Three Most Important Items Here But Not In USA

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Since I have not left the casita since Monday due to my illness, I really have come to learn about the three most important things around the house that we use daily, but never had in the US.

First of all is our water filter system. We get all of our drinking water and cooking water from this source and it actually tastes great! Very similar to San Francisco water. I am sure some people in the states use filtered water all the time, but I always used tap. We have learned that if you are going to ingest any part of water in your cooking, to use this. Such as boiling pasta and what not.

The next we use all the time is this waste basket. In Mexico, you DO NOT flush your toilet paper down the toilet. (Except at she-she hotels that have very modern plumbing) Here, one wad of flushed toilet paper can lead to exploded pipes that will flood Eleanor's casa downstairs into her bedroom and kitchen. It has happened once before. So we keep the waste basket right at our feet facing the toilet so we don't forget. It has a nice little step lever so we don't have to touch anything...just drop in the used toilet paper and forget about it. It is a bit strange at first and especially hard with me being sick, but it is what it is.

And lastly is this bottle of BacDyn Plus. This weird mixture is used to sterilize your fruits and vegetables. So for example, we buy something from the mercado and then wash it really well under the tap. We must be sure to get all the specks of dirt off the veggie. This is tricky with things like cilantro because dirt gets stuck in the leaves. Then we make what I have been calling a mineral bath by pouring in some BacDyn into a large bowl of tap water and then letting the veggies sit in this bath for 15 minutes. This makes sure anything that could be harmful to us is killed. It is a bit of a pain but worth it to be sure we are safe. Eleanor says she know gringos who don't do this at all. It is funny because some times you get a peach or something, are soaking it and then see it is from California. And I remember in the states getting produce from Mexico and never soaking it up north so who knows. We are just doing this soak as a precaution.

It has been a difficult few days in the casita. I am frustrated being stuck inside as there were a couple events I had to miss. I am also tired of being in bed all day. I can't wait until I feel all better. On the other hand, Ronnie has gotten a ton of artwork done in the past few days. We have also saved a lot of money by not going out for meals. I am feeling a bit better each day and so I am hoping to go out to MEGA for some much needed grocery shopping this afternoon. Eleanor continues to bring me things to help me get well. Last night she brought over some tea and a neat flower that looks like a starfish, smells like meat to attract flies and then the plant EATS them! Cool...

We are invited to our first fiesta tomorrow evening and I am keeping my fingers crossed that I will feel well enough to attend.

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Comments

[Aaron W]

poor jules!
Glad you are better now though!