It's a Fish Shack Freak Show

It's been three weeks since my last post. Miss me?

It was about that time when one of our bus boys, Diego, got into a fight one night after work and got the crap kicked out of him. He's okay now. But it meant for almost two weeks that we were short a major part of the team so all the waiters had to pick up an extra shift busing tables. This meant working seven shifts in six days.

I've haven't had two days off in over a month. And so, on my day off I head to the beach and leave the laptop behind.

At the same time one of the servers, Ivette, had a few too many mojitos during a shift and was suspended for a week. The rest of us had to pick up the slack, meaning more double shifts for everyone. An eight-hour dinner rush is rigorous enough, tack on another four or six hours to that and it makes for one helluva long day.

Tack on another few hours of drinking afterward (to unwind, of course) and then do it all over again the next day. Staying sober in this town in not an easy thing to do.

And the thing is, it's pretty much been like that since I started working at Joe's. I had only been there a couple weeks when Tanque (Tank) the main bartender just upped and vanished. He's been at the restaurant since day one and works double shifts six days a week. Very important cog in the wheel.

One day, he didn't show up for work. Wouldn't answer his phone and no one (that I know of) knew where he was. The rumour is that he was in some kind of trouble and escaped to Baja to hide out. In a cave on the beach, no doubt. Ari, who's both a server and bartender had to pick up all of Tanque's shifts, leaving us short a waiter.

We only use fresh lime juice in all of our margaritas and mojitos and the bartender goes through hundreds of limes a day. Have you ever seen what prolonged exposure to citric acid can do to your hands? It ain't pretty. Ari was not only exhausted from working no-stop but her hands were being ravaged as well.

Then, 10 days later, Tanque was back. I never got the full story (or any part of it, actually) and frankly it's better not to know. In Mexico, too much information can be a very bad thing.

But somehow it all ends up working out. We all just dig in and keep the wheels turning at Joe Jacks, pumping out close to 400 meals a night. In a place that only seats about 80 people, its a fast-paced and sometimes grueling environment. And yet it's fun somehow. The insanity of it all and the constant pressure, mixed with a crazy cast of characters means there's never a dull moment.

And I'll take drama over the mundane any day. I also know that my time here is brief and in a little over a month I'll be leaving it behind. There's comfort in that. Believe me.

I Feel Like Crepe

Well, it's another cloudy day in paradise. It's been raining off and on, but mostly on, for the last three days. Very unusual weather for Puerto Vallarta in February. I don't mind so much because I live here (short term, anyway) but the beach-goers are starting to go loco.

The forecast for today, according to the theweathernetwork.com, was to be sunny and 28 degrees. And the sky this morning looked promising so I packed my bag and headed to the beach. I walked on the sunny side of the street, which I usually don't do, but I figured I'd better not take my chances with this weather. Good thing too. As soon as I stepped on the beach the clouds rolled in.

Then the rain came.

As I stood sheltering under a palapa at the Blue Chairs I grew hungry so when the clouds finally emptied I packed up my soggy towel and headed home for lunch.

Then I remembered the couple I served last night at work. In their twenties, from San Fransisco in PV to plan their wedding for October. They're a couple of food freaks and were telling me all about their favourite places. Jefferey's, they said, served one helluva good fruit crepe. One that would change my life.

I'm sorry but I can't remember the last time a pancake caused me a revelation. I'd certainly give it go though.

The fruit; chopped fresh to order. The batter; mixed new for each whole wheat crepe. Accompanied with fresh yogurt, granola and drizzled with honey.

Oh baby, sign me up.

And as you can see that's one damn fine job Tony Jefferey is doing on the griddle (that's his wife looking on). Today's fresh fruit includes banana, papaya, red delicious apple and strawberries. First he pours the batter and lets it cook for a couple minutes before folding it in half. Then he layers the fruit before folding it again in half, the fruit warming slightly from the heat of the griddle.

It took me all of five minutes to polish it off, nearly licking the tiny streaks of yogurt and honey left on the plate. One of the most fragrant honey's I've ever had; an intense buckwheat flavour.

Amazing brunch.

Life changing? I'm not sure about that. But I will be back to Jefferey's just to see what else he can spin up on that griddle.

email msg. to mark

Sunday January 31, 2010

Re: How are ya?
...
From:
Ryan
...
Add to Contacts
To: Mark

Good to hear from you. PV is fantastic of course. Yesterday I drove up the coast with a friend and we hung out in a fun little hippy town with a nice beach then stumbled across a polo game so we got our big hats out of the car and sipped mint juleps while watching the ponies. Most of that's true. ;)

then we went out and partied like rock stars til 6am. i have to go to work in an hour. yeesh!!!!

