Montezuma can suck my BRAT diet

A bout of traveler's diarrhea in Mexico. How very cliche. But no matter, it was treated simply with ORT (oral rehydration therapy) and BRAT. Health hiccups aside, the stay thus far in Mexico has been quite illuminating, and we've had a number of wonderful experiences! For instance, sharing a multi-hour siesta over beers, mojitos and sushi with our local street taco vendor and his family. And just on the off-chance that it could be misconstrued, the tacos from Taqueria el Sombrero are delicious (particularly their barbacoa), and had no connection with the aforementioned Montezuma issue :)

With the exception of a spectacular lightning storm early on, the weather has been remarkable, and we are lucky to have it before it gets worse as the summer progresses. We've enjoyed 30 degree Celsius, sunny skies for the bulk of our time here, with relatively low humidity compared to expectations. The neighborhood we live in is very local, non-touristed, and within easy walking distance to Caribbean beaches as well as all necessities. Thanks to Mayui for finding such a great apartment!

While talking to Rocky, our friendly neighborhood taco slinger, a funny MBA reflex crept up on me. Now this guy has a taco stand in a relatively quiet neighborhood, but still sells a few hundred a night. He makes damn fine carne, so I ask him, why don't you set up another stand in Centro (downtown) with a whole lot more foot traffic? I'm sure you could make a lot more money selling delicious tacos to tourists at gringo prices. His response? I'm happy where I am.

And it struck me. What a perfectly reasonable statement. Here we were enjoying siesta, drinking Tecates and delicious mojitos made with the 7-year anejo Havana Club that I couldn't resist buying at Chedraui. He's there with his family, the kids are well taken care of, and all is well. He makes more than enough, and enjoys serving up delicious food 6 nights a week to people that love it. On Tuesday, he sits underneath palm trees and relaxes with his family. He is content with his life. And why shouldn't he be? After a quick reevaluation, I realized that my expansion suggestion was simply a variation of the Mexican fisherman siesta joke. For those of you that haven't encountered it, it's funny, profound and certainly worth a read.

I told them about Silicon Valley, billionaires, and the dreams of vast wealth that permeate the air there (billion dollar photo-sharing apps come to mind). And the telling of such stories felt as odd and out-of-touch with that moment as the appearance of a sudden snow storm. So I couldn't help but laugh at myself, excuse my silliness, offer him some more rum, and ask about his son's upcoming baseball tournament. Thank you Rocky for the enlightenment.