Good guacamole can be hard to come by. Finding some, and by that I mean whipping up a batch myself, has been on my "to-do" list ever since I got back. Today, I finally got around to it. After several attempts to buy avocados that weren't destined to go bad, I finally managed to purchase 2 that were absolutely perfect. Just the right amount of ripe, the insides going from a lovely yellowish green near the pit to a more lime green shade just next to the skin. They were soft enough to mash up with a bamboo spoon, which I did, since I heard somewhere (though I don't know if it's true) that metal [forks] and avocados don't mix--starts a slow chemical reaction or something, I guess. Then I added tomatoes, a pinch of garlic salt, half an onion, some cilantro, and a touch of lime juice. I don't know if that's how you're supposed to do it; regardless, the general opinion around here is that my guacamole is awesome. This batch was no exception. After I tested it and unanimously declared it one of my best batches ever, I decided to be gracious and allow Jane, my sister, to devour some with me. We dove in. It was glorious. I then changed my facebook status to, "I miss China today. Therefore, I will comfort myself with guacamole and corn chips."
The reason I find this comforting is that it is almost impossible to find avocados in China. You can easily procure the rest of the ingredients, but avocados remain exasperatingly elusive. Southern China has the climate to grow avocados, but for some reason they don't. The Vietnamese both have and know what to do with avocados, but, somehow, this knowledge has tragically bypassed the entire Chinese population. Therefore, guacamole, though not impossible to find, is one of the rarest of all delicacies in China.
Eating it, then, isn't so much a comfort to me as it is a reminder that there are perks to living in the States. And when those moments come where I miss China so much that I can hardly breathe, guacamole helps me live in the present. It's a party in my mouth that is here, now, and good. Living in America isn't so bad after all. And since I need to remind myself of this daily, I'm glad there's some left over for tomorrow too.
Until next time...I'll be eating my heart out. Peace.
