It is that time of year, when people look back and remember what was and look forward, planning what will be. It is also a time of giving and loving and sharing, of world peace and gratitude.
We are grateful for the opportunity we have had to share our story and to meet a lot of great people, including other travelers, writers, and bloggers. We are also grateful for the expanding presence Go Curry Cracker is having on the web
It has been a very big couple of months for us here at Go Curry Cracker with records set for number of page views, number of Facebook and Twitter likes and follows, and number of comments.
We’ve been featured and interviewed by some great reporters and bloggers, and had the honor of writing a couple guest posts for some of our favorite sites.
For the Mandarin speakers out there, Winnie’s post on how we retired early and now travel the world went mini-viral, getting over 200,000 views in just 3 days, which has led to her article being shared on a few big time sites with more to come.
Our post about how we plan to Never Pay Taxes Again was shared, liked, cross-linked, and shared again, setting a record for views and comments.
Thank you everybody for a great 2013. Thank you for reading, for sharing, for commenting, and caring.
All the best in 2014
Jeremy & Winnie, Go Curry Cracker!
PS: As you get ready for 2014, please check out these great writers and the fiscal advice and opportunities they share
“Wow, that place smells great! Let’s go check it out!”, growled my stomach.
The lunch hour was well behind us and the smells of slow-cooked meat were wafting out the door, carried on waves of loud Latin beats. Hidden in the faded paint on the wall we could barely make out the word Barbacoa and a picture of a sheep. My stomach growled again
The place was packed, with rows upon rows of well-worn wooden tables filled to capacity with older men in dirty flannel. A waiter cleared off a small table covered in empty beer bottles and soiled napkins, seating us with an easy view of 3 different soccer matches on the wall-mounted flat screens.
This place was seriously local. My skin color was the palest by several shades, and through the dim light and smoky haze I stood out like a sore thumb. Our neighbors to our right immediately engaged us in conversation in a broken mix of Spanish, Tsotsil, and Tseltal (the 2 most common local Mayan languages) that was truly dizzying. “Where are you from?” “Welcome to Mexico!” “You like it here?”
We sipped our warm stale beer from Dixie cups as we waited for our order of tacos, and did our best to participate in the verbal barrage coming our way. Two of our new friends didn’t speak Spanish any better than we did, and the 3rd as self-appointed ambassador did his best to share their questions, difficult as it might be with alcohol hindered enunciation. For 2:00 pm on a Sunday, he was sauced. Hell, for 2 am on a Friday he was sauced
Have you seen the enormous selection of bread that fills an entire row of the big grocery stores these days? The beautiful loaves of organic fat-free, gluten-free, free range, whole-wheat, flax, chia, nut, and seed bread, carefully wrapped in thin layers of plastic by loving machines? We used to buy that stuff… until an accidental discovery that an open loaf was still as fresh as spring rain, weeks after it was opened. Closer examination of the long list of ingredients revealed a long list of preservatives and chemicals
Next stop: the farmer’s market. The beautiful loaves of organic fat-free, gluten-free, free range, whole-wheat, flax, chia, nut, and seed bread smelled wonderful, fresh baked that morning. The owner of the family owned bakery would give us samples and chat amiably while we browsed his wares. And why wouldn’t he be happy, when a loaf of bread cost $6 – $8. But it was delicious and we knew what was in it
Winnie was working her way through a series of world-renowned cook books, and decided to take on a new challenge: home baked bread. She ordered the best selling bread baking book on Amazon, The Bread Baker’s Apprentice: Mastering the Art of Extraordinary Bread. Used, of course :)
Like a school girl waking up to Christmas morning, she danced with glee when it finally arrived. The book carefully lays out the delicate art of traditional bread making. All 12 stages, in exacting detail. 8 hours later, exhausted and covered in flour, we enjoyed the output of our own little sweatshop. Without question, it was quite good. But also something no sane person would choose to do on a daily or even weekly basis. Those $8 loaves of bread from the farmer’s market were starting to call us once again. A few weeks later, another unsuspecting patron bought an used book on Amazon (more…)
We’ve shown every month how much we spend on dining out, but what does it really mean? How do you use that information to budget for your own world travels? To help, this is the first of a series of posts where we share 3 meals we’ve enjoyed in different budget classes. Welcome to food voyeurism at its best
Budget Meal
Carnitas is a traditional Mexican pork dish, cooked in a large copper pot with herbs and spices for hours and hours until the meat is so tender that it falls off the bone and can be shredded by hand. Stuff some of this in a hot off the comal hand made gordita with some fresh salsa, and you have one of our favorite lunches
A bit off the beaten path in the Allende neighborhood, the wonderful Bautista family runs Carnitas Bautista. Since they don’t have a website, the address is Guadiana #2, Colonia Allende, San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. We recently brought a friend there for lunch, and he said, “I didn’t know anything existed in the world that tastes this good!” The reviews don’t get much more glowing than that. And since the place is always packed and we are the only foreigners we see, you know it is good
San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. All Dressed Up and Ready to Celebrate
El Día de Muertos, the day of the dead, is a Mexican holiday honoring the lives of friends and family members who have died. It is a time to gather with loved ones, build altars to the deceased, and visit graves with gifts and offerings. It is not a time of mourning, but a grand celebration of life
