Third International Chili Cook-Off in San Miguel
By Adriana Pando January 9, 2009 San Miguel de Allende

Chili Cook-Off
Benefits Centro de Crecimiento
Sat, Jan 24, noon–6pm
Hotel Real de Minas
Ancha de San Antonio & Stirling Dickinson
Information: Longhorn Smokehouse
Salida a Celaya 6
Tickets at Centro de Crecimiento, Pegaso, Casa Maxwell and the Jardín starting January 16
email cencre@cybermatsa.com.mx  or call 152 6039
80 pesos; children under 8, free

The International Chili Cook-Off started three years ago as the brainchild of some members of the foreign community who wanted to help the Centro de Crecimiento raise funds.

All proceeds from this year’s event, as in the previous two years, go to the Centro de Crecimiento, an institution that for more than 30 years has helped rehabilitate children with special needs.

Twelve local cooks took part in the first Chili-Cook Off. More than 300 people met at the Longhorn Grill on Calle Nueva to taste chili and enjoyed a raffle and live country music.

The second cook-off drew more than 1,200 people to the Hotel Real de Minas. This successful event had sponsors and a variety of vendors. Thirty local cooks participated, along with eight champion cooks from the Terlingua chili cook-off in Texas, who were invited by the organizers. Participants also enjoyed a charro display by the Charros de Atotonilco. A margarita contest only heightened the festive mood of the foreigners and Mexicans who came together for this cause. 

The committee has worked hard to further improve this year’s cook-off. The Terlingua champion cooks have agreed to come, and 30 local cooks have signed up. There will be contests for the best chili, the best margarita, the ugliest and craziest hat, the best-dressed dog, the best beans and the best sauce. International singer Mike Blakely will perform, along with the Charros de Atotonilco.

We would like to thank Mary Jones, Rodney Hutto, Norma Jean Hutto, Linda McLaughlin, Keith Thompson, John Areias and everyone involved in organizing this event. 

Modern chili judging
By The Right Reverend Doctor General J. Mike “Scorpion Breath” Smith 3, Chili Clergy, B.B.Q. Baron, Bean & Pea Patron, Spam World Champ (Retired), Gastronaut, Phartologist, Chilistorian, Chiliologist, Chilistician, and Chili Pope West of the Pecos

The first “World Championship” Chili Cook-off was held in the desert ghost town of Terlingua, in South Brewster County, Texas, back in 1967.

The “godfather” of Texas chili, Frank Tolbert, together with a host of his mostly Dallas-area buddies, decided to put together a fun, tongue-in-cheek “championship” cook-off to celebrate what in future years would become the state dish of Texas, chili.

During the first few years, the method of judging the chili was very simple, since there were only two competitors. Finally, Tolbert and the group began allowing more entrants who had “proved” themselves to be good chili cooks. Gradually, the method of judging chili at Terlingua evolved into what, in the seventies, was known as the “Tolbert Secret Method.”

The basic methodology behind this system involves having the cooks retain tickets in their pockets that correspond to the ticket numbers taped to their judging cups. This eliminates most chances of cheating. Yes, even in the world of chili cook-offs cheating has been known to occur (especially in earlier years!).

In the late seventies, a point system was introduced for local cook-offs to determine who would be qualified to cook chili at Terlingua. At first, the system called for three points to be awarded to first-place chili, two points for second place and one point for third place. Trophies would generally be provided for first through tenth place, but no points for fourth through tenth places. It took a total of six points to qualify to cook at Terlingua back then. The system evolved, and today each of the three accredited world chili groups has its own rules and point requirements.

The Tolbert Original Terlingua Cook-off now awards two points for placing fourth through tenth place, three points for third place, four points for second place, and automatic Terlingua qualification for first-place winners in local cook-offs. It takes a total of nine points to qualify for cooking at Terlingua. Certain prestigious cook-offs, like state championships and national championships are awarded three qualifiers to Terlingua.

Both the Tolbert “original” championship and the Chili Appreciation Society Inc. (CASI) championship cook-off take place each year in the Terlingua, Texas, area on the first Saturday in November.

The Tolbert group has been at one location longer than any other world championship. It has been situated behind the store since 1983, across the street from the Terlingua ghost town, whereas the CASI group cooks at Rancho CASI just a few miles down the road. The third group, the International Chili Society (ICS) folks, hold their championship in October at different locations around the US.

Chili cooking is lots of fun, so grab yourself a pot, print up a recipe off the internet and come on out and cook yourself up a “pot-of-red” and join the festivities! 

