Halloween’s Romantic Campo Cuisine | Joseph Toone

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  • Halloween’s Romantic Campo Cuisine

    You may recall my writing about Carolina, the lass that cleaned for me that quit to open her own restaurant by the bridge in Cieneguita on the way to the Leon airport.  Carolina, after decades of hiring hundreds of people, is truly the hardest worker I’ve ever employed.  She’d have to be to open a restaurant by the bridge.

    Her place featured yummy food but lacked water, electricity or bathrooms.  She had to sleep in the field at night to keep folks from repeatedly stealing her stove.  Her ingredients required daily shopping.  It was non-stop work but she loved it and was happy, in middle age, to kiss cleaning goodbye.

    Then came the spring’s floods that wiped out the bridge and took Carolina’s place out with the tide.  Undaunted she opened a new place in the front yard of her home in Los Lopez.

    Los Lopez is a puebla between San Miguel Viejo and Cieneguita with a long history.  The ruins of a bridge remain that the Spaniards crossed drawing metal detector enthusiasts searching for long ago pieces of silver dropped during highway robberies that occurred even way back then.  Today Los Lopez has chapels, schools and a large, modern orphanage with a city bus that drops you right off at Carolina’s.

    Carolina serves breakfast and lunch fresh from her garden daily as you can eat and enjoy the endless parades of peckish livestock gamboling by in search of greener pastures.

    Carolina’s claim to romantic campo cuisine is her Friday-Saturday-Sunday night burgers and fries made from meat, chicken or vegetables.  With candlelight and an ample supply of Halloween decorations it is the perfect spot to enjoy an October evening with a loved one, living or dead.

    The Halloween decorations made me both laugh and venture down memory lane.  When starting the restaurant I gave Carolina any kitchen supplies I wasn’t using and, on a lark because she liked them, I gave her all my old Halloween decorations.  All my life, I’ve donated stuff but this was the first time I got to see donated items in active use!  It was a hoot to see stuffed Draculas and Frankensteins my children enjoyed cuddling a long time ago back in use.

    To find Carolina’s by car simply turn left at the bus stop before entering Cieneguita.  Her place is on the right just beyond the shrine in the middle of the dirt road.

    Speaking of shrines, you can view the chapel in progress to the Virgin of St. John of the Lakes Carolina’s mother is building.  If you enjoy faith based events in the campos, like I do, best to make nice with Carolina’s mother as she knows about most everything!

    Also meet Carolina’s bird, Goldie, who sings languidly all day.  Silly me assumed she wanted a male partner to feather her cage with but learned she already has had that pecking his azul frame into a corpse.  (I’ve since learned birds need cages beside each other for a couple weeks to get to know one another properly before cohabitation or things end badly, especially for him.)  Or perhaps Goldie wants another lass to build her avian future around.  Hard to tell what thoughts flap around a pretty bird’s murderous brain.

    Hurry to Los Lopez to enjoy romance, Halloween, great food, a killer bird and some very flattering lighting as who doesn’t look better by flickering candle light?!?


    WELCOME TO JOSEPH TOONE TOURS


    Offering unique tours on local traditions and celebrations to groups, or solo adventurers, customized to meet your time, budget, and interests.   Tours celebrate weddings, corporate occasions, family reunions, club activities, art classes or any day you want to make memorable!

    Tours given by Joseph Toone


    For reviews of TripAdvisor’s number one guide for history and culture visit TripAdvisor.com.


    Personal tours are available anytime.  To contact, please send me an email.


    Joseph Toone is the Historical Society’s short-story award winning author of the SMA Secrets book series.  All books in the series are Amazon bestsellers in Mexican Travel and Holidays.  Toone is SMA’s expert and TripAdvisor’s top ranked historical tour guide telling the stories behind what we do in today’s SMA.  Visit JosephTooneTours.com, also on FaceBook.


     

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