the hotel shuttle to O'Hare, where we then boarded the a non-stop American Airlines flight to New Orleans. Here, we checked into a Hampton Inn near the port. My mother was pretty tired, so Julia and I went out for a Cajun dinner and live music. Rememberi...
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And good to hear about the chicken. Michelle isn't crazy about seafood but will eat chicken. If I'm still around next winter I'm gonna show her your blog and see if I can convince her to take a couple of weeks off.
Beautiful sunrise!
Having cleaned my plate and still hungry, I asked, in English, for some beans and rice. When she brought them, in two small bowls, she set them, very firmly, on the table while saying, in what sounded like a (hilarious) parody, "Beans and rice."
We thereupon were able to identify the pale brown mush that'd been served earlier. Though the color was similar, the lack of flavor (pressure-cooked?) and thin texture had us mystified. We'd never seen beans like these before.
Do you think frijoles refrito are a new thing? In my youthful travels in Mexico all I ever saw were black beans. And they were always whole.