Increase in domestic violence linked to economic problems
By Mary Murrell

Domestic violence programs are already seeing the effects of economic hardships on families. In the US the National Domestic Hotline, an advocacy organization partially funded by the federal government, has already reported large increases in the number of calls. During September 2008, calls increased 21percent over the previous year, and in October there was an 18 percent increase. Experts are quick to emphasize that economic factors do not cause domestic violence but that the added stress of financial problems makes domestic violence more likely.

For Mexico, the impact of the economic situation in the US is predicted to be very serious. In the past, in ranchos around San Miguel it was rare to even see younger men except during Christmas holidays. But now immigrants are returning, and many will stay in Mexico. They will not go back north because of lost jobs and the increased difficulty of returning across the border. Officials estimate between 20,000 and 25,000 immigrants will return to the state of Guanajuato (Atención, December 12, 2008).

In San Miguel and surrounding areas, women and families who have depended on remittances will no longer have income from husbands, brothers and cousins working in construction, agriculture and services. Small businesses tied to immigration will also suffer. In ranchos like Estancia de San Antonio, a few men who stayed in Mexico developed businesses constructing or repairing homes for families receiving money from the US. Women selling food and other items in their villages bought their inventories with funding from relatives in the north. Now they will have fewer customers. 

Economic difficulties create stress that can lead to arguments and possibly aggression, injuries and abuse. The path to aggression is much faster for people who witnessed or experienced violence as children. According to the National Technical Assistance Center on Family Violence, “People who grow up in families where they have been abused as children, or where one parent—usually the father—beats the other, are likely to become wife-beaters or child-beaters, or both. They have grown up learning that violence is normal behavior.” 

It is difficult to know exactly how many women in Mexico suffer violence within their families, but the numbers are large. In 1994 CASA (Centro para los Adolescentes de San Miguel) and a well-known international research organization, Population Council, completed one of the first formal studies of domestic and sexual violence against women ever conducted and published in Mexico. Results from research with 500 women who were clients of CASA’s outpatient medical services revealed a stunning fact: over 60 percent of them reported daily exposure to violence within their homes. Sadly, employed women reported violence as a more frequent problem than women who did not work outside of their homes.

Recent research in Mexico shows high rates of violence against women across all social groups, with 25 percent of all women surveyed reporting physical and/or sexual violence by an intimate partner (Amnesty International, August 2008). According to the World Health Organization, over 60 percent of Mexican women have suffered some form of domestic violence during their lives. This violence takes a huge toll on the survivors and also creates problems across generations. Children witness adult role models using aggression and may continue this pattern in their own families.

“My husband’s father always beat his mother. Perhaps that is where he learned it. When it was time for my husband to come home I would start being afraid,” Alma (not her real name) remembered. After a long series of events that included being physically assaulted and unable to go to work because of her injuries, she learned of a place where she could get help. She heard a weekly radio program broadcast by CASA and decided to come for counseling.

Other women ask for assistance after attending meetings held in their communities where counselors from CASA lead discussions about family problems. And sometimes, in extreme situations, the doorbell rings at the CASA hospital emergency entrance and a mother with her small children asks for a safe place to stay.

Dulce María Ortiz, a psychologist by training, is the coordinator of CASA’s violence prevention program. She conducts workshops in San Miguel and the surrounding communities to educate people about the dynamics of violence and their legal rights. Currently she is working with 15 schools and a group of nine rural churches. After the sessions are over, women come forward to ask for more help.

Dulce also conducts one-on-one counseling with victims of abuse and violence and has trained other CASA staff to assist her. In 2007, over 500 clients received counseling services, a large increase over the number seen the previous year. Depending on the specific situation, other services are also provided, including temporary refuge at CASA and medical, legal and financial assistance.

Part of Dulce’s job is to train CASA peer counselors about domestic violence so they are knowledgeable and can spread the impact of the violence prevention program across the state of Guanajuato. Peer counselors are young people, often from the same villages where they work, who provide education and counseling in ranchos and schools to adults, teachers and children. A team of peer counselors formed a theater group to present domestic violence topics in an engaging way. Their play, Violencia, is performed over 40 times each year.

When a victim decides to seek legal help, CASA accompanies her and provides support in dealing with authorities. Dulce pointed out it is common for women to believe the authorities see the situation as something caused by the women themselves. And there is often pressure to stay together as a family, regardless of how serious the situation might be.

