Finally - Good Charbroiled Burgers at Lakeside

CheenaGringo wrote:John: It doesn't take an Internet genius to figure things out: http://www.eagerrealty.com/listings/listings5_casa%20brooks.htm

Two photos that jump out at me are: 1) the Pepto Bismol Pink library or den & 2) the apparent water leak spots in the kitchen. Personally I would shoot an agent who posted a photo showing such apparent damage.

WRONG AGAIN!!! But a good guess as it's the overpriced house next door to me which is about the same square footage. I could say more, but don't want to end up in jail.

I can tell you about every house here, great or not so great. Most are really good and extremely well kept.

Now THAT is more like it, Neil. You are forgiven the ice iin the beer since it is obvious you are a man of taste.

Bob, the damned Rum probably forms ice up there too. You are to be congratulated on your good sense for (1) selling in BC at those ridiculous prices and (2) taking the money and running.

Make sure you let us know when you arrive, Mrs. MC and I would be honored to entertain you in our humble abode located in the slums of SE Ajijic.

Hey John, how about a link to some photos. I actually know someone who is looking for an upmarket property.

Sorry, but Las Salvias prices are higher. I ought to know since I used to own one which is currently on the market at $612,000.

Some are; some aren't Raq. Depends. Friends of mine live there and are excruciatingly aware of what each of their neighbors' places are on the market for, and what they sell for. Recently, in the high 400's. I'd guess that John's is in the price range it's supposed to be right now. It's a well kept property. The development isn't my cuppa since I prefer my Village ghetto, but I can see where others would find it desirable.

I've always wondered why anyone paints a room P.B. pink. Gag!

In a market this bad, the house that is going to sell is the one whose price and condition make it a standout. It makes no sense for John to price at $509K instead of $499. The former is in the pack, the latter stands out for a very minor reduction.

When we were selling RE in a periodic bad market, we would list the 10 competing properties for our sellers and show them how to be the top 1 or 2 of the 10. Those were the ones that would sell while the others sat.

I know if we sold today, we'd take a bath. Fortunately, we have no need or intention of doing so.

maybe if he offered to throw in a couple o delicious burgers and beers

gringal wrote:Some are; some aren't Raq. Depends. Friends of mine live there and are excruciatingly aware of what each of their neighbors' places are on the market for, and what they sell for. Recently, in the high 400's. I'd guess that John's is in the price range it's supposed to be right now. It's a well kept property. The development isn't my cuppa since I prefer my Village ghetto, but I can see where others would find it desirable.

I've always wondered why anyone paints a room P.B. pink. Gag!

I see what you mean, although it looks like most are listed well over 500K. I loved the area. Los arroyos is also not my cuppa, but I figure most people would really like it.

Here's my old place. 619,000, furnished. Man it was cheap back in those days, but needed a helluva lot of work.

http://www.chapalamls.com/search/property_detail.php?mlsid_dev=&id_pro=11785

Very beautiful home. Are you in Raquet Club?

Nice place. Thanks for the pics. We did so much work on our village ghetto ancient casa that we don't even want to remember what it looked like, though I do recall one of the special features: the bare light bub hanging down on a cord in front of the master bathroom mirror and the dirty yellow corrugated plastic over the skylight. LOL. "Gag a maggot?"

johninajijic wrote:Very beautiful home. Are you in Raquet Club?

@ John, I am now. Thats the first one we bought. Mega problems with closing, so after a month of slogging it out living there we bought the one we're in now.

@Gringal, yep, that one looked particularly disgusting as well. Gag a maggot disgusting. There was really not one livable room and nasty floors. No light fixtures, no bulbs, a revolting kitchen, and wires which ran everywhere. we had bought it furnished including all kitchen appliances. The day we moved in there wasn't even a toilet seat. The couple who were bidding against us on the house we're in now, eventually bought that one, after we snatched this one out from under their noses. I'm figuring somebody had to have put a massive amount of money into that first one. Not that this one has been any picnic either, but way less work and a much nicer view.

Talk about a topic heading off sideways and off topic!

Guess that I am guilty of starting the movement by bringing in San Miguel de Allende. Now I will shut my mouth and figure out a Bearnaise Burger!

CheenaGringo wrote:Talk about a topic heading off sideways and off topic!

Guess that I am guilty of starting the movement by bringing in San Miguel de Allende. Now I will shut my mouth and figure out a Bearnaise Burger!

You can no more keep your mouth shut than you can make a bearnaise sauce you New Mexico Hillbilly. you are so ignorant of the fundamentals of cooking you could become an auxilliary writer for Mexico Cooks sucking up to your hero Esperanza who has lived in mexico for at least 400 years and was the harbor captain for Cortez when he arrived in Antigua near Veracruz, Dawg had no idea that you were so learned on the subject of Mexico but, then, we were unaware of your connections,

Thank you, Dawg for the excellent endorsement! While I don't think I have ever claimed that I can produce or prepare a perfect Bearnaise Sauce to meet your high standards, I believe I have consumed enough in halfway finer restaurants to have a clue as to what I personally like. Don't forget that the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel in Bombay claimed to have fine dining in 1959 when we resided there for a month or so! And I never had to claim that my travelers checks were stolen either.

