Caray, Caray!

Another night of misery and mayhem, Querida Enemiga style. I tried to watch it twice but had to stop at the rotten egg scene. Arrrrgggh. So if I've missed anything important in this "once-through", feel free to add it in your comments.

We have a brief rehash of the workshop fire disaster and the lack of insurance. Even the tools were completely burned. But just when you think it couldn't get worse, it does....Two fellows arrive wanting to be paid for their autos that burned up in the fire. If they don't get paid, they'll take Omar to court. Zulema pleads for understanding, adding lawyer's fees will just make it harder to repay. Omar asks for a few days or a week to dredge up the money. (where he's going to get it beats me). He gives them his word. But evidently there were other cars burned as well, so there will be more to pay. Plus the workshop was rented so they will have to pay for the damages to the building. Zulema cheerfully assures him that somehow they'll start from zero and make enough with her catering business. (Right!)



Julian is moping around the livingroom, still blaming himself while the assembled females, and especially Rosy try to talk him out of it. Rosy thinks someone could have set the fire (Sara looks momentarily panicky) and Diana even wonders if it might be Hortensia or Jaime behind it. Sara comes vigorously to their defense, protesting that they'd have nothing to gain anyway by hurting Omar.

And what did they gain by making him believe that you were dead? snaps Diana. Little goody two-shoes Lorena jumps in and says, "Let's not remember ugly things" And she notes that even though such horrible things have happened, how wonderful to see the family all together again. (Gag me with a spoon)

Vasco and Omar are still outside, Vasco hoping to get financial help from friends or the bank. Omar protests that it's his responsibility but appreciates the offer of help. "We'll get out of this," Vasco assures him. (Not with Sara sabotaging your every move you won't!)

In the livingroom they're still rehashing the arson possibility but Omar nixes that. Investigations cost money. (In the U.S., the fire inspectors would do an investigation automatically. It wouldn't cost...except in the taxpayer sense). Anyway, everyone perks up at the idea of catering lunch at Mundo y Vida and starting to make money on Zulema's home-cooked food. (Feel those anvils about to fall, folks?)

Now an ugly scene with Barbara and Jaime. Even if she were saying something nice, that voice would make it ugly; but she's shrieking at him for not being at work, for being depressed, for not hiring a lawyer, for stupidly trusting Sara to work things out, and for not helping her with HER nerves.

Mercifully we switch to a scene in the company kitchen with Rosy and Maruja having a cosy chat about poor Julian and Omar's disaster. Don Toribio's therapy is working!

Jaqui and Hortensia are having a less cosy conversation. Hortensia is incensed that Jaqui proposed a menu of French food for the the Art and Culture museum opening. Mexican food? asks Jaqui. Duh! snaps Hortensia. (well, those weren't her exact words but that was the intent).

Back at Casa Pobre, Lorena is whipping up mayonnaise while Zulema gets ready to go to the bank with Omar. Smarmy Sara wants to help. She's brought rotten eggs that Chalo got for her. She deliberately drops a bottle of pop and when Lorena goes to get a mop, she drops one of the eggs into the mayonnaise, and while gagging, whips it in. (If the odor is strong enough to make Sara gag, why doesn't Lorena notice? And why don't folks notice when they eat it?)

More foreshadowing of disaster. Omar says if they can't raise the money any other way, they'll have to mortgage the house. And what if they can't make the monthly payments then? THEY'LL LOSE THE HOUSE!!! (Watching this is so much fun...right?) Zulema assures him that God wouldn't let that happen. And besides, we're hard workers, we'll manage.

Julian pops in, says the taxi is waiting. Food is bundled up, including tainted mayonnaise, and you just have that sick feeling about what's to come.

And speaking of sick feelings, now we have Ickturo (Arturo to you purists) and harlot mom having a cosy lunch. She asks him is he wants more "tinga" (check vocabulary list) and he passes but is bragging about how much money he's going to make selling cheap Chinese toys. He goes off to check on child and Mom hears his cell phone ring and intercepts a compromising message from Barbara. Does my son have a mistress? she wonders, squinching up her beady eyes.

