Friday, August 03, 2007



Rebecca was most disappointed that Howard Houston's wife Lynne did not serve either deep-fried bat wings (with chipotle sauce) or baked armadillo. I had told Rebecca this was to be our menu in our first evening in Texas. Rebecca will eat anything and she will try anything, at least once. Instead Lynne served us the best barbecued pork loin I have ever had in my life. Even Rosemary had second helpings.

In Mérida Rebecca particularly liked the ordinary Yucatecan dishes and her favourite was Pok-Chuk which is a grilled pork steak that is fly sliced very thinly and smothered with Yucatecan red onions. The most distinguished restaurant we went to was at the Hacienda Xcanatún, 12 kms outside Mérida on the way to the seaport and seaside resort (a favourite of Meridanos) of Puerto Progreso. You can see here the day's menu. Rebecca had Pok-Chuk and for dessert real vanilla ice cream (it was creamy yellow) with crepes with cajeta and brandy flambe.

We loved going to the main square to Heladería Colón where Rebecca soon found the sorbete de mango her favourite while I liked the one made from the Mexican lemon.



Since it was so hot (it hovered around 36°)we had to eat our sorbetes quickly. I suggested to the waiter that they keep the glass cups under refrigeration but he looked at me as if I were crazy.



At our hotel, La Casa del Balam (jaguar in Mayan) we modified our continental breakfast fruit plate so that we were only served the intensely sweet red papaya.




Rebecca decided she was extra hungry, a few times, and ordered huevos rancheros or huevos benedictinos. When this happened I had to help her.