The End of Idol?

So American Idol has concluded another season with yet another surprise. After Tuesday’s performance, the general consensus online, in print, and talking with fans was that Crystal Bowersox ran away with the competition. Lee fell flat at the finish line. The judges knew it. He knew it. We knew it. Crystal had been consistent throughout the season. Her final performance was perhaps her best. As one journalist wrote, in their critique of Lee it was as if the judges were giving him a sweet goodbye. So what happened between Tuesday night and Wednesday night when Crystal, graciously, acknowledged that she had lost to someone that many would struggle to even call a “performer.”

AI has become (and probably always was) a popularity contest, not a singing competition. The viewership increasingly skews young and female, an audience that is more apt to text and call and vote for a young male, regardless of their musical talent. Ann Powers in the LA Times summed it up fairly well. “Lee DeWyze, a perfectly charming and seemingly overwhelmed kid who apparently has no idea how to forge a new pop style.” In comments, one reader observed “males just have a built-in advantage among majority of voters (if the majority is "tweener" girls).” Like last year’s runner up, Adam Lambert, Crystal will likely go on to reach more fame and commercial success than Lee, though the spotlight at least momentarily has been deflected from her.

The show last night also lacked the energy of previous AI finales, particularly last year’s. Perhaps that is, in part, because much of the program evolved around the departure of the true star of the show, Simon Cowell. It felt more like a series finale as compared to a season finale. On Facebook this morning, a smattering of comments include “Simon’s last season is my last season,” “jumped the shark,” “what the f*%# was that?” This season, the show never seemed to get fully in gear. And now it faces even greater challenges. Primarily, they need to find not only an adequate replacement for Simon, but someone who can take charge of the show and insert an acerbic wit that only Simon was capable of. They must be harsh, perhaps a bit nasty, but good hearted as well. And they must be able to control the panel. Halfway through this season, Simon seemed to check out, leaving the show flat (it also didn’t help that his side-kick Paula was absent … Ellen was no replacement). The producers must also freshen up the show. The format, after nearly a decade, is stale. And perhaps most important, they need to find a better crop of talent.

OK, so it’s only a TV … granted, the most watched TV show in America. Perhaps that is why there is such passion among its viewers. But as the show declines in quality, popularity (as it has this year), and in believability, we may be getting to the point where we will be hearing American Idol singing its own swan song.

Cooking with Paco in San Miguel de Allende

This will be more like a short story than a blog. It is about a day in San Miguel de Allende, where five people experienced the ultimate in a culinary adventure. It took us from the inception of a gourmet meal, to the uniquely Mexican marketplace where we found the fresh ingredients, to the preparation, the execution, and finally the feast. And along with this adventure, we met some of the coolest people we have come across in a long time.
Our host/chef/guide was Paco Cardenas. Originally from Mexico City, Paco has lived in San Miguel for 12 years where he owns and operates the finest bakery-patisserie in town, Petit Four. But Paco does a lot more. By appointment, Paco will conduct cooking classes for small groups. It all starts with Paco’s tour of the San Miguel de Allende Marketplace where everything you need is being sold by the local farmers who grow it.

Today was Mother’s Day (one day later than in the U.S.), and the market was totally alive today. In addition to block after block of fresh cuts flowers, gifts, and home made candies, the mariachis were strolling, pausing only occasionally to serenade a painting of the grandest madre of all, the Virgin of Guadalupe. Beyond the flower mart is where the real shopping and buying began. Visualize one of the best farmers' markets you've ever been to, and it's open everyday.

Here, you will find people like Carmelita who sits at a small table in “El Mercado.” Her offerings are Xoconostles (prickly pears) and limettas (sweet limes). We bought several of each.

Her neighbor in the market is Trini. She carefully scales the needles off cactus paddles, known here as nopales. We bought a few of those as well, which in a few hours will be the base for a delicious sorbet. We also bought smooth skinned avocados where you eat it all (except for the pit … though there is probably something you could do with that as well). There is fruit that looks like a giant lemon (it isn’t), and more chilies than you can imagine. Paco guided us through the maze with an explanation and the promise that later, we would see how it is all used.

Other tables were covered with fresh Mexican cheeses, marinated gazpachos, tortillas, honey, bread … mostly staffed by seasoned Mexican women.

One section of the market has dried spices and herbs, many of which are used medicinally. The man who staffs the herbs can explain to you (in Spanish) exactly what each herb is used for … everything from making a solution to put on your head to make your hair grow to an herb that you brew to cure diarrhea.

The market was simply packed today. Everyone here, like us, buying in the morning what will be on the table that night.

And, in case you don’t have the utensils at home for cooking, not only does Paco introduce you to some of the finest Mexican clay cookware (at some of the lowest prices anywhere), outside the market he will take you to a tiny kitchen store. It has been tucked in the same spot, for nearly 80 years. For 68 of those years, a woman by the name of Antonia has worked there. I knelt down next to her and chatted about how life has changed since she first stepped into the store, owned by her parents, in 1942. Nearly blind now, Antonia touches all the items as customers bring them to her to buy. By feel, she knows exactly what the item is and what the price is.

