Taxis and Taxistas

September 27, 2007
Today the metro was a lot more crowded than usual and the train stayed at Bellas Artes a long time; then an announcement was broadcast that from Hidalgo, the next stop where several lines cross, only one line was open, so I decided to take a taxi to school. We've been warned to take only sitio cabs, the ones that have a fixed position such as at a hotel, and not to hail one from the street, especially not the VW bugs that have only one door to exit. I don't know anyone who follows this advice, and I would have missed out on many interesting conversations if I had heeded it. Of course, it's the prudent thing to do in a city that has experienced taxi crime, but the media report mostly the bad things that happen. What's interesting in reporting that thousands of people arrived safely to their destination? Anyway, the first taxista today gave me detailed instructions for preparing Pollo en Vino Blanco a la Mexicana (Chicken in White Wine, Mexican Style); I'm renameing the dish Pollo en Vino Blanco a la Miguel and can't wait to try it. The second taxista, who was driving a VW bug, gave me a tip about an interesting site to visit outside the city called Valle de las Monjas, near a national park, Desierto de los Leones. And he insisted for me to write down his name, Andres, and phone number, explaining that he didn't have a card to give me ( lots of people hand out business cards - we need to get some too) because someone had robbed him! For all of you who worry about our safety, please be assured that we are cautious, just not paranoid.
Tonight, Bill is preparing shrimp according to a recipe that Jorge, from the Casa González, gave us. Most important step: thoroughly clean all the vegetables and herbs (in this case, cilantro) and soak them in water with a few drops of Microdyne for 15 minutes. While we're waiting for this process, we're contemplating going to the premiere of Los declaro marido....y Larry (I pronounce you husband....and Larry: Chuck & Larry), Adam Sandler's new movie. We're not big fans, but hey, they closed down the street in front of the Metropolitan, brought out the pink carpet, and decorated it every few feet with beautiful flower arrangements - preparation enough to pique our interest.