She questions him, he lies and says the call is from the office. I'll compress some scenes here. Valeria arrives home from work. She has the afternoon off. Child wants Dad to take him to the swings like he promised but Ickturo has to return to office...he's working very hard to maintain the family. Harlot mom asks Valeria to use her afternoon off to watch the children because she has an errand....(checking up on her sons' assignation!)

She trails him to the hotel, follows him up to the room. We're treated to another loathsome post-coital scene with Barbara (no details, puhleeze!) and then the confrontation with Mom. Well, hey, she understands he needs a mistress, given what a b....his wife is, but now, it's nothing to be proud of either! He softsoaps her into believing that Barbara is supportive and loving (but you said that about Valeria sonny!). This is going pretty well until he drops the word that Barbara is married. Brief downturn but finally Mom is happy if Ickturo is happy. (This is almost as bad as the rotten egg in the mayonnaise scene. You see why I couldn't watch it twice.)

Okay, back to our other disasters. Jaime is trying to persuade son Vasco to let him help Omar out with some major money. Vasco accuses him of just trying to salve his concience as well as persuade Omar not to pursue justice for the baby kidnapping. Jaime fruitlessly tries to convince his son he just wants to help and that Omar doesn't even have to know it's from him. Nuthin' doing.

Lorena and Sara are back at the house. Lorena is prattling on about how wonderful it is to see Sara settling in. Sara can't understand why Omar won't accept her grandmother's help. She and Lorena squabble about whether or not forgiveness is merited and to change the subject she asks how things are going with Alonso. Of course they're still on the outs, as Sara is happy to learn.

Now...oooh, horrible scene with everyone at the office gobbling down Zulema's home-cooking, asking for more mayonnaise on the salad....and you just know what's coming! When they return home later, they're all happy, noting that folks ate EVERYTHING AND NOW THE WORD WILL SPREAD. Oh yes, and it will be a diasaster.

But wait....there's more. Don Toribio, after fibbing to Alonso that he's out walking, is actually driving the car and hits pedestrian Chalo (small world) and speeds off to avoid arrest. I'll compress scenes again. Chalo tries to call Sara. She refuses to answer. So he calls Lorena. They advise him to go to Alonso's clinic where he's fitted up with a cast on his leg. Nasty look from Alonso as Chalo whines about losing his job and having no one to take care of him. But he'll be back to let Alonso remove the cast!

Lorena goes to check on Chalo, he's already left. Bruno intercepts her and asks why she doesn't stop in to see Alonso. She demurs. Bruno gloats, surmising that they've broken up. Then Lorena decides to go anyway, opens the door, sees Alonso brooding, changes her mind and leaves without saying anything. More stupid misunderstandings. What's not to love?

Interspersed in all this is a brief nasty scene between Hortensia and Jaime. She needs some figures from him that she asked for and is concerned that they make Omar and Zulema believe in their repentance.

Then an odd scene where Maruja pops into Jaime's office to bring him a cold drink from the machine.. Bumbles around and knocks over something in his office, breaking it, and apologizing ...backs out of the office again. Not sure where this is going.

And yet another brief scene. Dario and Jaqui snuggling on couch. Bettina getting ready to go home. He wants to take her. Nope, Mom's waiting for me down below. Oh no, she shouldn't even know where we live.

Mommy Paula is crying, seeing that Dario has achieved all she ever wanted...a great life in a great building while she can't even go to the movies, she's so short of cash. She starts in about the beautiful building but Bettina stops her short and off they go.

Another quickie scene...Don Toribio indulging in ice cream therapy but he runs out! and with nothing to dull the pain, he has to face the fact that he fled the accident scene like a coward. And what if the guy saw his licence plates!? He'll be busted.

