Our two weeks in Oaxaca are over, and we are back home in the US. I plan to write several more blogposts about this vacation, but the semester will be starting soon, so please don't hold your breath.
In the meantime, you may have noticed that even though the two weeks of our vacation corresponded with the heart of the Guelaguetza activities in Oaxaca, I havent written about it at all. Certainly that is the reason we scheduled our vacation as we did, and we attended the main Guelaguetza in the stadium on the first Monday and a 'smaller' (but still very crowded and hectic) performance in Zaachila on the second Monday. And they were both amazing, overwhelming experiences, so it would be natural to devote many words of blogposts to them. But I haven't.
That's because it is hard to figure out what to say. On one hand, there is so much information about the Guelaguetza online that it is hard to figure out what new there is to say -- groups come from all seven (or is it eight? different sources seem to differ) regions of the state of Oaxaca to perform their traditional dances and music in a giant festival. And there is lots of excitement and energy and the dancers throw gifts into the crowd. And you can find great photos all over the Google.
On the other hand, these pictures and words do not really do it justice, as the event is overwhelming (mostly in good ways) and a sensory experience that is unlike things I have experienced -- certainly the mock Guelaguetza events thrown by several restaurants in town do not do it justice at all. But better writers than I cannot really capture it in blog form, so I don't even think I can try. Except to say that if you are at all interested in Oaxacan culture (or even Mexican culture. Or just culture in general), I recommend planning a vacation around the Guelaguetza some July.
Thursday, July 30, 2015
Sunday, July 26, 2015
Chicatanas
We may have missed the Feria de Moles, but many of the restaurants in Oaxaxa have been featuring some of the special moles from the festival on their menus this month.
So when we went to La Olla for one of our very few meals in a real restaurant this trip, I was torn. On one hand, they make lots of good food of their own, but on the other hand this was a chance to try something new and different.
In the end, I chose to try the new thing, which was Mole de Chicatanas. I'm not sure it was as good as my other options, but it was definitely more unusual. And it contained more ants and beetles.
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So when we went to La Olla for one of our very few meals in a real restaurant this trip, I was torn. On one hand, they make lots of good food of their own, but on the other hand this was a chance to try something new and different.
In the end, I chose to try the new thing, which was Mole de Chicatanas. I'm not sure it was as good as my other options, but it was definitely more unusual. And it contained more ants and beetles.
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Saturday, July 25, 2015
Todos Somos Guerreros
One of the many reasons I wish we had stayed in Oaxaca just a few weeks longer back in 2013 was that we left just a bit before the beginning of baseball season, so we didn't have a chance to see the Oaxaca Guerreros play. So we very quickly remedied that this trip, seeing them the first night they were in town, and hoping to go again in the time we are here.
It is AAA baseball, but at the same time it is different in many ways. For starters, it's dirt cheap to go to a game. The three of us bought tickets that were general admission and ended up sitting three rows behind home plate -- for 70 pesos (less than five US dollars). The snacks were also cheap, meaning that we could indulge our son with potato chips and a paleta and popcorn, all while I was indulging on 20 peso beers.
The energy was similar in a lot of ways to minor league games in the states -- Guerreros fans even did the Tomahawk Chop, which made the Braves fan in me happy even if the relationship with Native Americans seems even more complicated here -- but different in many others. There were cheerleaders, they played loud music during the entire atbats of home players, and people sold fresh empanadas in the stands. Oh, and the visiting team had a little person as a batboy, which added to the surrealism of the event.
One similarity to games in the US is that we couldn't bring our own water bottles in. We had already been surprised when, the day before at the Guelaguetza, we got busted for trying to bring water and food in and they let us check these items and when the event ended we just walked by a tarp where they had laid out everyone's checked food and water and picked up our Dasani bottles and sandwiches. But the baseball game did this one better, as not only did the security guard allow us to check our water bottle by placing it on a shelf next to the entrance, but he encouraged me to come back at any point during the game if I wanted a drink from it! When I told this to K, she literally laughed for five straight minutes at the absurdity of the situation.
Unfortunately in the game we saw, the Guerreros did not do very well and in fact we left after the Mexico City Diablos Rojos scored six runs in the top of the sixth, partly because the game started an hour late due to a rain delay (did I mention that it is the rainy season?) and our son was getting exhausted, and partly because I had lost hope that the Guerreros would come back. Spoiler alert: they lost 12-4.
It is AAA baseball, but at the same time it is different in many ways. For starters, it's dirt cheap to go to a game. The three of us bought tickets that were general admission and ended up sitting three rows behind home plate -- for 70 pesos (less than five US dollars). The snacks were also cheap, meaning that we could indulge our son with potato chips and a paleta and popcorn, all while I was indulging on 20 peso beers.
The energy was similar in a lot of ways to minor league games in the states -- Guerreros fans even did the Tomahawk Chop, which made the Braves fan in me happy even if the relationship with Native Americans seems even more complicated here -- but different in many others. There were cheerleaders, they played loud music during the entire atbats of home players, and people sold fresh empanadas in the stands. Oh, and the visiting team had a little person as a batboy, which added to the surrealism of the event.
