La Paz

A rare treat of proper breads in Mexico.

Good flour isn't cheap to come by in Mexico, I'm told, so maybe that explains why bread generally isn't that great, and maybe also because the demand isn't there- dough like we're into back home isn't what this country has been built on, not in its current form at least. Tortillas In one form or another, I.e. unrisen dough, is what it's all about. And result is I couldn't even find yeast the other day - in Walmart, as well. The assistant in the shop looked at Jen lile she had two heads when she asked for 'levadura'. I do hope we didn't offend by risking suggestion of some delicate lady-infection. Done now...

I'm sat here, back in La Paz, in a mechanic's garage whilst we get some repairs done on our truck, Spud. I figured I might as well use the waiting tine to make my update for the day about bread, and the fact that we actually found some decent examples in the town of El Triunfo, yesterday. It's an old silver mining town which has been well-preserved. We'd been told by a few people that we must visit the cafe there for some bread- this is where the biker guy is meant to be. We didn't see any such dude, but it was a cool place and pretty sweet to see a wood-fired oven on the go.

The menu was all Italian, pretty much. House-made pastas and the like. As much as I wanted to test their Lasagne - I find it hard to resist an opportunity like that, especially when it's so rare out here- I figured we really should go with something from the oven, so pizza it was, whilst Susie and Patrick went for Lasagne, much to my curiosity. At about $15, thr pizza was far from what we typically spend- our daily budget is $14 to cover both food and a few beers or whatever. But, sometimes, needs must.

The result was better than the norm for this kind of thing here, but a bit short of what your mind goes to when you think of pizza. It was, at least, twice the size of Jen's head. The base was nice and thin, and crust crisp. The tomato sauce was decent, and they understood the idea of less is more- something that almost no pizza restaurants seem to get their head around. It always surprises me- you can serve better pizza that will cost you less to make, if you just put less on it! I guess maybe that's not what 'the people' want, and who am I to argue.

The owner of the place is self-taught, so that's a nice part of the story. Hopefully one day I'll be able to say the same.

It has all got me to thinking, despite the flour situation, we need to get in the case with making our own breads now that we have a van with an oven. So, I'm thinking Rosemary Focaccia would be a good starting point- that said, finding rosemary here is hit and miss. Maybe oregano and tomato. Focaccia in any case. Watch this space.

For now, I just want the work to be done here so that I can join Jen in town for some long-awaited local food, served up on plastic plates as we sit on plastic chairs, eating at a plastic table, with a plastic cover, on the side of the road, side by side with local people, looking out over the Sea of Cortez. Canne beat it. I wonder if they know how good they have it, here.

I have a little rapport with the mechanic boss here. I should maybe take the opportunity to ask him about food over in Mazatlàn in the mainland, where he's from, and where we'll be heading next, likely early next week.Read more