On the other hand, at age 12 I had to visit the newly found German family doctor to be declared an alcoholic so that my parents could have access to another three units of alcohol (unit = 1 bottle hard liquor or 3 bottles of wine or 9l of beer) since the State of Maharahstra was a dry State. Back in '59, my father's Scotch of choice was $22USD in the State Liquor Stores. Entertaining was a real treat since people figured that drinking on someone elses quota was a freebee!

Sorry to step on your toes Dawg but some of the rest of us also have stories!

We used to ice beer in SE Asia all of the time. If there weren't any cold beers on ice when you got off watch and you needed one, you poured it over ice. Most of the beer in that part of the world was barely drinkable anyway so you weren't ruining anything.
Now there is a drink here that most of you are aware of called a Michelada which is beer, fresh squeezed lime juice, sea salt and a few other optional ingredients. To beer snobs this may seem heretic but that's because you're looking at it wrong. You aren't drinking a beer. It is a refreshing drink that has beer as an ingredient. Think of it as lemonade with beer instead of water and salt instead of sugar.

There is also a drink which contains beer, lime juice and tequila although I can't remember the name.

[quote="CheenaGringo"]Thank you, Dawg for the excellent endorsement! While I don't think I have ever claimed that I can produce or prepare a perfect Bearnaise Sauce to meet your high standards, I believe I have consumed enough in halfway finer restaurants to have a clue as to what I personally like. Don't forget that the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel in Bombay claimed to have fine dining in 1959 when we resided there for a month or so! And I never had to claim that my travelers checks were stolen either.

On the other hand, at age 12 I had to visit the newly found German family doctor to be declared an alcoholic so that my parents could have access to another three units of alcohol (unit = 1 bottle hard liquor or 3 bottles of wine or 9l of beer) since the State of Maharahstra was a dry State. Back in '59, my father's Scotch of choice was $22USD in the State Liquor Stores. Entertaining was a real treat since people figured that drinking on someone elses quota was a freebee!

Sorry to step on your toes Dawg but some of the rest of us also have stories![/quote]

Aha! You don´t believe my traveler´s cheques were stolen either do you? That was in Calcutta,not Bombay. Why do you treat Dawg with such disrespect. I do, of course, love the exquisite hypocrisy of the " alcoholic" excuse for a more liberal alcohol ration book. Splendid thinking.I still remember the functionary sitting there in the ornate Taj Mahal bar circa 1969 dressed in his finest military regalia from hat to boots with his little stamp recording every drink Dawg soaked up and now this treasured memory is made more precious by thoughts of little Cheenagringo sitting there with his mama and papa pretending to drink scotch & soda that were actually the cotton candy for daddykins.

Did I ever tell you, Neil, that I flew from Nairobi to Bombay on an Air India 707 in 1969 and I was the only passenger. The ONLY passenger. Talk about good Indian food and service. Damn that was a fine five hour flight. Dawg then took a cab into town past countless paupers sleeping on the sidewalks. A contrast that, for, maybe, $300USD, redefined Dawg´s life. An indelible memory.

You may have and certainly do have colorful memories, Neil, but who else around here are you going to share them with besides Dawg?

[quote="CanuckBob"]There is also a drink which contains beer, lime juice and tequila although I can't remember the name. [/quote]

The best drink there is. Period.

BUBBA DAWG JUICE
Lots of vidka
Modest amounts of tomato juice
A few freshed squeezed naranjas agrias (Seville oranges)
Copious amounts of lime juice
Chopped Habanero Chiles including seeds
Generous amounts of mashed garlic
Finely chopped cilantro (optional)

Drink, relax.

If my memory serves me correctly, you were being charged 1/9 of unit for each drink that you consumed? Maybe Air India had improved by 1969 but it wasn't in the "can't wait to travel on list" in the earlier years. Then again, I once flew Aeroflot from Bombay to Moscow and they made Air India look like a premier airlines and I was in what they deemed first class! Then as far as a domestic carrier went, we had Indian Airlines who was still flying DC3's in the late 50's and early 60"s.

By the way, having visited Calcutta I would have no reason to doubt your travelers checks being stolen and if you had said they stole your underwear while you were wearing them, I would believe that also. You are referring to one "hell hole" that many self respecting Indians wouldn't visit of their free will!

I don't know about you but I have ZERO inkling to ever travel to that country ever again! Since educational opportunities were limited, I was packed off to a boarding school located in the first foothills of the Himalayan range north of New Delhi. Located about 2km from the hill station of Mussoorie and run by self righteous missionaries from various churches, it was the only option for a US styled education. I lasted for a little over a year before they decided that I was a heathen from the corporate world and asked that I not return.
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If you two start talking about the curried goat burger then we will almost be back on track.........

