Forecast: sunshine galore

Many years ago, the dotter announced that for Christmas, she wanted a sun for her wall. A big sun. One of those excellent suns you see in Mexican restaurants, for example. It sounded like a perfectly sensible and easy-to-fulfill request. Hah! Not very likely. For, though today's product line of consumer suns is much more varied and bigger in size, I still get the impression that there is a secret place where the owners of Mexican restaurants go to get their particular style of sun, no Gringos allowed.
Here are stake-into-the-ground suns I saw over at Home Depot a week ago. Metallic and burnished, radiating desert heat like a John Huston movie. Not the ambiance that would suit the proprietor of a Mexican restaurant. No way.

The closest to those smoldering disks is this sun from Garcia's. But this fat fellow is ready to blow a little breeze your way to cool you off.

Next, a sun from Casa Sanchez. This is, in general, the type of sun that we searched for, fruitlessly, for the dotter for Christmas that year. I really like this guy!

Though I dearly admire the colors and designs that decorate these ladies on the walls at Annalina's, I am troubled by the vacant eyes! Sexism, that's what! I'm sure that a strong, masculine Sol would definitely have real, all-seeing eyes.

Nonetheless, I'd still like to know exactly where one can buy this sort of a sun.

Have you tried this market yet?

Any of you readers out there recall what a neighborhood food market is like? In the big city, we had them, of course; many were ethnic specialists. If you were a regular customer, the owner(s) knew you, which was always pleasant! We have such a market here in Prescott, over in the Goodwin Street Plaza, across from the big drug store.

Yes, the offerings are predominantly Mexican, but I've taken care of other needs at Garcia's, as well. A good produce section, BTW, and not just salsa ingredients.

Interesting canned goods -- including one of my favorites, albondigas (meatball) soup.

The variety of juices is excellent -- and unusual. The other day, I tried out the plum nectar. Quite tasty! Another item I bought to treat my sweet tooth looked a lot like penuche fudge, but was a lot smoother -- it was called milk candy and I ate a very large piece in one sitting. Next time, I plan to buy a pumpkin turnover or two -- they looked yummy.

In the restaurant/deli, I bought a batch of deep fried pork chunks & ribs. One meal with salsa and then the pork went German-style in sauerkraut. It was pork that tasted like candy -- the sort of pork one enjoyed in the old days before the health nuts turned it into "the other white meat," tough and dry. Maybe I'll see you in the store one of these days.

Pinatas & More

The Mexican food store over on West Goodwin, in the Park Plaza shopping center is open. It looks good. Clean. Well stocked shelves. The cashier also said, "fresh baked bread every day."

And, in time for Christmas, a big supply of bright pinatas.

In addition to a basic produce section, plenty of interesting canned and packaged goodies.

A meat, cheese and deli counter.

And a bright yellow deli/ restaurant where, the owner assured me, they'd be glad to make mole for me! Wow.

All very interesting. One way of looking at it is that this old shopping center (Prescott's 1st, by the way) has suddenly become a place for food away from home. There's also the Thai take-out (above)...

...a little sub shop...

And a workman told me that the site of the former Liquor Barn is on its way becoming a bakery/ deli/liquor store, with the bakery predominating.

So I guess that change isn't always that bad! Even in Prescott.

Holy Mole!

Between June 1946 and the summer of 1949, something terrible happened to Arizona. Amnesia, perhaps, or Taco Bell (or a precursor). I'm not sure which. What I do know is that during my two years at Phoenix Junior College, every Thursday the cafeteria served enchiladas en mole. And that when my friends and I went down to South Central Avenue to Mexican restaurants, the combinacion plate included enchiladas en mole. But, when my first husband and I returned to Phoenix briefly in 1949, there had been a proliferation of Mexican restaurants, none of which had ever heard of mole.

In the meantime, back in Chicago, there opened a number of Mexican restaurants. Amost all of which served enchiladas en mole. In all my subsequent years in Chicago, I never had a problem ordering mole in a Mexican restaurant, whether fancy or cheap.

I should explain. Mole has nothing to do with rodents who live underground; besides, you pronounce the final "e". Mole is a sauce or gravy usually containing unsweetened chocolate, spices, ground seeds (pumpkin, for example) and thickening agents. No tomatoes. It is yummy. It beats those red "enchilada sauces" all hollow!

Perhaps, I thought when we returned to Arizona, a full recovery from amnesia (or Taco Bell-ization) might have occurred. Nope. Not as far as I can tell.

Yes, one can get mole in Prescott. March over to your neighborhood Safeway or Fry's or Wal-Mart (where I took the pictures). There it is. If I have company, I can easily whip up chicken en mole, thanks to Dona Maria. Or La Costena. But it would be oh so cool if a local restaurant would just buy a few jars and make me some enchiladas en mole so I don't have to do the dishes!