One similarity to games in the US is that we couldn't bring our own water bottles in. We had already been surprised when, the day before at the Guelaguetza, we got busted for trying to bring water and food in and they let us check these items and when the event ended we just walked by a tarp where they had laid out everyone's checked food and water and picked up our Dasani bottles and sandwiches. But the baseball game did this one better, as not only did the security guard allow us to check our water bottle by placing it on a shelf next to the entrance, but he encouraged me to come back at any point during the game if I wanted a drink from it! When I told this to K, she literally laughed for five straight minutes at the absurdity of the situation.
Unfortunately in the game we saw, the Guerreros did not do very well and in fact we left after the Mexico City Diablos Rojos scored six runs in the top of the sixth, partly because the game started an hour late due to a rain delay (did I mention that it is the rainy season?) and our son was getting exhausted, and partly because I had lost hope that the Guerreros would come back. Spoiler alert: they lost 12-4.
Friday, July 24, 2015
Hip Hip Huzzah!
Let's all raise a taco (one aguacate, one rajas, and one beans) and cheer! We are back at Itanoni!
Breakfast of Champions
How to have one of the best (and cheapest) breakfasts of your life:
1) Rent an apartment near Mercado IV Centanario. (note: other markets may work as well, but this blogger makes no promises). Go to the mercado anytime in the morning.
2) Sit at the vendor selling atole, and order your flavor of choice. Today I went with champurrado.
3) Order some memelitas from the vendor next door, Antojitos Comalito. I like the huevos y rajas best, but the chorizo y papas is also very good.
4) Eat up.
Tamales!
Almost 15 years ago, K and I planned our first trip to Oaxaca because of a special we saw on the food network, so it shouldn't be too surprising that this trip was scheduled to coincide with many different food festivals. Sure, the Guelaguetza is most well known for being a celebration of dance and music, but there are also a ridiculous number of Ferias dedicated to different kinds of food.
We got sold out of the mole festival (ARRRRRGGGHHHH) and we chose to skip the mushroom festival altogether, but we did make it out to Etla for a cheese festival and we have so far been to two different festivals dedicated to tamales -- one of them we even went back to a second time!
When you combine these with the tamales we have bought from various street vendors and markets, it is fair to say that we have eaten a lot of tamales. But one if the cool things about the festivals was trying new types -- who knew you could put mussels in tamales? Or a Piccadilly-esque filing with almonds and raisins? That said, there have been two new types of tamales that I have loved and will seek out in the future.
The first was called Tamala, and we were under the impression that it was filled with pumpkins and beans -- sort of a savory version of the pumpkin rolls that I am a big fan of. After doing some internet research, I think that Tamalá is the kind of squash that it was filled with, and that they were actually Tamales Miahuatecos from the Sierra Sur region of Oaxaca. One recipe is at http://www.gourmetsleuth.com/recipes/detail/oaxacan-pumpkin-tamales and there is supposed to be another in Zarela's cookbook. In any event, I will be trying to make these soon.
The second kind was made with chicken and a type of mole that I do not recall ever having before, Chichilo. From what I gather, Chichilo is one of the rarest of the seven traditional moles, and is normally only broken out at special occassions. It is special because it has some burnt chilis, giving it some if the smoky flavor but in a more subtle way than a mole negro. It also uses the avocado leaves that are so wonderful in Oaxacan cuisine. Pilar Cabrera's recipe is online at
http://www.mexconnect.com/articles/3753-mexican-beef-chichilo-by-pilar-cabrera-chichilo-de-res-por-pilar-cabrera and is probably the recipe I will try to replicate whe we get home, but I cannot image it is as good as the one made by the abuela I bought tamales from in the Plaza de la Danza earlier today.
We got sold out of the mole festival (ARRRRRGGGHHHH) and we chose to skip the mushroom festival altogether, but we did make it out to Etla for a cheese festival and we have so far been to two different festivals dedicated to tamales -- one of them we even went back to a second time!
When you combine these with the tamales we have bought from various street vendors and markets, it is fair to say that we have eaten a lot of tamales. But one if the cool things about the festivals was trying new types -- who knew you could put mussels in tamales? Or a Piccadilly-esque filing with almonds and raisins? That said, there have been two new types of tamales that I have loved and will seek out in the future.
The first was called Tamala, and we were under the impression that it was filled with pumpkins and beans -- sort of a savory version of the pumpkin rolls that I am a big fan of. After doing some internet research, I think that Tamalá is the kind of squash that it was filled with, and that they were actually Tamales Miahuatecos from the Sierra Sur region of Oaxaca. One recipe is at http://www.gourmetsleuth.com/recipes/detail/oaxacan-pumpkin-tamales and there is supposed to be another in Zarela's cookbook. In any event, I will be trying to make these soon.
