After we were happily settled in Tucson, I read in the paper that there would be a “Menudo” contest for the Hispanic community in a popular outdoor area on the south side of Tucson. There would be Mariachi music, and chefs from the most popular Mexican restaurants would judge the entries and pick the winners. The two types of menudo are red and white.

Menudo is a very popular dish that consists of tripe and hominy. It is customary to serve it on weekends after a night of heavy drinking. It is suppose to settle the stomach and help the drinker get over his hangover.

I wanted to join in because I love mariachi music and it would give me a chance to make some new friends and to chat with them in Spanish.

Each contestant was supposed to prepare either a white or a red menudo and bring it to the contest site in a crock pot so it could be kept hot for the judges and the public to taste. Small samples were taken to the judges in unmarked containers. They would then decide the best red and the best white menudo and award the prizes.

Of course as everybody knows, there is no such thing as “Chinese Menudo,” so I thought I would invent one. The two required ingredients of menudo are tripe and hominy. I really wanted to go to the party, because Latinos always have fun. We could enjoy the music, eat lots of good food and maybe even a little dancing.

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Here is a new video that was prepared and edited by Bob Rogers (www.NewBohemians.net) for my book, Farewell, My Beijing.  This was our third attempt, but I think we got it right this time and I really like it. I hope you will enjoy it. Please comment and let me know what you think.

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In December 1967, we were back in California on home leave from La Paz, Bolivia. We stayed with Ruth, Dick’s older sister and family. Ruth and I went shopping every week because I was busy buying shoes, clothes and other supplies to take to our new post, Tegucigalpa, Honduras. One of the most beautiful items I bought was a silver punch bowl, with 12 cups. I could imagine the delicious lunches I would prepare and serve my guests champagne punch, or use the bowl for “walnut tea”, one of the most famous Chinese deserts.

One morning while we were having breakfast the doorbell rang and there was a telegram for my husband, Richard. It was from Lyndon B. Johnson ordering him to Vietnam instead. Wives and children were not allowed to go. We could, however, choose to live in the United States, Hawaii, Bangkok, Manila or Taipei. I was devastated and could not imagine what I would do with my children for the next two years.

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