In search of pancakes



I like food, if you know me, you know this is an understatement. One of my favourite things to eat is American pancakes because they taste like what I think happiness would taste like. A seemingly un-realted fact is that I have found my favourite street in Guadalajara (stick with me here, I'm going somewhere with this). It's called 'Calle Libertad' and it is an extremely beautiful street. It is a big boulevard with a separating walkway running down the middle instead of white lines, so it's quite a wide road. Over this road there is a tunnel of trees, and the centre walkway is also covered in green, so when you're walking down it, it feels like you're in a jungle or a rainforest. The fact that it's a road fades to the back of your mind as you're walking because you're attention is instead drawn to the over-hanging plants and trees that line it. There are also really cute houses painted in vivid pinks and yellow (I was getting Mediterranean vibes). Walking down it is a very relaxing, almost magical experience. It's just very peaceful and therapeutic to be surrounded by the greenery. The other week I was describing to a friend what I'd do in London if I was in charge and one of my changes would be creating tree tunnels on all of the streets (and now I've found something that resembles my vision!). Now, the reason I stumbled upon this street is because I was feeling a bit homesick yesterday and decided to try and find a pancake house (they call pancakes here hot cakes which tickled me slightly) and just happened to find one on this street called 'La Casa de Waffles'. Unfortunately it was closed but I had spotted a cafe over the road so I tried there. They only served pancakes until 'dos y media' (half 2, of course I understood when food was at stake). Third time lucky, I re-crossed the road as there was another cafe next to La Casa de Waffles, I'm nothing if not persistent if I have a craving for something. They served pancakes. I honestly couldn't believe it.


The cafe is called 'La Tetería'. When I'm feeling slightly homesick for London I will come here because it could have come straight out of Brick Lane or Spitalfields. I feel slightly more at home knowing there is a place that reminds me of home. They were even playing Florence and the Machine, Tame Impala and Lana del Rey. I think I even heard The Arctic Monkeys. I fell slightly in love with the whole place. The facade was a deep green, with a medium-sized terrace at the front (perfect for people watching) that led back into a cosy, golden lit covered area if you wanted to sit somewhere more hidden. However, I did have another Spanish related fail. I was speaking to the waiters fine, I even asked for a spoon (cuchara) for my coffee and they understood. It was going so well until my waiter changed and said something super quickly, which I obviously didn't catch. I must have had my gormless 'oh god what did he say' look on my face as he switched to English. He asked me what I was doing here and I said I was studying at the university for 5 months. His response to this was, and I quote, "How are you going to do that with such bad Spanish." I laughed but internally was slightly offended. Note to self, must try harder. And ask people to speak slower so that there is more chance of me being able to respond in Spanish.




On another un-related note, queueing seems to be a very English thing. I never feel more indignantly English then when I am queueing and someone dares to head straight to the front. It drives me mad and I think this is a very English peculiarity (who says we don't have culture). This was something I noticed in France as well, it seems that other countries aren't as fussed with forming orderly queues as the English are. Case in point, I was standing (queueing) behind someone at the tills when one became free. A man failed to notice what I was doing and just headed straight to the free till. I was not just standing there for fun. This has happened a couple of times now and I'm not really sure how to deal with these situations. In the past I have been known to bark, 'Excuse me, there is a queue and I was here first'. This seems like a slightly primary school way to deal with the situation. I might just have to bite my tongue and know that there are worse things in the world than people who can't queue. Another thing that I didn't realise would be a problem are mosquitos. I mentioned animals in my last post, however, unlike dogs which you can step around or cross the street to avoid (it breaks my heart slightly that this is what the fear of rabies has driven me too), mosquitos are not deterred as easily. I don't really count mosquitoes as animals though. More as annoying creature things sent straight from Pandora's box. Weirdly, it is only my calves and ankles that are being ravaged. And before you ask, I have been using mosquito repellent, however, 'repellent' seems to be a misleading marketing ploy because it doesn't seem to be deterring the little pests in the slightest. One thing that I did think would be a problem was the heat, however, I'm very grateful that London was experiencing a heatwave before I came as it has prepared me nicely. The weather in Guadalajara is pleasant. It is warm, but not unbearably. It's the kind of weather where you can wear shorts and summer dresses comfortably and not turn into a sweaty mess as soon as you leave the house. It's perfect strolling weather. I have been caught in the odd downpour and there have been thunderstorms every night with torrential rain, but this cools down the night air and makes it a pleasant temperature for sleeping. Torrential rain is however not preferable when you're trying to get into your Airbnb at 2 o'clock in the morning in a dress and Birkenstocks and the locks are refusing to bend to the will of your key.


So to sum up, pancakes are always a good idea, buy more mosquito repellent and maybe I should also purchase some shoes that aren't open toe and water soluble.

Comments

  1. Ah yes, those pesky mosquitoes! They do seem to love the English blood! As far as the key goes, perhaps 2:00 AM is not the best time to be trying to gain access to your accommodations? Those keys are best used before midnight 😏 I feel you are adjusting to your new surroundings, and remember what I said about knowing peoope there, should that be of assistance ❤️❤️

    ReplyDelete
  2. I feel like some people don't know it's rude to jump the queue...

    ReplyDelete
  3. Are you putting maple syrup on your pancakes? ❤️

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Of course, you can't have pancakes without maple syrup

      Delete

Post a Comment

Popular Posts