More On Mexico

During my trip to Mexico, I came across something I had never seen before. There is a fruit called the litchi that I quite enjoyed. It's about the size of a large raspberry. It's got a hard outer skin that's not edible. When you bit in to it to it, the skin breaks and the juice leaks out. The inside consists of a somewhat slimy but very delicious meat that surrounds a bean sized seed. Eleanor demonstrates the proper way to to consume a litchi after the skin has been broken. Although Litchis are not known to be natural aphrodisiacs, the picture of Eleanor might give that impression. Litchis are originally from China and are grown in many places in East Asia.

Mexico could be so much more than it is. They've got income producing natural resources, a rich agricultural industry, a family oriented and relatively cohesive culture, and a population that could easily sustain much greater commercial growth. As I mentioned in my last post, they lack a history and tradition of individual liberty. Everyone wants something done about the problems of corruption and violence but not enough people stand together at any one time to do anything about it. They seem to have the collective attitude that someone will do something but they're not going to get involved. Indeed, it can be dangerous to get involved at some points. Violence amongst the drug dealers seems to be at an all time high, the military patrols the streets and people can't tell when the cops are actually working for the bad guys. It puts the individuals in a terrible position. Based on what I see, there is no reason that Mexico couldn't have the economy, industry and infrastructure that our other neighbor Canada has. The people simply have to want it bad enough to force the change. I haven't a clue what could motivate them to want it bad enough.

Back to a more positive note, a musical note as a matter of fact, Sinaloa has a type of music known as 'banda sinaloense' which sounds a lot like 20's jazz with a little Dixieland thrown in. It's fun, upbeat and easy to dance to. I'm not so sure I'd be inclined to buy a CD and listen to it in my leisure time but it certainly is fun at a big party. There are ten to twenty band members and the singers are usually a duet. The way people dance to it is interesting too. They dance fast but the man holds the woman close and has his cheek pressed up against hers. If I tried it, I'd trip and hurt both of us!