BOB, "DIEGO", THE COMPUTER GUY!

Monday was going to be a busy day. So, Bob decided to try and find the “donut guy” for a quick and tasty breakfast. He went out at 8:30 a.m., but couldn’t see him at the corner. Once again he came back feeling hungry and defeated. So we enjoyed a nice bowl of cereal with fresh strawberries and bananas.


Today we didn’t have any real destination. We left the house at about 10:30 a.m. When we got to the corner, we saw the “donut guy”. We stopped and spoke with him. He told us he had problems with his propane tank this morning and couldn’t get the oil temperature correct to fry his churros and doughnuts. Therefore, he was late in arriving. The inaccurate oil temperature had some of the churros cooked more than others. Nevertheless, we each had a churro. They are prepared with a sweet dough that is fried. Just before serving they are rolled in sugar and cinnamon. They were very tasty.

We just walked and walked and people watched for about three hours. We stopped at a market and bought a couple of basic items. In the afternoon, we rested and read our books. Just about the time we were going to watch FOX News, our neighbor, Gerardo, asked if we could possibly help him with his computer. He told us that he didn’t have any sound. Well, “Diego”, this is Bob’s name when he is in the computer guy mode, surveyed the situation and reported to Gerardo: (1) the speaker’s electricity wasn’t turned on, (2) the speaker cord wasn’t plugged into the correct spot in the computer, and (3) the Control Panel of the computer had the speakers turned off. Bang, bang, bang …”Diego” had the problem solved. Mateo, the five year old, was thrilled. He could now listen to his French Cartoon DVD’s. Of course, his dad was also very happy. Gerardo came down about 10 minutes later with some beer for Bob and himself. He also had one for Sam; however, she had a glass of wine. Gerardo and Mateo stayed for about 1 ½ hours. Mateo is warming up to us. For a five year old, he is a wonderful artist. He showed Sam several of his drawings. He spoke in French and Spanish describing his pictures. He has a wonderful imagination.

Well, it was a good thing we had fixed our dinner the day before. All we had to do is warm it and make a salad. The slow cooked beef shanks were very good. It was like a hearty bowl of beef vegetable soup. It definitely hit the spot.

SHOPPING AND COOKING FOR SUNDAY DINNER

ENTRANCE TO MERCADO HIDALGO

Sunday morning we had our morning coffee and Bob wanted to buy donuts from the “donut guy” who sells donuts from a tricycle cart about two blocks from our home. Unfortunately, when Bob went to his “store” he wasn’t there and we were denied our sweet treat. So, our next idea was to go to Mercado Hidalgo for breakfast. We wanted to go back and see the guy who sells tamales. So we went for a leisurely walk. When we got to the market, a few people were in line in front of us for the tamales. It wasn’t the same guy but a young lady. She only had mole y pollo tamales and dulce tamales. So we tried the mole y pollo. Most of the people were buying the tamales to take home. We were trying to eat ours standing. The lady across the aisle offered us two seats at her stand even though we didn’t buy anything. Once again, people are very nice to us. The tamales tasted only so-so.

TAMALE STALL

We noticed before we went into the Mercado that our carniceria (Lucia’s), which is just across the street wasn’t open yet. We thought maybe it would open at noon on a Sunday. We asked our amigas, Lucy and Carmen and they told us they were closed on Sunday. There are a variety of carnicerias within Mercado Hidalgo. When we saw our friends,

they remembered our names. They asked if we were buying anything today. We asked Carmen to recommend a carniceria and she suggested Carniceria Miguelito’s. We went over there and introduced ourselves to the lady that was working and cutting some meats. She was very dressed up to be cutting meats. Her name is Dora. She and her husband, Roberto, own the carniceria. We told her that Carmen had sent us over and told us that it was the freshest, tastiest, and cleanest carniceria in the mercado. We ordered four beef shanks. Dora looked at the ones in the counter and instructed one of her workers to go to the cooler and bring out some fresh meat and cut us fresh shanks. WOW…we were impressed. We also purchased some fresh ground meat to make a mini meatloaf. Dora cut of a chunk of fresh meat and put it in the grinder right in front of us. How fresh is that?

Now that we decided on our meats, we went back to visit Lucy, Carmen, Orlando and Esaelias. We took their picture. It was hard to get the picture because they were always joking around with each other and having fun. We purchased several items from them: tomatoes, onion, organic lettuces, red bell pepper, mushrooms, strawberries, and dried oregano. Today we decided to make spaghetti with a fresh tomato sauce and a mini meatloaf. We also bought the vegetables we would need to make the beef shank. We will be cooking them in the slow cooker.