Vasco and Diana are late coming home from work. Zulema is worried. Omar brushes it off until they arrive with the sad word that everyone at work has food poisoning, including Vasco and the contract with Mundo y Vida is kaput. Fortunately Diana didn't eat anything so the baby is safe from any ill effects.

Zulema can't believe this latest disaster. In all my years of cooking, I've never had this. I was so careful, washing everything, sanitizing the containers....how could this be? "There's always a first time," chirps Sara and gets glared at by everyone. And besides, you weren't the only one cooking, Lorena was helping.

A little light-hearted scene to break up the endless disasters. Julian is at Rosy's house. Mom isn't home. The smooching gets hot and heavy and Julian tries to call a halt, since he promised never to go into Rosy's room and rumple the sheets again. Maybe they should just chill and watch a movie. Or....we could make love somewhere besides my room...like, say...the kitchen! We leave our little couple still making out on the couch. At least someone is happy tonight.

At Paula's house, the sadder but wiser gals are once more playing cards and dishing about Paula's miserable love life. She's bemoaning the fact that Jaqui's living like a queen, enjoying all the perks of Dario's success that she should have received.

Lorena has come to check on Chalo who's still whining about needing more attention. Are you just going to leave me here like a dog? Is it because Alonso's jealous? If he were really a good guy, he wouldn't resent your doing a good deed.

While he's casting doubt in Lorena's mind about Alonso, Paula is doing the same with her brother. If you're jealous, maybe there's a reason. I was never jealous of Dario until he started cheating on me with that tramp. Before that, I trusted him completely. Better keep your eyes open, bro'.

There's a storm going on during that conversation (SYMBOLISM ALERT) but the storm is having a different effect on Lorena. She's remembering their sweet kisses in the rain (about five minutes after they met! if memory serves) and feeling very sad.

Final scene. Omar is storming around the bedroom in a bad mood. Sara knocks on the door, says she wants to talk. "Well then talk! Don't announce it!" He quickly apologizes for his remark, explaining that he's tense; and Sara does announce firmly that she's going back to work and going to ask for money from her grandmother to put an end to their difficulties.

Impactado look from Omar. And that's all the misery for this evening, folks.
* * * * * *

Vocabulary (very brief tonight)

tinga = messy stew, with cooked shredded chicken, lots of tomatoes and chipotle chili peppers (what harlot mom was giving Arturo for lunch_

con dinero las penas son menos = with money, problems are less....a play on the old saying "con pan, las penas son menos Sara's philosophy

limar las asperezas = iron out the differences

no es para menos = no wonder!

Tinga poblana de pollo

Serves 4
more stories like this
Ana Garcia of La Villa Bonita, a cooking school in Mexico, makes this tinga (the common term for "messy stew") with cooked chicken, lots of tomatoes, and chipotle chili peppers. Regions throughout Mexico have a version. This one comes from the state of Puebla - hence the word poblana. Authentic versions use lard, but it's fine to substitute vegetable oil. For the quickest preparation, buy a chicken already roasted and shred the meat. Serve the tinga with warm tortillas and black beans.
1
tablespoon vegetable oil
1
large white onion, chopped
2
teaspoons salt, or more to taste
2
large cloves garlic, chopped
12
plum tomatoes, chopped
1/4
cup chopped parsley
1
chicken, poached or roasted, meat pulled into shreds
2
whole canned chipotle chilis in adobo sauce
1
teaspoon adobo sauce (from the can)
1
cup chicken stock1. In a large flameproof casserole or earthenware cazuela, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and salt. Cook, stirring often, for 10 minutes or until it softens. Add the garlic and cook 5 minutes more.
2. Stir in the tomatoes and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes or until the tomatoes cook down to a sauce-like consistency.
3. Stir in the parsley, chicken, chipotles, adobo sauce, and stock. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer for 20 minutes or until sauce thickens. Taste for seasoning and add more salt, if you like. Adapted from La Villa Bonita
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