Roof Tops and Patios

A Sunday afternoon BBQ to thank our friends in Mexico for their hospitality

& help when we moved here, has turned into a monthly gathering. The August gathering was quite a success! Honey once again "Q"ed up some outstanding chicken & beef, the side dishes were great (Doug got the best side dish prize for his potato salad) and Ana topped it all off with delicious coconut pie. The kids got their hot dogs and we remembered the tortilla's.

Seems most places we have lived we have established this type of event. In

Maryland, it was the "Battle of the BBQ's" starring the neighborhood menfolk who enjoyed the challenge of trying to out do each other. In Singapore they were called "Under the House Parties" as we lived in a British Bungalow on concrete pillars that left a wonderful patio underneath suitable for this. In Guam they were Cabana Parties at Polaris Point (a recreation area), in Florida they were Tiki Hut Parties and in Mississippi the menu was expanded well beyond BBQ type food to include Shrimp & Crab boils and mostly took place at our neighbors house.

Once we hosted a gathering in Mississippi and I got the bright idea that I would put "Gumbo" on the menu. Well I am a southern girl but I wasn't a Gulf Coast native. I knew that because I would often hear people say, "You ain't from around here are ya?" But they said it in the most loving way, ...... kind of like

the old saying, "If you are gonna criticize someone it's ok, as long as what you say, is followed by, God bless their heart or God love em"   It's a southern thing. ANYWAY, so I, not being the sharpest knife in the draw, go to the store and Lord have mercy, my prayers have been answered. They sell gumbo already made in the frozen food section!!! So I buy it, bring it home, thaw it and put it in the crockpot. Yeah I know, that is some serious "faking it". But it smelled great and I was sure it would be a crowd pleaser. Our invited guests arrive and when its time to start the buffet line someone asked me, "where's the rice?". Rice?, you're supposed to serve rice with it? And with the most loving look they say , "You ain't from around here are ya?" We gladly accepted invitations to the neighbors outdoor events and I learned a whole lot about Gulf Coast Cooking (not that I do much cooking in any geographical location)!!

Here in Mexico, there is a distinct cuisine but our BBQ's, boast the backyard

American BBQ menu. Some form of dead animal goes on the grill and the side dishes include Baked Beans, Potato &/or Macaroni Salad, Deviled Eggs, a dessert and of course BEER. At the first BBQ someone asked, "Do you have any tortillas?" My reply, "Lo siento, no tengo" (I'm sorry I don't have). This last one someone said, "I thought about bringing beans & rice". And even though I remembered the tortillas I could still hear that echo in my head, "You ain't from around here are ya?"  But don't worry, nobody left hungry and a good time was had by all.

We had 10 adults and 4 young people attend the BBQ. The boys were happy watching TV & our friend Rosa's teenage daughter was happy updating facebook on her phone. Thank goodness for her though, otherwise there would not have been any pictures. She saw the camera on the kitchen counter and captured the event with a few photos. Now, you know how it goes in a lot of cases, the guys end up in one room & the gals in another. I had set up the dining room with plenty of seating because although the back patio is a great place, until it gets screened in, the flies will

drive you CRAZY, but because the cooler of beer was there, well that's where they guys hung out (God bless em for putting up with those flies). On the other hand I think the gals showed the most common sense. We went up to the roof top patio where shade was plentiful and the breeze was heavenly. So next time I am hoping for one of two things, either the back patio gets screened in or we have it up on the rooftop patio. The only thing we would need if we held it on the roof top are safety spotters on the stairs when everyone departs OR maybe, us gals will just keep it to ourselves- LOL!!