Well, we had two more stops to make. First we had to buy some rolls at the mercado and then we went to a small grocery store for some wine and beef broth. Now it was time to head home, settle in for the afternoon and begin cooking.

The first thing we had to do is disinfect our produce. We think it is a good thing. We are not sure why we don’t do it in the states?  Much of the US produce comes from Mexico.

We chopped a lot of vegetables, celery, onions, carrots, garlic, potatoes, mushrooms and tomatoes and put them in the slow cooker with the shanks. We decided to make this dish today so the flavors could blend. Also, we plan to go for a long walk on Monday and may be a bit too tired to bother making dinner.

Bob began making his tomato sauce. He won’t publish his recipe; he says it is a secret. While the sauce was cooking, we talked with our godchild, Robertito, via the Internet on a video call. It was his birthday; he turned 11 years old. Earlier in the morning, he had sent us an instant message. He was excited to talk with us. He is learning a little bit of English in school. That made our day. The reason we are having spaghetti for dinner is because that is what Robertito told us earlier in the morning he was having for his birthday dinner.

Dinner was delicious. Bob even commented on how much he liked the organic green salad…that’s a first! The beef shanks also look and smell fantastic. You will have to wait for a full report on that meal after Monday night.

It was a full day but very relaxing and enjoyable. We are lucky bugs!

RESTAURANTE PARA DOS

We were looking forward to going out to dinner on Saturday night. We tend to eat dinner earlier than most Mexicans. That seems to be the norm for Americans and Canadian. So last night after a five minute walk in our barrio, we got to the restaurant, Fuego y Sazon, (fire and flavor) just before 7:00 p.m. The restaurant has about 9 tables. We were the first guests to arrive so we could select any table. Bob selected a nice table so we could see out at the beautifully decorated courtyard, the water fountain and the decorated Christmas tree.  The restaurant’s architecture is partially open and allows you to enjoy the many stars in the sky.

Our mesero, Carlos, seated us and asked if we wanted something to drink. We asked for a wine list but one wasn’t available. He told us to follow him. He took us over to a wine rack and proceeded to tell us about the selection of wines and prices. This was done in Spanish. We selected another Malbec wine from Argentina. It was a 2007 by Las Moras. It was very smooth.

We told Carlos that we were not in a hurry. The lighting was a little dark so it was a good thing that Sam brought a small flashlight so she could read the menu (she learned her lesson from the night before). We were reviewing the menu and asked Carlos for some suggestions. We decided on an appetizer, Nido de Chapulines. You are correct. We had a “nest of grasshoppers”. Sam was upset that we didn’t bring our camera. The presentation was great and so were the chapulines. The plate was covered with a piece of red leaf lettuce. On top of that was guacamole and then a tortilla shell shaped like a nest. The nest was filled with the chopped and seasoned chapulines. Around the nest was a circle of totopos (tortilla chips).

We were still debating about ordering a main course. We decided that we would not and try a few different things on the menu. The next course was Rollos de Pimiento con Queso de Cabra y Flor de Calabaza con vinegreta al Pesto. It was a roasted red bell pepper with goat cheese served with a pesto vinaigrette that included the flower from the zucchini squash plant. Once again, the presentation and flavors were fantastic.

Our next course was sopa de Crema de Tomate con Queso Fresco y nopales y hojas de epazote. The soup was flavorful and beautiful. As they say, “one eats with their eyes first”. It was cream of tomato soup with fresh cheese, chopped cactus and fried epazote leaves. Epazote is an ubiquitous herb in Mexico and used in a lot of Oaxacan cooking.

Lastly we had dessert. Once again we took Carlos’s recommendation of Flan del la Casa. It was cubed flan served in a double highball glass with vanilla ice cream, chopped nuts, kaluha, and one maraschino cherry on top. It was wonderful.

Now it was time for the “la cuenta”, the bill. How much was the bill you ask? It was $43.72 including a 15% tip. We enjoyed our two hour dining experience, and the time we chatted with Carlos about Mexico, Oaxaca, and his family. When we left at 9:00 p.m. the restaurant was empty. We had had the entire restaurant to ourselves the whole evening….RESTAURANTE PARA DOS!

