Life in chili land

In Germany, when stating

I love chilis.

 people will most likely respond in a way like

Oh, so you like to eat hot and spicy.

In Germany there is the chili. Period.

But not so here in Mexico, the origin of my beloved capsicum. For Mexicans chili is not a staple, it's actually many staples.

Chipotle, chile de árbol, piquín, chiltepín, habañero, jalapeño... Fresh, dried, smoked, marinated... Sweet, salty, smoky, tangy, zesty, lemonlike, hot...

So, when making the statement above here in Mexico, people will tend to ask you:

Which one is your favourite?

Oh yeah, people here know about chilis. Mexican cuisine is, when it comes to chili's heat, unfortunately nothing but a mere shadow of Thai food. But I'm fine, as I can just carry my own extra hot sauces. Still not as hot as I used to cook back in Germany, but on the other hand at least some kind of chili is available everywhere. Nice!

What else...

Día de Muertos (Day of the Dead) is approaching. Although it's still a bit to go - it's celebrated on All Saints' Day (1/11) and All Souls' Day (2/11) - shops are already full of calaveras (sugar skulls). Of course, marketing nowadays goes far beyond the traditions of this UNESCO Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity, throwing on the market whatever might sell when pressed in skull form. Ever felt the urge to buy skull soap. Here we go:

Soap Calaveras

Also typical is Pan de Muertos, which is not much different from what you can buy at other times, but with "bones" on top. Well, at least you recognize them as such, when you know:

Pan de Muertos

Both, shape and taste strongly reminded me of Mutscheln, a typical pastry from my region in Germany. Sweet yeast dough. Not bad, but I think they use less shortening than we do in Germany, making the dead bread, erm the Bread of the Dead, a bit dry. Actually, I come across many dry loaves here, which to me is kind of surprising considered the bread eating culture here. But perhaps it's just a question of taste preference, rather than expertise...

The filling resembled some kind of creamy ratatouille, which was really nice - but the cranberry-rosemary bread was much too dry...

Suitable for the Day of the Dead, weather adapts and brings back torrential rain.

Great that we don't have proper canalisation here... Who's in for some swimming?!