Sunday, August 8, 2010

(Mi, tu, su) mero mole

In the book "In Light of India", Octavio Paz, a Mexican writer awarded the 1990 Nobel Prize in Literature, narrates the story of an Indian nun who arrived in Puebla in colonial times and after resorting to local ingredients such as peanuts, chili and chocolate to prepare curry, invented mole.

The expression mi mero mole literally means 'my very own mole'. It is used to mean that some activity is precisely what I like the most or what I excel at, my area of expertise. It can also be used in reference to other people's tastes or abilities: tu mero mole or su mero mole

Example:

Secretario General del sindicato: Es probable que tengamos que usar los recursos del sindicato de este ejercicio fiscal para un evento social con los trabajadores.
Vocal del sindicato: Hazte. Ya sabemos que el reventón es tu mero mole

Chairman of the workers' union: It's likely that we will have to use the union's funds from this fiscal year for a social event with all the members.
Union board member: Your so full of it. We know well that partying your ass off is what you like the most.

The image below shows a plate of mole poblano (Pueblan mole). Notice the sesame seeds on top of the sauce and the Mexican rice as a side.

4 comments:

  1. I was thinking of an expression the other day that I thought would be your "mero mole". I don't know if you've heard it or already written about it. It's an expression used when a food is very spicy...Esta como perro....Bravo! :)

    I really enjoy all of your posts. :)

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  2. Thanks, Leslie. That's a good one.

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  3. Tu mero mole means the thing that you like the most, the thing that you do best. Mero means True, mole is a food, but is one so tasty that people just love it, so you mero mole is something that you do, or eat with passion.

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  4. Ya mero llego, Ya casi llego, el mero mero, el mero mero sabor ranchero
    I'm almost there, I almost make it, The true one (the most important one) The very true country flavor

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