Muchos babies in Pinal Villa

Yesterday was the fiesta of chicharron and carnitas of the pig seen on the previous post. Also lots of beer and loud rancho music. Saturday we quit work at 2 so we showered at my place and headed over with 4 buckets of beer. Jimmy, Sandy and I were the only gringos. Lots of dancing and playing with the kids. A bunch of great people whom I'm lucky to have as neighbors.

Early on with about half the crowd there

Hugo's baby with mom in the background

Hugo's brother and baby

Neighbors

Grandma and baby

The workers diet

The workers diet is generally not very good and they eat a lot of it. Chicharron is a favorite and is cooked up every morning in multiple places around Melaque in these large vats. Wednesday is beef day at this Jaluco butcher shop ... along with the usual pork. You usually have to get there before 10am or it will be gone ... or at least the best parts of meat. Chicharrón is mainly skin but also any tender part of the animal ... cooked until it is unrecognizable and crunchy. One kilo of tortillas and a large bottle of Coke makes breakfast.

Carnitas is another breakfast favorite and these stores/restaurants usually close by noon. Carnitas (little meats) is boiled pork that can be ordered as meat only or about 1/4 fat. Carnitas usually come with tortillas and salsa.

The exceptions to this heavy, greasy diet are when one of the workers wife makes something at home and she brings it over. They live just a block away and often there are nice surprises. Still the large bottle of Coke is required.

Charales Fabrica in Chapala

I went down to my old landlord's today in Chapala to get a note about the date I moved from Melaque. I needed it for my upcoming FM3 renewal and we moved the date around to fit the 30 day requirement. 3-4 visits to Immigration to record a move and 2 months later do it again to renew did not make much sense.

His wife was home but he was around the corner doing the books for a business that cooked and sold Charales. He's an accountant known here as a Contador (Accountant/CPA). I was unsure if I'd had Charales before and certainly had not had fresh ones. His wife suggested we go meet him, look at the store and try some. It turned out they bought me a 1/2 kilo which the owner would not accept money for (from his accountant).

Charales are common in most of Mexico's highland lakes.

So anyway, they have spiced, plain and small pieces of a larger fish that looks like Chicharron when cooked. Buy in a fancy basket or by the kilo in a plastic bag. I asked if I could check out the processing plant so took the pictures below. I don't know how they fish these things in Lake Chapala but assume with a fine net similar to the bottom foto from Patzcuaro - but I've never seen anything similar here. Supposedly the fishing is done near Mezcala where the water is cleaner.

What ever you think about eating fish from the polluted lakes of Mexico ... I just thought they were the pure grease they were cooked in. Was suggested to place absorbant napkins at the bottom of a container and let them sit.

The Fancy Plate


Sorting the fish


The kitchen


What they might fish them with