But everything's great. Working a lot, going to the beach whenever I can and wearing as clothing as possible.

I can't wait to see pics from Friday. I was thinking of you guys and wishing I was there. But I'll be home just after Easter so maybe for April's show I'll bring Mona back.

Say hi to Michael for me--talk to you soon!!!

rjxo

The View from Here

Here are some recent shots I took from my fourth floor sun deck when I was up there the other day, well, sunning. I have a 360 degree view of my neighbourhood from up there.

The tan is coming along very nicely, thanks for asking. . .

I took this shot of my pineapple water (frozen chunks of pineapple and water) facing north west. Look at that sky.

I'm living in Zona Romantica, one of the oldest parts of the city and its a neighbourhood, close to the beach and full of um, both rustic places and new condos. A true mix of Mexicans and gringos. It's a 20 minute walk to the beach and about 15 to Joe Jacks from here.

This is a house across the street and below is the neighbour next door.














Here's my outdoor TV room on the third floor. I spend a lot of time up here watching reruns of That 70s Show and Fantasy Island and napping on my afternoons off.

And yes, that is a creepy manequin in the corner. My roommate Alfonso is going to make her "art" one day. In the meantime she scares the birds away, and most guests.









Here's one of the best air-brushings I've come across. This car was parked outside my house the other night. Just having the Virgin Mary under my window helped me sleep better.

email msg. to lynn

Re: checking in
...
From:
Ryan [Chat now]
...
Add to Contacts
To: Lynn

Hi Lynn,

Good to hear all is well and that you guys are getting a reprieve from winter. I must say the weather in PV is very tolerable. Most things are, except the propane delivery trucks that drive around in my neighbourhood all day playing their super loud jingle. Luckily most days i'm either at the beach or at work.

I'm planning on staying through March, heading home around Easter. I'd love to have you stay another month if you're in no rush to move.

What do you guys think of Leslieville and Riverdale? Or have you had time to explore much?

Talk to you soon,
--
Ryan

This is Total BS!

Who likes Brussels sprouts, right?

Imagine how much you'd like them if it was your job to peal the leaves from 20 kilos of the micro cabbages on New Year's Eve?

I finished work at 4pm on NYE only to stay at Joe Jack's for another 2 1/2 hours pealing BS. I seriously considered letting my steak knife slip, allowing it to sever the vein in my wrist. It wasn't just me though, it was every waiter, bus boy and manager doing the job.

Thankfully sprout season has almost run its course and the final crops are coming off the fields. Our pealing duties will soon be over. Just ask Paulina my co-worker how that makes her feel? I snapped these pictures yesterday in the waiter station while the two of us were on pealing duty.

Good thing for us. Not so good for our customers as the Warm Parisian Bistro Salad will soon come off the menu. If the thought of Brussels sprouts triggers your gag reflex this salad will make you a convert. If you're that rare being who's already a devotee of BS than you're in for a recipe that will more than satisfy your next craving.

Joe didn't actually give me the recipe for this salad but it's pretty easy. And sorry, but it's gonna be up to you to for measurements and quantities.

~bacon
~red onion
~Brussels sprout leaves
~medium-hard boiled egg
~red wine vinegar
~croutons

I will give you a little tip on pealing sprouts. Cut off the root bottom then take a paring knife and remove the core. The leaves are much easier to remove when the core is gone.

Start by sauteing some chopped bacon until the fat is rendered. We use lardons at the resto (big, thick pieces) so use thick cut bacon or pancetta if you can. Toss in some thin slices of red onion and saute for a minute or two. Then add the leaves of the Brussel sprouts, tossing around so that every leaf is coated in the bacon drippings. Add some pieces of egg. Here's the secret: a semi-soft yolk will add a touch of creaminess to your salad. Add a splash or two of red wine vinegar to the pan and toss once more. Pour out into a bowl and add a few croutons on top for crunch.

So damn easy and so bloody good. Hands down the best use of BS I've ever had the pleasure of eating.

email msg. to keira

january 17, 2010
5:50pm

not sure if you read my blog but thought u'd appreciate the head of the last one.

hope all is well honey bunches!

i've got the night off so going to costco and the mall. should be fun! beautiful day today after the tornado we had on friday. an actual tiny little tornado touched down in the bay. a manager got a picture of it. of course it was my day off on friday.

might have adopted a kitten. one was on the sidewalk near my house last night on my way home from work. i didn't have the heart to walk over it. so the plan is to drop it off at the spca asap. every second it's here is dangerous. it's clawing at my fingers as i type these words. lost interest. back. no wait.

fucking hilarious. how was your weekend? celebrate the book?

miss you love you

rjxo

p.s. here's a link to video of the tornado on youtube, taken from amapas beach where I hangout.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWOkBcD85m4