BLAT

If you had an endless supply of perfectly ripe tomatoes that taste homegrown, an equally plentiful supply of fresh avocados, and easy access to wonderful bacon, all at a price easily 1/4 what prices are in the U.S., what would you do? The Line family has oficially made Monday night BLAT night (bacon lettuce avocado tomato). The first night we made them (after moving into the apartment) we had no mayo, so we used ranch salad dressing, it has become a standard now. Where did we get ranch salad dressing in Mexico City? At Walmart of course! Garity discovered that celery salt also imparts a really nice taste to them. I am convinced that if we use bleu cheese dressing instead of ranch the sandwhiches will be perfect. Our rule is simple - keep eating the sandwiches until the bacon is gone.

A website I recently read claims that the average American eats about 2 lbs. of avocados a year. Of course that made Garity and I start laughing hysterically. Garity and I will eat that much in a week. The good thing is, avocados are a very nutritious food. They are an excellent source of protein, and are high in fiber and antioxidants. Don't worry about the claims that they have "fat" in them. They contain monounsaturated fats which have been shown to actually boost good cholesterol. The fats they have are beneficial and about as likely to cause a heart attack as celery. The reason people think they can make you fat is because avocado goes really well with bacon, fried tortilla chips, and other delicious foods that are likely add those pounds (like BLATs!).

So while we are here, we are going to enjoy fresh inexpensive avocados. We have been getting them at the open air market right outside our house. A vendor from Michoacan specializes in selling just avocados along with guacamole freshly made in a molcajete (a bowl made from volcanic stone that the Aztecs used to use and that are still used in food preparation in Mexico today). For those who don't like avocados - so sorry, they are definitely one of nature's perfect foods.

Garity will be posting photos soon - I am not allowed to touch the camera except in very rare instances. ¡Buen provecho!