Fake Flamenco

food, Mexico, Spanish Culture and Language

Pipián Sauce, a la Gringa

This sauce is based on pumpkin seed mole, called mole verde, or pipián. The Nahuatl word, molli, is the origin for mole, the Mexican word for this traditional Mixteca sauce. You may have tried mole made of chocolate, almond and chile over chicken in a restaurant. This pipián mole also has rich flavors. Although traditionally […]

Life as a Woman, Spanish Culture and Language, Sports, World Cup

US Women Win the World Cup!

I’m thrilled about the US Women’s Soccer Team winning their fourth world cup! I’m also excited the Chilean women’s fútbol team made it to the World Cup this year. You may remember I talked about soccer/football on Fake Flamenco last year. The US Men’s stats are still the same, no World Cup wins so far. […]

Chile, Spanish Culture and Language

Chile’s Natural Paradise

Chile is a long, thin country that goes from deserts and mountains to lakes and even icebergs. When my husband and I spent a year there, we made sure to cover the major zones south to north. We lived in Santiago and made weekend trips to see what Chile had to offer. There are 36 […]

food, Gardening

Gardening Staycation

Our garden is growing in leaps and bounds. Every spring in Madison we begin with bare ground and by June every surface is green. Time to step away from the computer and play in the dirt. We weeded the vegetable garden yesterday afternoon and harvested greens: spinach, chard, and amaranth. We picked purslane and dill […]

Chile, Spanish Culture and Language

Chilean Life South to North

Hmmm, must be time for a break. I think that’s what it means when I mistakenly publish an empty post. This essay will be complete next week. It is winter in Chile right now. This time of year, we would go to the northern desert to warm up! Gracias for reading Fake Flamenco! Olé!

Mexico, Spanish Culture and Language

How Mary Converted A Nation

When I was 14, I was lucky enough to travel to Mexico City. Our Spanish teacher took our student group to the Basílica de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe. Several impressions remain with me; the enormous modern church (built in 1976), the faithful arriving walking on their knees to show their devotion, and the experience of […]