Friday, January 25, 2013

Going Loco with Tostilocos!

There is a food booth on the Malecon that always has lines of people waiting their turn to purchase something called Tostilocos. There was only one way to satisfy my curiosity so I got in line. I walked away with one of the craziest things I've ever eaten.


Tostilocos Recipe
Ingredients:
Tostitos chips - slit bag open horizontally
Add any or all of the following in this order:
Diced cucumber
Diced cueritos (pickled pork skin, think gummi pork and you are on the right track)
Japanese peanuts
Rielitos (chewy nubs of tamarind candy)
Diced clams
 
Fresh squeezed lime juice
Clamato juice
Chamoy sauce
Valentina hot sauce
Tajín chile powder (chili, lime and salt)

Mix well and crunch up a bit. Result: something like a cold gazpacho tortilla soup salt bomb with a bunch of weird stuff in it. Apparently every town or every corner has its own version of Tostilocos.

Tostilocos are Tostitos that have gone crazy (loco) because of everything that is piled onto them. That's kind of like how our Ensenada experience has been so far. The city is not only a destination in itself but also a crossroads for all kinds of workers, travelers, tourists and anything else that comes to mind. In Ensenada you can seek out entertainment, or you can sit in one place and wait for the entertainment to come to you.


Mom is behind with the remote control.
On a sunny weekend day you will see many families arrive in their SUVs with an elaborate mini vehicle tied to the roof. Shortly they will pass by with the tiniest child in a mini-car/Jeep/Hummer/Harley/whatever, and the older kids dashing around on bicycles.

Last Sunday in the sportsbar (Yay Niners!!) we sat at the corner of the bar and met a cruiser named Ray who arrived in July 2012 and hasn't gotten around to leaving yet, a woman named Claire who manages the organic farm at a very high-end Winery/B&B/Restaurant in the Valle de Guadalupe, a young man named Matthew from Louisiana who travels the world working on big boat transmissions (i.e. room-sized gear boxes!), and a trio of doggies all dressed up for their Sunday stroll.

The other night we were snug in our plastic cocoon when all of  a sudden we could hear music, much honking and great rumblings out on the boulevard. We scampered down the ladder, ran across the boatyard and out the gate just in time to catch the end of the "Desfile de Camiones" or Truck Parade.


These are the trucks that will pull the floats in the upcoming Carnaval. What a scene it was!

In the boat work update, Cinnabar has received her first coat of paint. We decided to go with gray. Do you like it?



 

Psych! Here she is after the first round of Awlgrip Vivid Red.

Cinnabar is cinnabar again.


Today it's raining so the next round of painting is delayed. It's a good day to catch up on emails and sort through photographs.


Tostilocos gallery here.



8 comments:

  1. Didn't they have doctored up Tostachos on one of the novelas? Abismo? Some of those toppings sound definitely strange.
    It sounds as if y'all are having a ball. Keep it up.
    Love the nice red Cinnabar. Gray just wouldn't cut it - you'd have to rename her Beluga or some such.
    Love reading your blogs.

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  2. Aha! That's where we saw them. How could I forget the omnipresent Tostachos? Good memory amiga.

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  3. Great pix! Extraños! I dare say I prefer Nachos. But that's definitely my kind of soup du jour-- tequila!

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  4. Ahoy Cap'n!!!
    I just discovered this blog recently, buried in some granfondo thread. What a treat an an absolute joy to read and follow along. I'm totally jealous, though I might choose a different mode of transportation.
    Take care!

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  5. That grey just does not cut it ;) Red looks good...

    Did you guy's get a new Cinnabar Sticker from the guy? Or do they cut it there?

    Let me know if you need stuff shipped...

    NUT--- "work sucks"

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  6. BusyDadCJD = Chris D? Glad you found us!

    Nut, there is a decal guy here who will cut letters to spec. I think Bruce is locked and loaded to ship stuff to San Diego for us but thanks for the offer.

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  7. Dear Sylvia,

    That's what I miss -- taking pleasure in the pleasure YOU take in everything, from little girls in remote-control cars to small, oddly dignified dogs in silly clothes to noshing on Tostalocos à la Passion Pit.

    (I'm even willing to forgive you for cheering on the wrong football team. Well almost.)

    ¡Abrazos!
    FrozenMaven

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  8. NM, so great to hear from you! Looks like I'll be rooting for the wrong team again today. Good luck to us both! I hope it's a fun game.

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