When asked what causes domestic violence, Dulce answered with one word: machismo. She explained alcohol often makes the situation worse, but generally, “it is because men think they have total control over the casa and they can do what they want.” This need for control often extends to what their partners and wives do outside of the house, too. At CASA, not only in violence prevention but across all programs, equality for women and men is a key theme to help change traditional attitudes and behaviors.

She pointed out how her team works to address the myths and realities of domestic violence, the potential causes and the very real risks in terms of physical and psychological injury. And she emphasized a key aspect of violence prevention: a belief in one’s basic human rights.

Mary Murrell is a CASA volunteer with postgraduate training in criminology and the administration of justice. She taught police and correctional officers in the US and previously published an undergraduate textbook. 

His mother told me he was aggressive but I didn’t see it...

The following are excerpts from case studies of women who have received counseling at CASA. All names have been changed.

Maria

“When I was single I suffered violence from my father because I behaved badly and he hit me. He also hit my brothers and sisters. I felt it wasn’t necessary to do this; there were other ways to get our attention. He also hit my mother because she did not scold us.

When I went to live with my boyfriend I also suffered violence, although not at the beginning. After seven years of being together he confessed that he had someone else. I was pregnant with our second child. We fought and he hit me. When he drinks is when there’s more violence.

Previously I lived and saw violence as normal, that he would hit me and we would have to get through it. Being here at CASA with people who are supportive of me, I have realized I don’t have to put up with this treatment from him or ignore it. I have the right to defend myself. I’ve learned to make my own decisions. I have a home for my children, in another place, and I know what I’ve done now is because of my own efforts.”



Guadalupe

“I was afraid of being a single mother because my own mother lived through that when my father abandoned us. I didn’t want my own children to grow up without a father. But now I realize that having a father doesn’t justify having to put up with such mistreatment.

Looking back, clearly I loved my husband and at first when we were sweethearts he didn’t seem to be an aggressive person. His mother told me that he was aggressive but I didn’t see it. After we were married things were different; he hit me when I was pregnant and I came close to losing the baby.

He got mad at nothing and waited for whatever reproach on my part. For example, if I told him I didn’t have enough to feed the children or to pay the rent he would hit me and insult me. Not having enough to feed my children and seeing them suffer, I knew I had to go to work although he did not want me to.

When I went to work as a receptionist at a hotel the situation was very difficult. He was jealous and got mad, and if for any reason I was late he would hit me.

One time he just left us and went with another woman. I noticed that my oldest daughter smiled at me and I remember something she said, ‘Mom, you are worthy; love yourself.’ I will never forget this. Now we are a family in which there is love and respect.”

Birdhouse bids benefit El Charco and Audubon 

Benefit Auction
Casita de Aves
Sun, Feb 15, 12–3pm
El Charco del Ingenio
250 pesos, members of El Charco or Audubon;
300 pesos, nonmembers

Gladden the heart of any bird lover, art lover, nature lover or the one you love with a ticket to the Casitas de Aves auction, to be held the day after Valentine's Day at the Charco del Ingenio, San Miguel's botanical gardens. The auction is a joint benefit for Audubon San Miguel and the Charco, two organizations that help watch over San Miguel's environment and work to conserve the natural beauty surrounding us.

Casitas de Aves is the first joint benefit for San Miguel's two premier conservation groups. The run-up to the event is a good omen for all the cacti and all the birds in our local world—it shows the stunning effect that is achieved when Audubon and Charco join forces. More than 50 fine artists were inspired by the casita de aves concept to build a house or feeder for birds, and what amazing constructions they are (all proceeds go to Charco and Audubon). For a foretaste of this amazing display of creativity, go to www.casitasdeaves.org on the web and see each artist's creation, along with the amount the bidding will start at for each during the auction. 

The list of participating artists is on the left side of the web page; click there or on the "gallery" link and the burgeoning world of San Miguel creativity will unfold before your very eyes. All the creations completed so far are pictured there; new ones are added daily.

Drinks and botanas will be served throughout what promises to be a very lively bidding process. Call or e-mail Linda Whynman at 152-2139, vellum1@mac.com  or Naomi Zerriffi at 154-9553, nzerriffi@yahoo.com  for tickets. 

Warren Hardy and Jóvenes Adelante reunite to offer intensive English instruction

In late December, the Warren Hardy School and Jóvenes Adelante co-produced two weeks of intensive English classes for Jóvenes Adelante scholarship recipients. Classes were offered half-days for two weeks, December 15–19 and 26–31 (yes, students were practicing English until 6pm on New Year’s Eve!).

