The Dole Salad

First, the salad is pronounced Do-lay, and not Dole. This has nothing to do with bananas, and everything to do with Mexico, even though it's probably not traditionally Mexican. But it's about the best tribute I can muster to Dole and all the other Mexicans I know, as a way of saying thanks for the immense hospitality they showed me.

Back in 2007, one of my co-workers invited me to his little sister's 15th birthday party in Guadalajara, Mexico. That's a real big deal down there, like a wedding or something, so for the week leading up to it, there were parties and feasts going on all the time. Rivers of tequila flowed like blood through the streets, and avalanches of grilled meat and tortillas threatened to bury the city. Good times, for sure.

And Mexicans know how to party. I dare say that they know how to get the best out of life and make people feel welcome even more than the Brazilians. It could be the sun, the tequila, or the fact that life's rough down there and you've got to put on a big smile to get by, but everyone everyone I met was awesome. One of the most notable residents was this dude, Dole, from a small village called Ojuelos, about 2 hours from Guadalajara. He's a quirky guy, never without his Walkman, and likes to dance and sing. He wanted me to give him 10 pesos to buy batteries for his Walkman, but sadly I didn't have enough cash on me at the time. Maybe I'll send him some cash some day.

But let's not forget about the food here. Mexico's got the spiciest damn food I've ever had, and a lot of the tastiest, second only to Brazilian food. You could write a book about all the delicious stuff down there, but unless you've been to Mexico or live in a big city with a sizable Mexican population, you're not going to find it.

One of the weirdest things I tried was grilled cactus. We ate it with grilled meat, and it's a bit like slimy, sour and bitter asparagus. Sure, the description may not sound appetizing, but I'm sure that it's good for you. It's not for everyone, but I love it.

Nate JacobsOctober 9, 2015nate jacobs, food, salad, cactus, spicy, mexican, mexico, recipeComment

Uzbek Plov

Uzbek food is to Russians what Mexican food is to Americans: a spicy, inexpensive, and delicious alternative to other meat and potato options. And they're not just similar in function, but in spices as well, as cumin, onion, garlic, cilantro, and red pepper play a key role in both. I guess that could be attributed to the fact that both Mexico and Uzbekistan are mostly dry, hot places, with an ancient culinary tradition. Whatever the reason, Uzbek food is fucking awesome, matched only by the former Soviet state of Georgia...but that's another story.

I fell absolultely in love with plov on my 2010 journey to Russia, when a colleague of my friend Nina prepared a batch. I ate myself stupid, so stupid that I ended up hoarding packs of plov spice mix so that I could prepare the same dish back home. Not surprisingly, my version didn't turn out as well as I had hoped--it didn't have the chewy grains of rice, the tender morsels of pork, nor the right amount of salt. Here, I'm going to tell you how to do it the right way.

First off, there are two things that are paramount to a successful plov: a GAS STOVE and a big ass pot with a thick bottom. Those capitals are no mistake: I am shouting at you, because if you cook plov on an electric stove, you probably won't get the same result unless you are an absolute wizard with those bastardly dials.

Due to Islamic dietary laws, plov is usually prepared with mutton or lamb, and though this will give you a truely Uzbek taste, I prefer pork, because it browns nicely and its the most noble of all meat. You can use venison, though, or beef. But don't puss out and use chicken; the flavour of chicken is too weak to fight with the strong flavours and garlic and cumin. (If you can, however, fiddle with the spices, you can come up with your own chicken version. I just don't recommend it.)

So, here's what you'll need:

Nate JacobsDecember 14, 2014recipe, uzbek, plov, food, nate jacobsComment

Taste testing the forbidden fruit.