Footprints in the sugar bowl

Part of The Underway Gourmet by Suzy O'Keefe

The restaurants of mainland Mexico are noted for their traditional foods and palapa roofs. Most are open-air allowing the tropical breezes to cool the area shaded by the thatching and nearly all have a resident short-legged dog that occupies the space underneath your table. After so many years enjoying these wonderful slices of Mexican culture, I almost don't feel at home in a restaurant without a dog.

Of course, being open-air, all manner of other creatures are free to come & go as long as they don't annoy the dog. At any given restaurant there will inevitably be a few geckos on the ceiling. You'll hardly notice until they move to capture an insect. Also, the small birds of the swallow type clean the crumbs off each table as it becomes unoccupied thus saving greatly on waitressing costs.

In one particular restaurant in the Puerto Vallarta area, the birds have developed other tastes. While bread is still a staple, they have learned to supplement their diet with sugar. They congregate in small groups and eat right out of the sugar bowls on the tables that are most near the front (convenient for a fast getaway). The waiter walks over every now & then and waves a napkin to chase them away and then returns to sleepily leaning against the wall near the kitchen.

Now, this restaurant offered a very tasty breakfast faire along with a panoramic view of Marina Vallarta. That was just right for the cruisers who had indulged heavily in dark rum the night before. Yep, me included. We moved so slowly that even the birds didn't mind visiting our occupied table. This obviously irritated the otherwise content waiter as he frequently came to *napkin* them away and apologize. After he had done this several times I pointed to the sugar bowl the next time he came back. He looked puzzled so I again pointed to the bowl and said "huella" (Spanish for footprints). With a look of horror he brought his hand to his forehead in that familiar gesture. Hurrying off he returned with a smile on his face and the lid to the sugar bowl in his hand! The footprints remained.