Lunch, the San Miguel Way

Today I had plans to meet Dee for lunch. We met at the Biblioteca, and wandered the city looking for the perfect place to suit us both, some place not to noisy, stopping in at this shop and that to browse and window shop. We finally ended up at a place on the "Ancha" which is short for Ancha de San Antonio, the main street coming in to San Miguel from Leon, and also the main commercial street in the Colonia (neighbourhood) de San Antonio. We ordered, and soon our meal appeared. The name of the restaurant is Hobo's, and it was cool, dark, nearly empty, with cloth tablecloths and napkins. I ordered the comida, which is a set meal, with four or more courses for a set price. It is served at midday, is the largest meal of the day and is quite reasonably priced. All you need in the evening is a snack. Today the comida consisted of a choice of soup, a choice of main, choice of dessert, and tea or coffee, for $100 pesos, about $10. I had a thin chicken soup, rich with flavour and meat, the main course was a large chicken breast in a tangy mustard sauce, with rice and steamed veggies, accomanied by warm rolls with butter. For dessert, I had flan, which is a traditional Mexican dessert. This one was a bit cakey, usually it is more like custard. Black tea throughout toned the meal. All very, very delicious.

Dee had a tuna salad, which came beautifully garnished with avocado, tomatoe, cantaloupe and carrot. quite substantial and refreshing, for $35 pesos, or about $3.50.

When we were nearly done, a friend of Dee's happened by, and we sat with him while he ordered and ate his lunch, chatting about various interesting topics of delight to all. John made the very pithy and correct observation that one of the differences of living in San Miguel, compared to "home" is that in San Miguel, if you get three things done in a day, you feel all the accomplishment of a full day's work, whereas chores such as dry cleaning, grocery shopping, etc are things that would be accomplished on the way to, or home from, work, "back home". So true!

Lunch ended at quarter to four, only because I had to leave to meet another friend. Otherwise, who knows how long we would have been there, lunching on, and on, in San Miguel.