Cannot comment on goat burger but I can tell you that one version of "fresh beef" had been legally slaughtered after attaining the ripe age of 13 and the other available version was water buffalo that could be slaughtered at any age. I can also relate a really fun experience of providing habitation for a tapeworm from my time at that wonderful school but will spare you the details. Burgers, real beef steaks and root beer were an absolute priority when on "home leave" after a three year stint in India!

CanuckBob wrote:If you two start talking about the curried goat burger then we will almost be back on track.........

DAWG´S CURRIED GOAT BURGER A LA SALTILLO
One Pound of Ground Goat Meat larded with goat fat to avoid dry texture
Lots of finely chopped garlic
A Generous Portion of Garam Masala
Ground Chiles Arboles
Ground Cumin
Chopped Fresh Serrano Chiles
Sliced Red Onions
Buttered, Toasted Hamburger Buns

A Six Pack of XX Lager

You know, of course, that eating cow meat in India is not acceptable so goat is a good substitute. In France, we eat horse which is lean and delicious but be careful to check the ears or you may be eating wildebeast.

[quote="CheenaGringo"]By the way, having visited Calcutta I would have no reason to doubt your travelers checks being stolen and if you had said they stole your underwear while you were wearing them, I would believe that also. You are referring to one "hell hole" that many self respecting Indians wouldn't visit of their free will!I

Actually, while Dawg does not wish to detract from your search for high quality ground goat meat for Dawg´s curried goat burgers, Neil, since you have been in Cacutta (KOLKOTA now I believe)which is what I would call a somewhat overwhelming urban presence, I will remind you that it is actually the richest city in India, yes richer than Bombay, er MumbaI but those rich folks stay behind high walls at the country club. Accomplished Calcuta thieves could, indeed, steal your jockey shorts while you were wearing them right there on a crowded bus and you wouldn´t know you were missing them until you got home and disrobed.

It is true confessions time since the traveler´s cheques incident took place 42 years ago. I was actually conned out of them by some real slick guys who took me for the idiot I was back then. The Calcutta police were sceptical as well they should have been since one of the major cottage industries in Calcutta in those days was altering traveler´s cheques. Those suckers could take signed traveler´s cheques and, with razor blades, remove the signatures completely before adding new signatures and they were so good at this you could never tell they had tampered with the cheques. Mexican crooks are accomplished but Indian crooks are industrious and establish the world standard when it comes to scams.

"Mexican crooks are accomplished but Indian crooks are industrious and establish the world standard when it comes to scams."

A number of years ago, I was at a Gift Show in Seattle and met an importer obviously Indian but I couldn't place his accent. So I asked him about it and his answer: "I am an East African Jewish Indian". That led to a discussion about how that was. I made mention about having lived in Bombay and he immediately asked: "how could you live amongst those crooks?" In his import business, he had to travel to India to purchase product and he told me how he had to stay with the product the entire time till it was loaded into a container because if he didn't the product would be swapped for junk. He further stated that he absolutely despised traveling to the country and having to deal with crooks!

He was a great supplier and always shipped quality product. On the other hand, his brother also owned an import company and he warned me: not to ever buy from his brother because he was a typical Indian crook!

CheenaGringo wrote:"Mexican crooks are accomplished but Indian crooks are industrious and establish the world standard when it comes to scams."

A number of years ago, I was at a Gift Show in Seattle and met an importer obviously Indian but I couldn't place his accent. So I asked him about it and his answer: "I am an East African Jewish Indian". That led to a discussion about how that was. I made mention about having lived in Bombay and he immediately asked: "how could you live amongst those crooks?" In his import business, he had to travel to India to purchase product and he told me how he had to stay with the product the entire time till it was loaded into a container because if he didn't the product would be swapped for junk. He further stated that he absolutely despised traveling to the country and having to deal with crooks!

He was a great supplier and always shipped quality product. On the other hand, his brother also owned an import company and he warned me: not to ever buy from his brother because he was a typical Indian crook!

A truly splendid story, Neil. You have made my day.

Since I worked as a corporate business development manager at the East Bay Regional Corporate Office for Barclays Bank in Oakland for the better part of a decade in the 1980s, I met some interesting characters. One, of particular interest,was an Isreali arms dealer who came to see me in Oakland in about 1982 in order to see if he could arrange international trade financing for his ongoing arms shipments to places such as Rwanda and Uganda plus his shipments of orgasm enhancing "snifters" from the Far East to San Francisco targeting the gay community during those days before the AIDS epidemic - especially the bathhouse crowd . I met a lot of people like this back in those days and rarely did business with them not out of moral compunction but simply because these marginal business ventures rarely made sense in terms of risk/reward but I had some highly entertaining business calls. I mean, you cannot get sleazier that this guy. During the course of our conversation, he casually remarked that, at one time, he had moved to Tel Aviv, a city in which Dawg had spent a few inconsequential weeks back in the 60s. Now, here is this guy whose moral standards would choke a goat and he says to me; " I didn´t like Tel Aviv at all. You can´t trust people there. Everybody is out to f*ck you. I had to leave and move to the Bay Area. in order to retain my sanity."

Being a banker is loads of fun and they actually pay you to do this for a living.