The second kind was made with chicken and a type of mole that I do not recall ever having before, Chichilo. From what I gather, Chichilo is one of the rarest of the seven traditional moles, and is normally only broken out at special occassions. It is special because it has some burnt chilis, giving it some if the smoky flavor but in a more subtle way than a mole negro. It also uses the avocado leaves that are so wonderful in Oaxacan cuisine. Pilar Cabrera's recipe is online at
http://www.mexconnect.com/articles/3753-mexican-beef-chichilo-by-pilar-cabrera-chichilo-de-res-por-pilar-cabrera and is probably the recipe I will try to replicate whe we get home, but I cannot image it is as good as the one made by the abuela I bought tamales from in the Plaza de la Danza earlier today.
Thursday, July 23, 2015
The more things stay the same...
We have been back in Oaxaca for a week, and have immediately fallen back in love with the energy, the architecture, the mountains, and the people in the city. It feels like coming back home, even though we lived here for less than three months. That said, we have noticed some changes in our time away. Granted, we are here during a different time of year and living in a different neighborhood, but there are still some differences:
* There seem to be many fewer "punchbuggies" on the road than I remember from before. This may just be coincidence, but given that our son exclaims every time he sees one, I feel like it is a pretty good statistical sample.
* Conversely, there seem to be many more bicycles than we remember. There are bike lanes and bike racks in places there were not before, and the other night there was a major bicycle parade through town. There is even a "Coffee and Bicycles" shop that we saw.
* There appear to be at least two different Indian restaurants in town. Now, I can't imagine wasting one of our precious meals on Indian food during a two week vacation when I could be eating at Itanoni or stuffing more tamales into my face, but if we were living here for months again (and I hope we do) then I can certainly imagine finding some Tikka Masala an appealing break from quesadillas, and at the very least I would be curious what the Oaxacan translation of Indian food would be like. (On a similar note, there are literally a half dozen chinese restaurants within a few blocks of our apartment. Unlike the Indian restaurants, they may have been here before, but we have fount it striking how many there are so close to each other)
* I never thought Oaxaca was lacking in hip coffeeshops before -- in fact, one of the blog posts I never got around to writing in 2013 was going to be entitled "A mathematicians guide to the best coffeeshops in which to work in Oaxaca" -- but there appear to be many more now. (See the aforementioned "Coffee and Bicycles" shop) I noticed at least three new ones in our old neighborhood near Conzatti park. I haven't had much use to try any, but they are there.
* In the three months we lived here before, we saw rain on exactly two days, and one of those was when we went up into the Sierra Norte rainforests. This trip it has rained pretty much every day, often very hard although only for an hour or so each day. Granted, this difference was utterly predictable as we are here in the rainy season instead of the dry season, but it has made things very different. That said, the temperatures have been close to perfect and it has been amazing weather for 23 hours a day.
Then there are all the ways the city is different due to the Guelaguetza events, but that will be for another post...
* There seem to be many fewer "punchbuggies" on the road than I remember from before. This may just be coincidence, but given that our son exclaims every time he sees one, I feel like it is a pretty good statistical sample.
* Conversely, there seem to be many more bicycles than we remember. There are bike lanes and bike racks in places there were not before, and the other night there was a major bicycle parade through town. There is even a "Coffee and Bicycles" shop that we saw.
* There appear to be at least two different Indian restaurants in town. Now, I can't imagine wasting one of our precious meals on Indian food during a two week vacation when I could be eating at Itanoni or stuffing more tamales into my face, but if we were living here for months again (and I hope we do) then I can certainly imagine finding some Tikka Masala an appealing break from quesadillas, and at the very least I would be curious what the Oaxacan translation of Indian food would be like. (On a similar note, there are literally a half dozen chinese restaurants within a few blocks of our apartment. Unlike the Indian restaurants, they may have been here before, but we have fount it striking how many there are so close to each other)
* I never thought Oaxaca was lacking in hip coffeeshops before -- in fact, one of the blog posts I never got around to writing in 2013 was going to be entitled "A mathematicians guide to the best coffeeshops in which to work in Oaxaca" -- but there appear to be many more now. (See the aforementioned "Coffee and Bicycles" shop) I noticed at least three new ones in our old neighborhood near Conzatti park. I haven't had much use to try any, but they are there.
* In the three months we lived here before, we saw rain on exactly two days, and one of those was when we went up into the Sierra Norte rainforests. This trip it has rained pretty much every day, often very hard although only for an hour or so each day. Granted, this difference was utterly predictable as we are here in the rainy season instead of the dry season, but it has made things very different. That said, the temperatures have been close to perfect and it has been amazing weather for 23 hours a day.
Then there are all the ways the city is different due to the Guelaguetza events, but that will be for another post...
Tuesday, July 21, 2015
We are back!
Two and a half years later, we have returned. Only for two weeks, but during Guelaguetza so we are running around eating and seeing performances and having a blast!
More updates to come...
More updates to come...
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