Veggie oil and Mazatlan

It’s very strange to be in Mazatlan surrounded by so many english speaking people, from both the u.s. and Canada, but also from Mexico, bi-lingual folks.

I’m on the hunt for veggie oil and finding people so very open and helpful. People get it here pretty quickly, even though they can’t believe it.

The first restaurant I go to, I am referred to the womon who is the manager, after talking with three other people.

She tells me she will talk with her chef and I should return in the morning. I’m forgetting her name now, but we have a great time, her talking in english and me responding in Spanish! So we both get to practice the languages we are trying to learn!

She tells me she was just thinking what do they do with their used oil? They have only been open 15 days!

I cross the street and approach two young men who are working in front of an Italian restaurant. Neither of them speak English but they are able to understand me! Unbelievable! And one of the men gets it immediately.

He uses words recycle and ecology. He is so happy and tells me he is very proud of me. He takes me around to the side and explains to the man sitting inside the office what I want. After waiting 10 minutes, I am told that they have very little oil and they have a contract with someone to pick it up.

I go to the next restaurant. Every restaurant I’ve been in today is empty of customers. I feel bad approaching not as a customer but as someone who wants something from them.

This restaurant has about 7 workers and 2 customers. I ask in Spanish for aceite vegetal and they look at me as if I’m saying something beyond belief. The owner or manager gets up, takes me to the little kitchen in the back and shows me the deep fryer.

I say yes, I want this oil! He looks for a container but can’t find one. I tell him I’ll bring one back. I walk the 2 blocks back to the truck, get a container and return.

My first oil!!!! Yeah!!!! He drains the fryer and the oil is not as terrible as it looks inside the fryer. The rest of the staff comes in, laughing and talking rapidly. They still can’t believe I’m taking this oil for my truck!

I go to the truck and then to the 2 restaurants close to where I’m parked. BOTH of them tell me that a fellow was there ONE HOUR earlier and picked up about 60 liters of oil! GRRRRRRRR

If only I wasn’t so tired last nite. But I was. And this morning I had to study my Spanish after jogging on the beach and going for a dip in the ocean.

Oh well. I go to the next restaurant and they tell me sure, they have veggie oil used and I should get my truck, which I do.

I’m SOOOOOOO excited! Everyone is so positive and trying to help!

When I return, there are 2 huge pots outside by the curb. The whole staff is out there too, reading my truck, talking english and Spanish, and waiting for me to load it up.

I see it is REALLY funky oil but I can’t tell them I won’t take it. I get out two buckets and they dump yucky oil into both buckets. There’s still some left but I tell them it’s enough.

Shit! Now what am I going to do? I’ll have to find somewhere to filter it and see if there’s anything usable.

Onward and upward, hopefully