Mexico’s Dichos de la Cocina: Kitchen Sayings, Part Two

A beautiful pink and golden Mexican chicken, ready for the soup pot.

What, you might wonder, the title of this article says it is part two? Where is part one?  As Mexico Cooks! spent some time this week reviewing old articles, we suddenly realized that way, way back in March 2009 we promised a second article about kitchen sayings 'later this year'–and suddenly it's four years later!  Can we blame our lack of follow-through on one of my favorite sayings, "Life is what happens while you're making other plans"?  Or maybe let's just leave it at 'más vale tarde que nunca'–better late than never!

 
Chile relleno con frijoles negros de la olla (stuffed poblano chile served with freshly cooked black beans).  Photo courtesy Conde Pétatl.

Mexico's dichos de la cocina (kitchen sayings) number in the hundreds, if not the thousands.  Just like sayings and proverbs in any language, Mexican dichos usually have a double meaning: what the words of the saying are, and then how they are interpreted.  In English, the phrase "the early bird catches the worm" make sense just as you read it, but it has a secondary import: if you start your endeavor sooner rather than later, you have a much better chance of success.  So it is with all of these!

Pig head, ready to buy and take home to make pozole.

Here are some of Mexico Cooks!' personal favorites:

Vale más pan con amor, que gallina con dolor.  Bread eaten with love is worth more than chicken eaten with pain.
Se cambia mas fácilmente de religión que de café.  It's easier to change your religion than to change your coffee.
Quien hambre tiene, en pan piensa.  The hungry person thinks of bread. 

Café con leche (coffe with milk) served with a basket of pan dulce ( sweet Mexican breads).

El que parte y comparte, se queda con la mejor parte.  The one who portions and shares, gets the best part.
Al hablar, como al guisar, su granito de sal.  In speaking and cooking, a grain of salt.
Frutos y amores, los primeros son los mejores.  Fruits and loves–the first are the best.

A street vendor's fresh fruit in Paracho, Michoacán.  He sells seasonal fruits, including papaya, sandía (watermelon), and mango.  Enlarge any photo for better detail–in this photo, you'll see the bees.

Guajolote que se sale del corral, termina en mole.  The turkey that gets out of the yard ends up in mole.
La vida es como una cebolla, uno la pela llorando.  Life is like an onion, you cry while you peel it.
Mata el pollo y pon la mesa.  Kill the chicken and set the table.

Frijol peruano ('Peruvian' beans), ready to cook in a clay pot filled with water.

Mentir y comer pescado quieren cuidado.   Be careful when lying and eating fish.
Nunca falta un negrito en el arroz.  There is always a black speck in the rice.
Al hambre de siete días, no hay pan duro.  To a week's hunger, there is no such thing as hard bread.

Champurrado (chocolate atole) at Restaurant Flor de Lis, Mexico City. 

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