WD Daily Chat - Talk about anything You Like

ursula · Post by **ursula** » Wed Feb 05, 2014 05:48

Hi Red,
When you stayed out of Iquitos did you stay at the Miyuna Ecolodge? I'm with your wife on this one, though. The mosquitoes ate me alive. Tha Amazon is for others to enjoy!
I did study Spanish for several months for my South American adventure, but it takes a long time to become proficient. And a lot of self discipline to stick with it. I loved the language and have continued to study it for the last three years, and am reading Harry Potter in Spanish at the moment.
I can't wait till I can read some grown up novels though! I have a few from Amazon waiting for me. Only thing is there aren't any Spanish people in town here! (Although there is a small bunch of us that meet weekly for some conversation)
It's sure a beautiful language.
Ursula

ssorllih · Post by **ssorllih** » Wed Feb 05, 2014 06:41

My linguistic ability is limited to a few phrases of almost no value in four or five languages. I read better than I speak in everything but American English.

sawhorseray · Post by **sawhorseray** » Wed Feb 05, 2014 06:53

There's something about speaking Spanish that curls the lips upward into a smile, maybe that's why it's referred to as a romance language. I know enough to order food and get directions, be polite and understand minor conversation. I'll be in Ixtapa, Mexico in three days, we go there almost every year at this time, can't wait. Mosquitos and cockroaches carry bugs that will kill normal folks, I tend to steer clear. I'm sure they are no worse than all the fleas and ticks that crawl off a dead hogs belly, but about a half a can of spray defeats them in their tracks before they can start crawling up my pants leg. Ick! RAY

el Ducko · Post by **el Ducko** » Wed Feb 05, 2014 14:56

As mah ol' friend Ale-viss said... Well, he's off-planet rat now, unlike our ol' pal Chuckwagon, but only by a technicality- - Ale-viss appears to be dead, although he and Chuckwagon still both appear occasionally at local burger joints.

Would that Ale-viss were here (and maybe even knew what passive subjunctive was). Ah'm sure that he would say, as Chuckwagon and Ah both say, "Thank-ya, Del Norte. Thank-ya vurruh mulch."

...which is probably why, Gentle Reader, Del Norte fled to Uruguay.

DelNorte · Post by **DelNorte** » Wed Feb 05, 2014 15:36

Duckmiester - may I call you that? - Elvis lives, habla español fluently, and sings at weddings, 15 años, and hits the discos quite frequently. He bucked the drawl though, trying to stay incognito yah know.. Why do you think I was so quick to move to U?

el Ducko · Post by **el Ducko** » Thu Feb 06, 2014 03:05

DelNorte wrote:Duckmiester - may I call you that?

Why, of course. (Blush) ...but you can call me Patito if you want.

DelNorte wrote:Why do you think I was so quick to move to U?

Uh... the sausages, of course. Chorizo? Morcilla? Salchicha Argentina?.
Got space for a spare hammock? WooHoo! I'm on my way!

DelNorte · Post by **DelNorte** » Thu Feb 06, 2014 12:38

el Ducko wrote:Uh... the sausages, of course. Chorizo? Morcilla? Salchicha Argentina?.
Got space for a spare hammock? WooHoo! I'm on my way!

Chiquito Patito, we have a wonderful terraza you can hang yours on anytime! Might need a mosquito net though for the night. They seem to like the northern hemisphere blood better than the Uruguayan. I think it's because we're sweeter.

Unfortunately, in my area (I can not vouch for the rest of Uruguay) the chorizos and other sausage products are far from "fine meats". They are processed in a very lazy manner with the most grizzly chunks of... well.. everything. No one deviates much from using the same spice. Yes, I said spice in singular. This is one reason that we have become interested in making and smoking our own. I'd like to try my hand at the fermented meats during the cool/cold months sometime. They'd have to be newbie recipes though. And I still need to get my hands on cure powders.

I'm thinkin' bout making some smoked meatloaf this weekend. What else can I throw in there at those temps? Hmm.....

ssorllih · Post by **ssorllih** » Thu Feb 06, 2014 14:04

A little bit of cure #1 or #2 goes a long way in sausage making. An un solicited gift of a few ounces should get through customs alright. Just sent first class postage.

sawhorseray · Post by **sawhorseray** » Thu Feb 06, 2014 21:23

Hmm, that could be a bit of a sticky wicket, sending a powdered substance thru the mail to a third world country. I'd have no problem mailing spices or cure to someone who needed them and would pay the postage, but you'd have to wonder if they ever made it to the recipient. Would it be considered illegal down there to even do that? I'll be going thru Mexican customs in right about 48 hours from right now, we make sure to bring absolutely nothing that they might not like to see. This year I'm packing my own cigars for the trip down to Ixtapa. They want $20-$30 a pop for decent Cuban stogies these days, and there's loads of counterfeits. I get A. Fuente Curchills thru the internet for five bucks each, hope they don't get crabby. RAY

