Chicken soup with Tio Agosto

Yesterday we celebrated the holiday listening to Vicente Fernandez and with a couple of beers. But, the beers ran out and we wanted more. We looked for an open liquor store but, of course, none were open on Christmas Day. So, Luis called Tio Agosto, who sells beer every day of the week. We got dressed and drove over there.

A party was in progress and the guy who answered the door didn't seem very welcoming. He'd been celebrating for a while and the sight of a Mexican man and a gringa at the door didn't strike him as quite right. He went to get Tio Agosto who asked us in.

A group of young men were sprawled on sofas and chairs watching TV and drinking beer. I recognized Apolonia and her son and said hi. Tio Agosto welcomed us and we said hello to his wife, Alejandra. It made Luis happy to see Tio Agosto, who isn't really his uncle. He just calls him that to be affectionate. They work together and share in Luis' passion for double entendres, funny stories and goofing around. Tio Agosto has a kind face and happily goes along with Luis' silliness. They offered Luis a beer. Luis passed it to me and they gave him another. I've noticed that I'm usually the only woman who drinks and I wonder if they think I have a bad moral character.

After about 1/2 hour of small talk, Tio Agosto cleared off the dining table. I told Luis that we shouldn't stay to eat because I had a leg of lamb at home waiting to be cooked for our dinner. Tio Agosto took Luis aside. When Luis came back he said they had cleared the table for us and he asked if I wanted to eat something. I said OK having learned that when food or drinks are offered one must not refuse or else your host will be offended and you will be seen as rude and disrespectful. I've probably offended quite a few people over the past few years by just being honest or not wanting to take food, drink or gifts thinking that they shouldn't spend their meager resources on me. This reminds me of when I lived in Spain and my then husband, Joaquin, and I went to visit a gypsy family he knew. They offered us some food but I told Joaquin that I had to get back as my mother was expecting me for dinner and there was no phone or way to let her know that I'd be late. He said we could not refuse so we stayed and ate fried eggs and potatoes.

Alejandra brought us bowls of chicken soup with rice and tortillas. Luis has taught me to make this staple of mexican comfort food but this was amazingly fragrant and flavorful. It turned out that the chicken was a free range hen from a local farm and Alejandra had bought it live and killed it at home. The leg in my bowl was almost 5 inches long. We complimented her on her delicious soup and I asked where she had bought the hen. She told me the general location and said she'd take me there sometime, if I liked. I gratefully accepted this offer.

The jokes and laughter continued as we ate with Apolonia, her husband and their son who refused to eat. Apolonia said he didn't like tortillas or chicken soup because his day care provider was Puerto Rican and he had gotten used to their food. As we were finishing, I noticed an extremely drunk man was watching us from the other room. He was trying to hide behind a wall but half of his face was visible. He stood there for a long time watching us. Luis noticed and was not pleased. The man noticed that Luis had seen him and approached and offered to buy him a beer. Luis said, thanks but no thanks, but the man insisted realizing even in his late stage of drunkeness that he'd seriously offended Luis. Finally, Luis agreed and we each accepted a beer from him. We finished our meal and got up from the table to make room for the next group to eat. I wondered if Alejandra was charging them for meals or if they were friends.

After about an hour and a half, we left with four beers in a black plastic bag. Luis told me later that when Tio Agosto had taken him aside it was to ask if I'd like some soup. Luis had said yes but Tio Agosto was worried about whether I would mind eating tortillas. Luis assured him that I didn't mind eating Mexican food and that they shouldn't worry about it.

I'm glad Luis got to see his Tio Agosto on Christmas day. I think it reminded him of home, something both sad and comforting during the holidays. Offers of good food one must not refuse, silly jokes amongst friends and the occasional drunk man acting inappropriately.