Sunday, May 22, 2016

GARAGE SALE?


Of course in our world across our border we don't have garage sales. Many of the houses or shacks aren't even as big as a garage. We well know garage sales are where people exchange the junk they no longer want for money. These Garage Sales or Yard Sales are very popular.

In several of our more remote areas families will set a large piece of cloth on the dirt street in front of their little shack or an old fence and place their items to sell on the cloth or hang on the fence. Simply a curiosity to the passing Gringo ... but hardly a "garage sale".

But the truth?


What's really going on in many of these ground level one day "stores" would break your heart. Families, desperate for money, are selling anything they have, to get some pesos. Of course a few worthless items will be there but on that same cloth may be their little propane stove and gas bottle ... it's up for sale too. Reasoning? We need the cash and we can cook outside. On that same cloth may be children's clothing; their own children's clothing. Often a cup or maybe two chipped plates. Sometimes the little kids will place their smaller cloth on the ground too, placing several of their old toys up for sale. Today the poor will do almost anything for a little cash. Food, water and school are the priorities.

Friday, May 06, 2016

CANNED GOODS?


In the good old days people would stock me up with out of date canned goods to take to our Mexican people. In those days canned food was a hard sell! The truth was, that Mexicans didn't really like our canned food. Canned Boston baked beans? Sweet beans? Take 'em back to Boston. "We like our pinto beans with hot sauce". Sweet potatoes, yams, string beans, American made tamales?  Keep them in the USA.

What got me thinking about this was Hortensia's trip to Barrio Pedrigal last night. I phoned to wish her a Happy Easter, even though Easter was mostly over. "Are you home?" I asked her".  "No," she replied. "I'm on my way to Pedrigal with a load of canned food. Two families with a lot of kids gave me a call ... they are out of food."

Today it's much different! Today the people are truly hungry! Food is their priority! We go to a family with canned food and while mom is thanking us, the kids are opening the cans and eating the food cold. American food isn't the greatest, but it's a lot better than no food. (This has actually happened.)

Still ... buying our food in Mexico is smart! The dropping peso to dollar ratio gives us a big advantage ... more bang for the "buck"!

Thanks for helping the truly hungry fill their plates.