DelNorte · Post by **DelNorte** » Thu Feb 06, 2014 21:46

Ray is very correct. I'm sure Customs would nab it, for it being a powder substance. Also, Customs is not trust worthy in the first place. I know of many situation where people got "care packages" rifled through and things missing. We're talking about things that would never raise an eye. Plus conveniently there was a note on the package when delivered that it was damaged before reaching Uruguay.

Then there are those packages that never arrive. I personally know of this, because I sent some new shirts to my husband before moving down and he never got them. Thinking back though, I made a mistake and left the brand hang tags on the shirts, which made them a good resale item. You see folks, the Aduana (Customs) is known for it's shifty employees who sift through mail, grab what they want, and then sell the pirated stuff. I'd very well bite the bullet and pay high dollar to ship some things down here that I so miss, like a crockpot (it doesn't exist here), but I'm not confident that I would get it.

It really chaps my rump that Yahoo recently posted an article on the top 10 places to retire internationally. Uruguay was listed and for the stupidest short bunch of reasons. All false mind you. People reading that will be totally mislead on what to expect if they move to Uruguay... Yep, I heard you folks thinking - Why are you there then DelNorte? - I'm a love sick hopeless and this was the easiest option for my husband (Uruguayan) and I to be together.

Wait what? How'd I get on this topic from sending cure powder in the mail? Whoops! tee hee

I need to come up with a tall tale to post here....

sawhorseray · Post by **sawhorseray** » Fri Feb 07, 2014 04:03

I find this to be a interesting subject which might require a interesting experiment DelNorte. PM me your mailing address, no rush, I'll be gone till the 17th of February. I'll send you a half pound of Instacure #1, got fifteen pounds in my pantry just sitting there right now, and little bags of some fennel, allspice, anise, carroway seed, oregano, celery seed, rosemary, thyme, coriander seed, and Hungarian paprika, the whole package weighs in at right about two pounds even before being boxed. I can load the bags with the ends open so nothing will spill upon opening from the sealed end, and then shrink-wrap the entire shipment and box it. If the package gets to you I'll scan a copy of the postage bill and you can send me a check, the spices and cure will be on me. I love to gamble, so if the POS customs people steal everything, believe me, I've lost more for a lot less. RAY

PS: Ross, if you read this, which I know you will, I got my hips shot up today with the use of the x-ray machine and a real doc. I haven't felt this good getting around in about three years, I didn't remember what it was like to not hurt a bit with every step. As I know this is just a temporary fix I'll be talking to the doc about replacement right after we get back from Ixtapa, feels great to not hurt. RAY

ssorllih · Post by **ssorllih** » Fri Feb 07, 2014 05:54

Ray, Enjoy it while it lasts! I like the idea of shrink wrapping the entire package. That way they swipe all or nothing.

DelNorte · Post by **DelNorte** » Fri Feb 07, 2014 18:06

Ray this is an interesting proposition and I believe I'm going to take you up on it.

If the package makes it through, we'll smoke up some celebratory sausages, I'll take photos, then we'll eat some sausage for you and wash it down with some muy bueno cerveza, and take some more pictures.

Btw folks, if the package arrives I will be wanting some ideas of what to throw in the smoker for that celebration. It has to be a newbie recipe. We're just starting out. Ol' Crusty sent me one for a Csabai that looks quite nice that I'll put on the list to choose from.

OK, now I've got to git to writin' my tall tale story of the time I introduced my cousins to bigfoot.

sawhorseray · Post by **sawhorseray** » Fri Feb 07, 2014 19:56

Stupid me, I thought a $20 bill would cover this little experiment easy. Seems the USPS wants about $45 to get a little box to Uruguay, no seeds, no guarantee of you getting the package, and I have to fill out some kind of customs form. I'll do a little more investigation on this after we get back from Mexico, pressed for time right now, leaving in the morning. RAY

Chuckwagon · Post by **Chuckwagon** » Fri Feb 07, 2014 19:56

OK, now I've got to git to writin' my tall tale story of the time I introduced my cousins to bigfoot

Hmmmmm.... did I ever tell you guys about the time John Wesley Powell and I went through Cataract Canyon in a canoe with a hole in the bottom and fought off grizzly bears with a rattlesnake?