For most of Merida, Mondays are frijole con puerco* days; For me it's Wednesday.
Our first housekeeper, Marta, worked on Wednesday, She did the floors and bathrooms, as well as the high stuff; cleaning the light fixtures, the fans, and also the windows; pretty much she did everything. I did and still do my own dusting of furniture, art objects, paintings and frames, kitchen, and electronics. I do my own laundry and cooking although the housekeepers we have spoken with/interviewed often indicate they will gladly do that as well. Oh, our housekeeper also irons Toms shirts. Anyway, back to the beans...so on Wednesdays I frequently put a big pot of frijole con puerco on the back burner of the stove. I LOVE BEANS. They are one of my favorite things and I must say I am very fortunate, or maybe those around me are the fortunate ones in that beans do not cause me any digestive or gastric constrictions. Of course in the States I always added the herb savory to the beans, and here I add epazote. Both of which are reported to reduce the effluence caused by the breakdown of the beans. Personally I think it is the overnight soaking in water with a tablespoon of vinegar, and then the double rinsing in the morning before setting them on the stove.
After our first housekeeper left I did all my own cleaning for abour 5 months, but oh my aching back, (I was spending more for massage and chiropratic than I would have on a housekeeper) so now we have Carmen. So here it is, Wednesday, Carmen is cleaning floors, the beans are on, and although I should be dusting, I am sitting here writing this blog.
Once again, life is good - oh I smell those beans! Yummy, Yummy, Yummy!
* frijole con puerco translates as beans with pork, or pork and beans, but are nothing like the tinned concoctions found in supermarkets. Frijole con puerco here aer beans (black beans, pinto beans, flor de may beans, pretty much any type of bean cooked for hours over slow heat; cooked with, in my house anyway, onion, garlic, tomatoes, epazote, cubes of pork, a habanero, salt and pepper; sometimes I add carrot.
One of the things that I have to say really increases the flavorfullness (is this a word?) of beans here in Merida is the addition of a condiment you prep called salpichon, it is a mix of finely chopped radish, cilantro, and white onion. What a difference salpichon makes to so many dishes.