Twenty-five students were able to participate in one of the sessions. Scheduling was difficult because students from as many as 20 universities were in San Miguel for the holidays and had family and other commitments as well as transportation challenges.

Nancy Soles, head of the Jóvenes Adelante tutoring program, performed as “headmistress,” assisted by Manuel León of the Warren Hardy School and Jóvenes Adelante volunteers Diana Ellsworth, Jane Casa and Bob Quick.

The classes, in which students worked in pairs, used Warren Hardy’s “Foundation Course Level I, Power Verbs,” especially adapted last July for English instruction when the two organizations first joined forces to provide an intensive English program to university-level students. 

Workbook instruction was supplemented by verb cards, which displayed a verb on one side and conjugations by person and tense on the other. Another set of cards displayed a verb on one side and groups of statements and questions on the other. Students took turns listening to statements and then responding to questions from their partners, thus engaging their “right-brain” facilities, which is a fundamental element of the Warren Hardy teaching technique. Both classes completed the workbook in less than five days and spent the remaining time “playing” with the cards (all is “play” at Warren Hardy) and in practice conversations.

In the closing hour of each session, students were asked to critique the class. Responses paralleled those given by participants in the summer classes:

students were very appreciative of the individual attention, which they never experience in their much larger prepa or university classes; the emphasis on pronunciation; and the patience shown by instructors and volunteers. 

These classes constitute one element of Jóvenes Adelante’s commitment to provide broad support to their students, who not only receive financial support for up to five years of university study but who are assigned mentors for monthly consultations, receive computers (as available), study English year-around in small groups with volunteer teachers, and enjoy warm and supportive relationships with organization officers and members. 

Scholarship applications for the 2009–2010 school year will be available in mid-February. To learn more about Jóvenes Adelante or to volunteer, contact jovenesadelante@gmail.com.

Something to celebrate
By Ali Zerriffi

What a perfect grand slam: an educational institution, an NGO and a government concluding an accord to safeguard a natural reserve, maintain a public recreational area and bring in a teaching facility. The Municipality of San Miguel De Allende, El Charco Del Ingenio and the UNAM have agreed to transfer the custody of a parcel of land, known as the Parque Landeta, which has been under a commodato or land trust to the botanical garden since 1994, to the university. The municipal council also unanimously approved the donation of over three hectares within the Parque to the UNAM, so that the conservation area will be kept as a natural habitat as it was under the administration of El Charco, where the university will build a “Center of Multidisciplinary Research. This project fits perfectly in the general development plan that the municipality put together for its 2025 vision.

The Center of Multidisciplinary Research will conduct research and provide training in the fields of ecology and environmental studies as well as in politics, economics, philosophy, medicine, public administration and management.

This project will serve as a catalyst in the process of economic and social development of the communities of the region. The current economic crisis and its consequences on the labor force on both sides of the border require a greater focus on education and training as well as job creation. Restrictive immigration measures and the expulsion of thousands of migrant farmers and factory workers north of the border make this an inescapable priority for this region.

Immigration, legal or illegal, is usually an economic imperative for the family and it has enormous social and psychological costs for both the immigrant and the family left behind. There is no other choice for both government and the private sector than to develop a comprehensive policy of employment in conjunction with educational institutions willing to provide the much-needed education and training. 

The San Miguel Research Center in the Parque Landeta will have a strong focus on environmental research and the developing of public policies and programs to protect the environment and manage the natural resources available, especially water. There will also be a center dedicated to the teaching of ecological and environmental issues. In addition, the center shall promote local participation in preserving and upgrading the facilities of the Parque Landeta as a public green space for the enjoyment of the community and as a sacred place for the yearly celebration of the Fiesta De La Santa Cruz. 

The Research Center will also serve as a regional consulting and training hub for local industry to help develop strategies and practices that will allow businesses to grow and be more competitive, thus generating more demand for skilled workers and absorbing the local labor pool swollen by the growing number of those who are returning home from El Norte.

The construction of the San Miguel Research Center and a community health clinic will start in 2009, followed by the building of the unit dedicated to the education of ecological and environmental issues in 2010. We all have reasons to celebrate this wonderful example of cooperation between our local government and one of our great NGOs in order to preserve a very important ecological space and at the same time bring in an academic component that will help support the economic and social vocation of our municipality.

