JULIE DOUGAN, MARILYN BUCK, ALEJANDRINA TORRES

Julie Dougan was the first female IRA member killed in action.  July 8, 1972.  Sadly, that's all I can find out about her.  No photo, no biography.  Somebody needs to go to Ireland.

Alejandrina is a Puerto Rican independista, sentenced to 35 years, pardoned by Bill Clinton in 1999.  Here she is with her stepson, Carlos Alberto Torres, another independista, just released from prison last year after serving 30 years.

Marilyn Buck, daughter of an Episcopalian minister, was born in Midland, Texas in 1947.  She died last year, less than a month after she was released from prison.

CHILES, PARTE 3

When I told el sr J I was going to make a sauce with these nine chipotles (dried and smoked jalapeños), he gasped.  So I added one guajillo and two anchos to the mix.

When I tasted the sauce, I gasped.  So I added two big Roma tomatoes (jitomates here) and now it's delicious.

But still pretty damn hot.

DANZA FLAMENCA TASSARBA. . .

from Zacatecas performed in the Plaza de Armas Thursday evening.  It's a fine place to see a show, and the performers are always sure to comment on the historical significance and physical beauty of the space.   The ongoing repair work--slated, we hope, to be completed before the September 16 independence celebration--creates a smaller space for seating and for standees, but it has not dampened the spirit of the crowds or the performers.  

SAFIYA BUKHARI

(1950-2003), a Black Panther and not a rat.  In prison for 9 years.

She wrote a book:

She takes her place on the wall.

10 puntos for you, Sue.  You have to come to Mexico to redeem them.  Hope to see you soon.

Coming up next on the wall, a green one.  First woman killed in action in 1972 in a particular conflict.  My sister isn't permitted to guess because her husband gave me the name.  Thanks, Pete.

CHILES, PARTE 2

GUAJILLOS

Aren't they beautiful?

Sauce made just like the previous one: chiles in boiling water, soak for 10 minutes, blend with garlic, cumin, salt and pepper and some chile water.

Color comparison with ancho/pasilla:

We like them both.  The guajillo is not nearly as picante.  Don't know about the "green tea flavor with berry overtones" described by Wikipedia for the guajillos.  And what is this with wine snob terminology being used for other stuff?

In other news, Sue gets 10 puntos for Safiya Bukhari.  More on that on tomorrow's post.

SILVIA BARALDINI. . .

takes her place above Fusako Shigenobu.

Born in Rome in 1947, she moved to the US in 1961 with her parents, got radicalized while at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and eventually joined the Black Liberation Army and the Puerto Rican Independence Movement.

Next up is another Black Liberation Army member, born in NYC.  10 puntos.

CHILES, PARTE I

I've decided to do a study of dried chiles.  (Retirement must be wearing on me).  As you may know, fresh chiles have different names when they're dried, and maybe more than one.  I have trouble keeping these names in my age-riddled mature and information-filled brain.  To add to the confusion, there are different names for chiles in different parts of Mexico and Latin America.

Below we have the dried ancho (or pasilla), or poblano when they're fresh and green.  When poblanos are allowed to ripen on the vine and then dried, they are called mulatos, which have a darker and sweeter flavor.  You see the problem.

I put three of them in about two cups of boiling water, turned off the burner and let them soak for 10 minutes.  Then I blended them with three cloves of garlic, salt, pepper and a little cumin along with some of the water they were cooked in.  I added enough water to get the consistency I wanted for a dip or salsa.

Here's the finished product.  I find the bright red color and thick consistency amazing, given what I started out with.  It's delicious and not too hot.

Guajillos coming up.

OTRA CASA QUE NO VAMOS A COMPRAR

We were out for a walk on Saturday when we came across this house for sale:

Perfect location--the market is a block to the right, a large grocery store two blocks to the left, the French bakery a couple of blocks away.  It's on a street with little traffic and no buses, and the houses on it have a colonial/historic look.  But you never know what's behind the facade.  So I called and made an appointment to look at it on Sunday morning.

As you can see, it's been "modernized."  English speakers here call this "Mexicanized," but we've encountered the same phenomenon in remodeled homes in the US--lowered ceilings, paneling, etc.  In this house white ceramic tile covers all the floors, the ceilings have been lowered, and pebbled stucco covers all the (white) walls.

It has 3 floors, 4 bedrooms, and 3 bathrooms.  Nothing wrong with multiple baths and bedrooms, but we don't want to climb stairs.

This is the laundry area behind the kitchen.  Now that we've seen actual green spaces inside houses, we wouldn't be satisfied without some patio/garden space.

The view from the roof was lovely, once you got past the water tank.

When we went out for dinner last night, we discussed what our priorities really are since we seem to waver back and forth.  We think we know what we want, but do we?  Does convenient location on a quiet street trump non-modernized, modest size and green space?  I guess not.

LEILA KHALED. . .

 joins her revolutionary sisters on the wall:

Next, for 10 puntos, is an Italian, not a member of the Brigate Rosse.

TRAINSPOTTING

We were walking around looking at houses on the other side of the river/fetid stream when we came across this train station:

The street in front is being repaved, presumably with an eye to the tourist trade.

Beautiful stone walls, tongue-in-groove ceiling, and a fit esposo

No tickets for sale, unfortunately.

The trains are all for freight, not passengers, although the "do not hump" command is probably good advice for both.

ASSATA SHAKUR. . .

joins Fusako Shigenobu and Haydee Tamara Bunke Bider on the Revolutionary Wall.  

                                                             

No points--nobody got her.  Bill O'Reilly knows who she is. . .and so does Fidel Castro.

Next woman revolutionary is a Palestinian.  10 puntos.

FESTIVAL INTERNACIONAL DE MUSICA DE CAMARA

We've enjoyed some good chamber music the last three evenings, courtesy of the 33rd Festival de Música de Cámara.

Eros Quinteto de Metales (sorry, not on YouTube) in the Plaza de Armas (still under construction)

Orishas Cuarteto de Guitarras

inside ex-Convento Santa Rosa de Viterbo

and the Henschel Quartet

at the Teatro de la República