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  • Photos: A Mexico City Christmas

    Meet Srs. Negrito and Blanco We are doing a pet sit in Mexico City this week while the owner goes on vacation for Christmas. Christmas Dinner We stopped in at one of my Mexico City favorites for dinner, Balcon de Zocalo. Joan ordered the filet, and I ordered the seasonal tasting menu. Christmas in the…

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  • Spotlight on scanners: Martha Reynals

    Joan introduced me to a term she learned from Barbara Sher: Scanners. Everyone knows them; the ones who can’t stay focused on a single task or get easily bored with traditional work. For a long time Joan struggled with the judgment of family and friends until she came across the scanner description. It was a…

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  • Gastronomic food tour of Puebla

    Our gastronomic food tour of Puebla began at a glass boutique. Martha appended this to the beginning of our epicurean experience because Joan wanted to see samples of work from artists unique to Puebla. You’ve all seen the clear Mexican water glasses with the blue rims, and this design originated in Puebla. I was overwhelmed…

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  • Mexico’s vibrant malls are indicative of a strong middle class

    Joan and I visited the Solesta shopping mall in Puebla the other day, and we both remarked how good it felt. It seemed odd to us since the mall represents so much of what we don’t like about the USA: destruction of local businesses, relentless consumerism, and conformity. Perhaps our enjoyment was just nostalgia for…

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  • Some of the nicest supermarkets in the world are in Mexico

    It all started in the pursuit of peanut butter. While I’ve occasionally figured out how to smuggle my own peanut butter into Mexico, there comes a time when I need a replenishment. Though it’s not widely available, you can find peanut butter in some of the bigger supermarkets, but it almost always contains excessive amounts…

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  • Enchiladas with squash blossoms on top

    Photos: Getting beyond Mexican street food in Puebla

    Puebla offers some of the most extraordinary food I’ve had in Mexico. In addition to being the root of many traditional Mexican foods like Mole and Chiles en Nogada, Puebla is a hub for Mexican fusion. It’s probably also the one place in Mexico where you can get food from any Mexican state! Comedor 360…

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  • A view of the hilltown of Taxco Mexico with the steeples of Santa Prisca jutting above the skyline

    Staying at Casa Spratling, the former silver studio of William Spratling

    The period of 1900-1950 marked the Mexican Renaissance and brought us names like Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo. It also attracted American born architect, William Spratling, to the tiny silver mining town of Taxco in 1931. He was surprised to find that, despite the mining, there was no silversmithing, and he opened his silversmith shop…

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  • Photo of breakfast and lunch plates with breakfast faded out

    Three reasons to try Intermittent Fasting

    I’ve always thought the suggestion “breakfast is the most important meal of the day” to be a farce. At worst, it was just something conjured up by cereal companies to sell their product. Breakfast has always been a light meal for me so, when I decided to eliminate it altogether, it wasn’t very difficult. After…

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  • Photo of Tom, Joan, and Ernestina with the coffee bean roaster at Taxkafe

    Our coffee plantation tour in Taxco, Mexico where we learn the entire coffee making process.

    As a tour guide, I struggle to sign up for a tour when I travel, believing I can put it together on my own for a fraction of the price. I should know better because, as a tour guide, I know the unique perspective a local can offer. Choosing the Taxco coffee plantation tour on…

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