On the January 21, a ceremony will take place at the Parque Landeta in the presence of the Governor of Guanajuato, Juan Manuel Oliva, our mayor, Jesus Correa, and the president of UNAM, Jose Narro Robles, to formally seal the agreement and install the first stone of the future Parque Landeta Research Center. 

All of San Miguel is invited to show our appreciation and support for this breakthrough cooperative project by attending the official celebration, and I especially urge the representatives of our local NGOs to be present at a ceremony that will become a symbol of collaborative effort for the benefit of San Miguel. The project represents a commitment on the part of the municipal government, represented by Jesus Correa and Cristóbal Finkelstein, to work for a greener San Miguel and develop a sustainable economy. 

This is an exiting time in san Miguel because UNAM and other universities such as the University of Texas Pan American are stepping forward with various educational and training programs for students and people involved in the nonprofit community to help upgrade skills and teach new ones. 

January 21 is, coincidentally, the birthdate of Ignacio Allende, and this year the Municipality of San Miguel de Allende will have several official ceremonies (one at the church in Atotonilco, newly recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site). The exact time and directions for the event in Parque Landeta will be announced soon, so please save the date and plan to be part of this historical event. I hope to see you all there.

Ali Zerriffi is a member of the Organizational Working Group of the San Miguel Community Project.

SMCF Donates $107,000 in 2008
By Pam Knoles

The San Miguel Community Foundation (SMCF) donated US$107,000 in 2008 to some of San Miguel’s most needy charities. Although the organization was founded over 30 years ago as a pass-through to provide US tax-deductible receipts to US citizens contributing to qualified Mexican charities (which it still does), SMCF is much more than that.

The foundation uses its own earnings to underwrite community projects not undertaken by specific organizations. In the past 10 years, SMCF has distributed US$632,000 from its own treasury to deserving organizations in the community.

Donations to SMCF come from generous people in our community through bequests such as cash donations, houses, land and other non-monetary items. These donations are fully tax-deductible.

In 2008, SMCF provided funds to build two houses for Casa Linda and donated $18,000 in educational scholarships and $33,000 for services and improvements in local community schools, including IREE, Centro Infantil San Pablo and several public schools; $5,000 for the casas hogares; $10,000 in support of start-up businesses in the campo; $5,000 for hospice; $10,000 for environmental education; $10,000 for cultural endeavors; and, $6,000 for equipment for the handicapped and community health. In 2007, the foundation donated $106,000 to local charities.

SMCF would like to thank everyone who has made a donation. It is good to remember, especially in this time of economic hardship, which affects the neediest the most, the adage of Norman MacEwan: “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.” 

For more information about SMCF see www.smcfnd.com  or call 152-7447. 

Pam Knoles is on the board of directors of the San Miguel Community Foundation.

Happy Birthday Mujeres en Cambio!
By Roger Hind

Birthday Party
Mujeres en Cambio
Thu, Jan 22, 2pm 
Hacienda de las Flores
Hospicio 16
120 pesos

It’s the fourteenth birthday of Mujeres en Cambio, and we’ll be celebrating with exotic fare prepared by Michele Vallon from the Night Kitchen Caterers and a birthday cake from Casita Feliz. Michele is renowned for her Eastern- and Asian-influenced cuisine and her stunning food presentations. Mujeres en Cambio members will provide side dishes and salads.

Please join us for this event. By attending you’ll help raise funds for our scholarship program. More than 150 young women from the ranchos around San Miguel go to school with the group’s help. We pride ourselves that less than one percent of funds raised go toward overhead.

Entry to the lunch is by pre-purchased ticket only. Tickets are available now at Casa de Papel, Mesones 57A. For further information call Roger Hind at 154-6552. Sorry, no phone reservations can be taken.

Holiday news from Rotary Club of San Miguel-Midday
By David Bossman

Donna Quathammer of Casa de los Angeles Day Care Center has been chosen by our board as San Miguel Citizen of the Year. Gordon, Larry and I went to visit her last Thursday to advise Donna of her selection and she is thrilled and most appreciative. She will be formally honored by our Club on February 10, 2009. Congrats, Donna.

The San Miguel Community Foundation has awarded our Club 31,150 pesos to help pay part of our labor and consultant expenses for the Los Torres Water Harvesting project. Thank you, Gary, Laura and Lee for your super work in preparing the proposal.

We have received a tentative acceptance of our Computadoras Pro Jovenes matching grant proposal. All indications are that we will soon have approval. The epic story continues. Thanks, Duane, for your hard work and persistence.