Yucatan News: Cuisine & Turbonadas
Yucatan: Mexico's Largest Honey Producer
Only a decade ago, it was recognized that there was a need for organization in the Yucatan of the tens of thousands of casual beekeepers. Within a very short time, the Formal Laws and Regulations for the protection and development of beekeeping in Yucatan were a reality (Decree 583, Feb. 3, 2005). The honey industry in Yucatan was officially born and has never looked back. Today, Yucatan's beekeepers produce 10,000 tons of honey per year, making this the largest honey-producing state in Mexico. Congratulations to all of the beekeepers in Yucatan and to everyone along the way who believed they could produce honey that would be prized around the world. In honor of this achievement, we are passing on a link to the National Honey Board's Recipe Category . These recipes may Come from NOB, but they are perfect for a hot summer in Yucatan.
Classroom in CIA Yucatan Restaurant Menu
No - not That CIA. This CIA is the Culinary Institute of America. A restaurant called Nao in San Antonio, Texas, serves as a CIA classroom, dedicated to the exploration, preservation and celebration of the authentic cuisines, cultures and bounty of Latin America. From now until September 8, 2014, the menu will feature Maya cuisine from the Yucatan. If you will be in the San Antonio area during that time, there is more information available about the menu itself on Savor San Antonio. In fact, the more we look at those days and times, as well as the period during which the restaurant is open, the more it reminds us of our own expat chef Greg Fryer, and the restaurants that he works with in his culinary school right here in Merida.
Tex-Mex is Over! Yucatan Rules!
That we did not make up. This week, a famous chef actually said that New Mexican restaurants are breaking away from Tex-Mex food and other border cuisines. Executive Chef Richard Papier now works at Araña , a restaurant on Magazine St. in New Orleans. He has worked with Emeril Lagasse, Susan Spicer and Donald Link, but he claims it was his Mexican-born years with Chef Guillermo Peters in Coyoacan that prepared him for this latest project. According To Papier, 95% of his new menu will be from the interior of Mexico, with most of that from Yucatan. "It's very clean," he said of the Yucatan cuisine. "The ingredients are very honest." So, if anyone is in the area of New Orleans, please go by and visit Executive Chef Richard Papier at Araña , 3242 Magazine St., New Orleans (opening in August 2014). Be sure to tell him you heard about him on Yucatan Living.
New Japanese Restaurant in Merida's Centro
This began as a shout-out to a new Japanese restaurant in Merida, but is quickly morphing in a completely different direction. The restaurant is named Samurai Shokudo. It is located on Calle 62 x 65 and 67, and has parking access in the La Lonja parking lot. The Japanese chef was recently spotlighted in a recent article in the local Merida newspaper. Atsuta Takeshi Kobayashi has a degree in International Business and studied languages (Spanish and English) in school. He started his first business as a student in D.F. His partner here in Merida is a young Yucatecan named Pedro Manuel Kuyuc Puc, a chemical engineer intern. Given a choice between living life as a translator in Osaka or growing his restaurant in Merida's bustling center, the young Japanese rolled the dice and moved to Merida. Now, only seven months later, the little restaurant is a success and these two young men are solidly on their way to a very bright future. For more information, and to read the menu Shokudo Samurai, Samurai visit Shokudo on Facebook .
Illegal Wood Seized in Progreso
Actually, it is legal to harvest prohibited woods in Mexico. There are rules, of course, but it can be done. First, the need for a specific wood must be urgent. Second, a payment of 100 to 20,000 times the minimum wage must be paid as a fine. Finally, the destination and end use of the wood must be documented. Otherwise, Profepa comes calling and it is all over except the crying of the would-be smugglers. We have seen the terrible mud slides and wind destruction on land that has been deforested. Those kinds of things do not happen in Yucatan and that is not by accident. Even a child in Yucatan can give you a lesson about the need to plant and protect trees... and of course, there are no hills to speak of in the Yucatan, so where is the mud going to slide? Nevertheless, illegal wood does get exported through the Yucatan Peninsula and apparently this time, it was stopped at the border. Too bad Profepa can't put the wood back into the trees.
Yucatan's Organ Donations Up 188%
As Yucatan's culture evolves, alliances with other cities such as Guadalajara, San Luis Potosi, Mexico City and Monterrey, make it possible to conduct the kinds of educational programs necessary to win the hearts and minds of the people. At one time, it was virtually impossible to get anyone in Yucatan to donate any part of a body after an individual died. Today, Yucatan is actually one of the states with the highest rates of cadaveric donors in the nation. If you know of anyone who is still hesitating, please let them know that each cadaver can benefit up to 90 people. When Yucatan makes a turn-around, it is with huge results. Some transplant rates are hovering between 80% and 90% now, but we look for them all to carry Yucatan to the number one state for organ donation is the very near future.
"In Other Words: Merida" Becomes "The Merida Review"
'In Other Words: Merida' has a new name (The Merida Review), along with a new address. The literary online magazine will soon have many new features as well. At the present time, all content has been moved to the new site, and they are working hard to make this the best poetry and fiction site in English in the Yucatan. Do visit them and consider subscribing. They will be adding content frequently and you do not want to miss being a part of their growing audience.
Weather: Afternoon Thunderstorm
Last Thursday's so-called squall (a.k.a. high winds, thunder and lightning, plus buckets of rain) produced winds that were 62.14 mph. Here in Yucatan, they call that a turbonada. That's just 12 mph short of being a Category One hurricane. However, it lasted only for a little while in the afternoon and did not, they say, cause much damage. But let this be a reminder to everyone to get ready and stay ready for anything, whether it is just another turbonada or a full-blown (pun intended) hurricane. Do not forget about the pets and the elderly in your neighborhood. This might be a good time to go and introduce yourself, if you have not already. The State of Yucatan is ready for anything from a side-swipe to a direct hit by up to nine hurricanes this year, whether they happen or not. Are you ready?
Lost and Found: Jeep Keys
If you have recently lost a set of keys for your Jeep, Call (999) 902-2870 to recover them. These keys were found on Monday, July 7, 2014, in Progreso, in the street, approximately 29 meters from Benito Juarez Garcia Secondary School.
