Oaxaca - The Markets

One of my favorite things when traveling is to go to local markets.  Oaxaca did not disappoint!

There's a fairly low crime rate in the central part of Oaxaca, in large part due to a high police presence.  This van was on the street near the market.

Streets between the markets and the Zocalo are lined with vendors selling all sorts of food, household stuff, toys, etc.

Chipolines - the very popular fried crickets used in many Oaxacan dishes, including tacos and to top guacamole.

There are different varieties of grasshoppers.

And more!  Yes, I ate some.  Yes, I like them but wouldn't go out of my way to get them at home.  I was first introduced to fried grasshoppers by my father when I was about five.  And people wonder why I'm an adventuresome eater!

Here's something you might find more appealing - pastries.

Big, cheap and sweet.  More pastries.

Fresh and dried medicinal herbs.

Lots of stuff on sale.

Including beautiful fresh flower arrangements. 

What are those white balls, nestled among the bottles of mezcal?  Cheese!  Specifically, quesillo which is also called Queso Oaxaca.  The cheese is actually in long strips that they wind into a ball to sell.

Anybody want a shot of mezcal?  Oaxaca is the home of mezcal production.

Beans and spices.

Nope, not the creature from the black lagoon.  This is the base to make mole rojo.  There are 7 types of mole (a type of spicy sauce) which represent the 7 different parts of the state of Oaxaca. 

More mole.  To make mole from scratch is much like making Thai curry from scratch, only it has more ingredients.  Commonly 40 or more, which is why most people buy the base already prepared.  Chocolate is a main ingredient in mole negro.

Lots of fresh produce, very cheap.  I was really surprised to see fruits like rambutan and dragon fruit which I've only seen before in SE Asia.  I asked one vendor if they were grown here and she suddenly refused to talk with me.  Guessing they're imported.

Toys, decorations, the market has it all.

Dried chiles.  Beautiful and the smell is great.

More key ingredients in Oaxacan cooking.

Yeah, yeah...I'm a bit chile obsessed.  Scroll on.

Giant bags of tamarind paste.  Yum! 

Any guesses as to what this is?  I didn't know when I bought some in a market in Mandalay, Myanmar.  Showed it to a local friend and boiled it, as she advised.  Looks like grubs but it's a veg and tastes like a cross between a potato and an artichoke heart.

Did you know that Oaxaca is a large chocolate producer? 

I found the butcher section.

More dried herbs.

In the market are a lot of small, very inexpensive restaurants. 

Meat prices.  That's all different types of beef.

Thinly sliced beef. 

More meat, including chorizo (the ball things on a string)

Everyone has the "best" mole recipe.

Looks kind of like chicken Rockettes. 

The west coast of Oaxaca is on the Pacific ocean.  Even though it's about a six hour drive away, there was still a lot of seafood for sale.

Really?  Dragon fruit?

You can buy your own cocoa beans, roast 'em, grind 'em and there you go.

The kids are so cute.

They call these cebollitas (little onions).  I learned to love them when I first visited Mexico City in 1970.  Grilled, topped with a bit of butter, they are amazing.

Lots of beautiful, ripe avocadoes.  About $2 a kilo.  The tiny things on the top are not the same as an avocado, although they look like a miniature version.

First time I've seen rambutan in Mexico.

The aisles of this market are lined with charcoal grills.  You choose your meat, they cook it and serve it along with sides.

Many of the workers are very young boys.

I chose one of the many tiny restaurants and ordered a Tlayuda ("clayeoooduh")  which is a thick, griddled corn tortilla, topped with a bit of lard, refried beans, local cheese and your choice of meat.

Seating is family style and as soon as a group left, more sat down.

My tlayuda was delicious but I could only eat about 1/2.  It was the size of a large pizza.

This guy joined me for lunch.  He's from Mexico City and was very patient to chat for over an hour with me using my bad Spanish.  He was impressed with my vocabulary but gently agreed that my grammar can use some work.  

One of the cafes on the Zocalo is also a chocolate producer/store.  Near the market was a street lined with small shops roasting and grinding chocolate.  What a delicious smell. 

After smelling all that chocolate, I stopped to rest my feet and sip some delicious hot chocolate.

They make the chocolate the traditional way - by heating milk or water with sugar, chocolate, vanilla and then whipping it with a wooden utensil that is rolled quickly between the palms.  I first had this kind of traditional Mexican chocolate when I was a little kid.

I'm going to miss having this every day.

While I was sipping my chocolate, a guy stopped by to chat and tell me about the mezcal distillery where he works.  He invited me to visit there and then come to his home for dinner.  He seemed very nice but I opted to not go off to the wilderness with a stranger.

So Behind On My Travel Updates - Here's Oaxaca!

Here I sit in Oaxaca, Oaxaca Mexico.  No, I didn't repeat myself.  I'm in the city of Oaxaca which happens to be the capital of the state of Oaxaca which is southeast of Mexico City.

Between my trip to Veracruz and today, I've done some other traveling, including a cruise from Fort Lauderdale to Copenhagen, Denmark. And Maryland. And Virginia.  And there's more travel to come.

Instead of trying to catch up now, I'm going to go ahead and post stuff about my time in Oaxaca and will add the older trips in later.

Now, let's get started.

The biggest disappointment of this trip happened on my way.  I had an 8 hour layover in Houston, the perfect chance to find the Jack In The Box and have some greasy tacos, which are nothing like real tacos but still delicious.

They had no tacos!  I asked why and the employee said they were too cheap and too popular and they'd be too busy.  Interesting logic. 

It was a bit rainy as I flew in to Oaxaca City, which is capital of the state of Oaxaca.

The view from the front door of my hotel.  It's right next to the Zocalo, a great, albeit noisy, location.

That's the front door of my hotel - Hotel Marques Del Valle.  I recommend it.  

The Zocalo, a large square in the center of the historic district, is always my favorite place.  Food, lots of vendors and free entertainment.  Plus, the Zocalo is surrounded by restaurants (casual and upscale) and they make for great people watching. 

Lots of balloons for sale.

Downstairs is a casual restaurant with tables on the side walk.  Upstairs, a separate more up-scale restaurant.

Spending an hour or two with Mr. Kindle and people-watching, while listening to live music is a lovely way to pass a summer day.

Just in case you don't like Mexican food, there's always Subway.

One popular spot has a breakfast buffet for just over $5 USD.

This material is printed to look like a Mexican flag.  

My first meal (adequate, not great) was the daily special.  3 courses, less than $5.

Bread and the typical corn tortilla which is cooked without oil on a "comal", a flat ceramic griddle used over a charcoal fire.

Cauliflower soup.  Meh.

They served the plain white rice by itself as a separate course. 

A chile relleno, refried black beans and salad.  Very typical.

The chile was stuffed with quesillo, the local cheese which is similar to mozzarella.

I'm a rice pudding snob.  This didn't measure up.

BTW, if you're wondering why I chose this restaurant...I was standing on the sidewalk in front of it when it started to pour. 

After an hour of rain, beautiful blue skies.