Nostalgia

Nostalgia

Yesterday, as Sara and I were driving somewhere, we pulled up behind a van that had So-and-So's Cutlery Service written on the side and back. I had never seen a home-service for cutlery at in this country.

However, it brought back a flash of my days in Mexico where some guy on a bicylcle would ride around the neighborhood offering his cutlery sharpening services. He had a sharpenning wheel on the back of the bicycle which would spin as he pedaled with the back wheel propped up.

I had not thought about that in a long time.

We also ended up going to our neighborhood Mexican restaurant for dinner. It turns out that this week is the Tri-national Gastronomy and Culture of Mexico Week (link in Spanish only). Several Mexican restaurants in Boston (and elsewhere, I assume) are offering special menus featuring some of the regional specialties from Mexico. I knew about the offerings at a restaurant in Sommerville that I have been wanting to try. Unfortunately, Sommerville is not an easy trip for us and this week is really busy, so we would have to miss it.

Our local place, however, was also participating. The owners are from Yucatan and they were offering some dishes from that state. We had ceviche, relleno negro, cochinita pibil, flan, pan de muertos, and hot chocolate. I had been looking around for pan de muertos because I always loved having it when I lived in Mexico. Apparently there are not enough Mexicanos in Boston to warrant a Mexican bakery. I was a little disappointed, but such is life. I was able to get some, however. The owner of the place said that he got it from a bakery in Providence. I think I remember the place he was talking about.

I wrote about the Day of the Dead/Halloween in Mexico a couple of years ago if you care to read more about it. Whereas there I felt I was a part of both, here I feel somewhat alienated from both. Maybe that's just part of growing up...

Nonetheless, the food and the memories of the cutlery sharpening guy on his bicycle made me a little nostalgic.