Adventures into Mexican Markets, Part 4: Carpintero

Yesterday when I was headed to get a coke, I was flagged down by my neighbor the carpenter.  He and his family were eating lunch around a comically small wood table, while my new table sat behind him freshly varnished.  We commissioned him for a job about two and a half weeks before, when we showed up with a small wooden bed frame that had been given to us by someone we had helped move.  We told him we wanted a big dinner table made out of that with recycled wood, as he gets that for cheap or free in the form of wooden pallets. Finally after several weeks, the table was finished, able to come home in an hour from him flagging me. He brought it right up to my gate and into my house, just a few feet away from where it currently sits.  I currently sit at this table, writing this story to share with you. 

A few days after we left the bed with him, he flagged me down to tell me he needed more materials to make the table.  I noticed off to the side that he had already dismantled the bed and sanded off the existing varnish layer.  After a few days, we ended up heading down the hill, him singing in the back with his brother next to him .  We generally go to Sam's club when he needs wood, that's actually where we were heading back from when we got in that slow speed cop chase I posted about awhile back.  This time he needed pallets and other materials for our table.

At some point on the way out of our neighborhood, he was leaned out of the side of the back of the truck far enough to get smacked in the face by the jungle, literally.  Currently, the jungle is overgrown and reaching into the road.  Over the next few months it'll all die back from lack of water.  So the jungle smacked him and he about laughed until he cried. So did we, honestly.

He told us to head to Icacos, to the Ferreterria for nails and screws and such. He got what he needed paid out by the kilo, which came to about  70 pesos. We walked to a paint store next, for varnish, thinner and several other things.  This came out to 250-300 pesos. John recalls the materials costing us around 490 pesos, all together. 

When we got to Sam's club, they said they had nothing while there was a stack of pallets.  His brother gave him shit for asking for permission, but it's something our neighbor is pretty adamant on for the most part. We continued on, eventually getting some viable wood from a meat market, as well as some cardboard boxes for my garden.

On the way back up the hill he made us stop one more time at a simple paint store on our hill, to buy simple wood glue.  When noticing the flirtatious interaction between him and the girl at the counter, one understands why he stops for the more expensive glue, which was 80 pesos. Mexico has a flirtatious culture, having an attractive daughter to work the counter of your shop is advantageous for business. 

When we got back, we smoked with him and he told us that our table would be finished by the next day.  It realistically didn't happen.  He was actively working on it, until the weekend which is when he works on the beach.  Monday is always generally a day of rest, one in which he doesn't really seem to do much.  

He showed up to ask for some rolling papers and to let us know some news about our table, which left us perplexed.  He told us that our table wasn't going to have four legs, whatever that meant.  He flagged me down one day and when I asked him what he meant, he expained it to me vaguely in broken english.  He asked if it was okay.  I told him I didn't care as long as it worked, and he understood my broken spanish.  He grinned and set back to work, as I headed home.

When the invite for his wife's birthday party rolled around it became clear the table would be more delayed.  When I arrived to that party, I sat at the table to eat without realizing it at first. I noticed the high amount of hot sauce served on plates and in cups on the unfinished table and hoped for the best.  The party was a blast and honestly I'm happy we used it as it's essentially his masterpiece.  He's not usually given artistic license on projects like this and he really rolled with it.  He made it sturdy and functional. 

The little reddish spots are hot sauce stains. 

For the next several days, save for those weekend days when no ones there, either he or his brother appeared to be sanding the surface of the table.  We joked that they were buffing out the hot sauce stains, especially with the nervous smile and waves we were getting.  It was another week before we heard about the table and that was yesterday.  

When he brought the table up we were busy, having just gotten home from running errands.  I asked him to wait a few minutes and he did so, by the gate. I noticed it was finished but that there were indeed hot sauce stains.  I pointed to them and he covered his face with his hands.  I couldn't help but laugh, what else could you expect from a bunch of snacking mexican women? 

Once inside, it was clear the table was perfect despite it's hot sauce stains.  Those are the battle marks of our first mexican fiesta, something to point to and laugh.  The table is sturdy, well built and of good size and height.  I enjoy the typing experience more with this new wood table. All together with tips and everything, the table cost us about 1200 pesos, a fraction of what we would have paid anywhere else for a premade table.  

Not only did we pay less but we were able to help support our neighbor during the slow season.  The tourist scene in Acapulco is just now starting to heat up with the nearby holidays, and so is business for most people.  The few months between the start of school and christmas are generally dead here, with a wind-down and wind-up period.  This is the first thing I've ever had custom mad in terms of furniture, and it was honestly a fun experience.  Due to the fact that we have a truck, we were able to be involved in all different aspects of the process. 

It was a good experience, all things considered.  While I wish he would have put some sort of plastic covering on the table, I'm not mad that he didn't.  In a way, it adds character to the table, just like the feet from rounded off pallet pieces.  Something to consider is that some things take longer than expected in Mexico, it does no good to get made when they do.  Just go with the flow, and things will come together eventually, for the most part.