How would you explain this Spanish phrase “ a la veracruzana” ? Leandro needed help—too many mouths to feed in this house, the Americans liked to eat. Also it was Salome's birthday, and she wanted squid. The oil men's wives' eyes would swing like the pendulum of a clock beneath their cloche hats when they saw squid a la Veracruzana. But the men would eat tentacles without noticing, enthralled with their own stories. How- their hired guns had put down the rebellion in Sonora and sent Escobar running like a dog. The more mezcal went into their glasses, the faster Escobar ran. How would you explain this Spanish phrase “ a la veracruzana” ? Thanks!