A quick stop to buy carnitas, pork deep fried in lard, which will be used later in home made tortillas. And if that isn’t enough to clog the arteries for a lifetime, there is the deep fried pork rinds, which we would later use for dipping into the three salsas we would make.

Back at Paco’s kitchen in his home overlooking the town, donned in aprons that he selected for us (!), we began the cooking process. I won’t go into the details of everything that we made, but check out the pictures. From about noon to 2:30, we were in the kitchen, slicing, chopping, pressing, mixing, blending, frying.

Paco taught us all the tricks and explained the intricacies of Mexican cuisine. We learned about
more than a dozen types of chilies and how they influence dishes in different ways. And we witnessed how simple, yet exotic, ingredients, readily available in the markets here can be transformed into a feast … including tortilla soup, squash blossoms stuffed with ricotta and epazote cheese, pablano chili strips with cream, and cactus sherbet.

With some good Mexican wine, great company, and a truly gourmet meal, it will be a day I remember for a long long time. Thanks to Paco and his partner, Oscar, for another memorable Mexican experience.

If you’re planning on a visit to San Miguel, you can contact Paco Cardenas at pacopos3@yahoo.com. And you can visit his patisserie in the center of town: Calle Mesones 99-1.

Free stuff at the truck wreck

Another journey underway as we make a repeat trip to San Miguel de Allende in the state of Guanajuato. Sometimes driving through Mexico can be rather mundane. You pay your tolls, you get on the highway. Other times, the trip can be a bit more “interesting.” Like today.

After spending the night in Guadalajara, we got on the highway toward Mexico City, and within a half hour, faced the first decision. The GPS said to go one way, the map book said go another. We followed the GPS which probably would have been a better way to go had it not been for the accident.

Now, in the U.S. if a big rig overturns and spills its contents over the road (in this case, canned sodas, popsicles, chips, your basic junk food), the police show up, declare it a toxic site, and tell everyone to scram. Here, it becomes a free for all … literally. While the truck wreck blocked one lane on the highway, it was the motorists who abandoned their vehicles to pick up on the loot who blocked the rest of the highway by simply stopping their cars where they were and pilfering whatever they could carry. Armsful, boxes full, dresses full. Anyway it could be carried, it was.

We were stopped about a mile from where the wreck occurred (at first, we did not know it was a bigaro rigaro fliparo, we thought it was road construction that caused the delays), so we just sat there in the air conditioned car, listening to Howard Stern Mother’s Day special (which is a story in itself), and waited. We were obviously out of the loop. But apparently, word soon went out via cell phone and text messages, and soon the people stopped in their cars around us hoofed it down to the carnage to claim their booty. We finally got going, and as we got to the scene, just like in the U.S. the police were there. Unlike the U.S., they were helping direct traffic around the looters so they didn’t get run over by the rest of us (and probably already had their patrol car trunks filled with bags of Tosti-Dips … which is what they call Tostados here). As we drove buy, I told Kurt to jump out quickly and pick up a few bags. Yeah, right.

The highways here, for the most part, are pretty good. The toll roads are the best. They cost anywhere from 10 pesos (about 80 cents) to 120 pesos (about ten dollars). Most are four lane divided highways. There are no road taxes here. If you want to drive on the highway, you pay. Not sure if the cattle pay, though. While driving along the “cuoto” (pay roads), you sometimes share the highway with farmers doing their spring time cattle drive … yep, right down the edge of the highway … just like Sacramento, right?

And if you’re driving along and hankerin’ for a road soda, no problem. You know how in California they have Giant Oranges along Highway 99 where you can buy a hot dog and a soda? Here, they have Giant Beer Cans where you can pick up a brew to go. In one town (Penjamo) they actually had a Giant Six Pack (I think you could drive through it). They frown on drunk driving here, and like in the U.S., they’ll throw you in jail if you’re DUI … some of the time.

Just before we got to San Miguel de Allende, the last stop was in the small town of Celaya, which like every good Mexican town, has a Costco. We marvel at how no matter what Costco you visit, you could be in any town, any where. They are all the same. We even had a hot dog and soda because it was lunch time (but instead of relish in those little crank dispensers, here they have jalapenos … ay!).

Made it to San Miguel. We did a house trade here this time (www.homeexchange.com). It’s a great place we found on the hillside to the east of “Centro” where the Jardines and Iglesia are (that’s gardens and church). We stay in their home. They'll stay in our house in palm Springs. Tomorrow, we’re linking up with some local friends to do some shopping at the local food markets, then doing a “locals” cooking class where we’ll get tips on how to prepare the strange things we see here in the market but have little clue what to do with them. More to come.