Did we mention that we love this country?

DINNER AT CASA OAXACA

We have read many reviews about a lot of different restaurants in Oaxaca. Sam has made a list of the restaurants that we should try. Last night we tried one of them, Casa Oaxaca.


Casa Oaxaca specializes in Oaxaquena cuisine. We started off with a bottle of wine from Argentina. It was a 2006 Salentein Malbec from the region of Mendoza. We did this in honor of our special friends from Argentina, Lourdes and Peteco. It was very good. The mesero (waiter) brought us an appetizer del la casa (on the house). It was Pollo y totopos con cebolla, semillas pomegranate, avocado, and queso fresco. Next, we shared a salad; it was a variety of baby lettuces with sesame seeds, slivered almonds, avocado, queso fresco, and the dressing was made from jamaica. Jamaica is a hibiscus flower.

Before we ordered we were asking a lot of questions. The next thing we know, the mesero was setting in front of us a small plate with some fried, chopped and seasoned chapulines. What are chapulines? Do you remember Jiminy Cricket? That’s right…they were fried grasshoppers and very tasty. We ate them with fried blue corn flour tortillas and salt.  They are a delicacy of this region of Mexico.

We were both going to have rack of lamb for our main course; however, we can have lamb in the States  anytime. So we decided to taste the local cuisine. We had Tacos de Pato con Coloradito y Frijoles Negros de la Olla. Here in Oaxaca, they have seven different moles. One for each region within the state…or as some may say, one for each day of the week. This mole is very similar to the mole negro we had at the house with chicken the other night. The main difference is the coloradito does not have chocolate. And pato is not chicken it is duck. The next dish we shared was Mole Verde con Lengua de Res. It was a thick sassy slice of veal tongue that was very flavorful and tender.

We didn’t have any dessert…no room! Thankfully we had a nice 15 minute walk home to aid our digestion! We love this country.

CELEBRATION OF THE VIRGIN OF THE GUADALUPE

Today our destination was Sanchez Pascua Mercado.  Yes, Sam found out about another mercado.  At around 11:00 a.m., we made our way across town.  We knew we had to get to Parque Juarez also called Parque Llano.  There is a catholic church at this park called Church of the Guadalupe.  We knew that tomorrow, December 12th, is the Celebration of the Virgin of the Guadalupe.  However, when we arrived to the park, we were surprised to see the crowds of people already celebrating.

We took several pictures and walked around the entire park.  Then we continued our walk to the mercado.  It was a nice market; however, Mercado Hildago that we went to yesterday is closer to our home and just as nice.  We walked to another small grocery store and picked up a few items. 

On our way back to our home, we had to return to Parque Llano.  There was something that was pulling us back.  We took some more pictures and went inside the church.  When we walked in the church, we were blessed by an alter boy who had a handful of roses.  He dipped the roses in the holy water and sprinkled them on our heads.  It was truly amazing seeing all of the families and the young children dressed up, standing in line offering flowers to the Virgin of Guadalupe, touching and kissing the statue and blessing themselves and their children, and lighting candles.

We thought about how we would write the story of the celebration.  When we got back home, Sam went online to understand the tradition and meaning of everything we saw and experienced today.  She found a website that one can go to for a wonderful explanation.  Everything in this article we experienced today.  We  decided that we couldn't give as detailed of an explantion as this article.  After reading the article, please visit our photos on the Photobucket link.

http://www.mexconnect.com/articles/729-the-virgin-of-guadalupe-celebration-in-oaxaca

http://s233.photobucket.com/albums/ee21/eplbobsam/Celebration%20of%20the%20Virgin%20of%20the%20Guadalupe/?action=view&current=bbe5a0a3.pbw

WE ARE EXCITED!!

We live in the state and city of Oaxaca (wa-ha-ka) and our home is in barrio Jalatlaco (ha-lat-la-co).  Today we decided to explore a new barrio.  It is called Colonia Reforma.  Sam saw a market located in this barrio on the map.  In order to get there, we had to cross a major road by the first class bus station which is only a couple blocks from our home.  Before heading out, we aked Elpedia if this is a safe area and she said, "Claro qui si", "Yes, of course". 

It was only about a 15 minute walk from our home.  It was a nice walk in a nice area.  Just before we got to the market, Mercado Hildago, we saw a nice carniceria (meat market).  It had some pork loin in the meat counter that looked good.  We didn't buy anything because we wanted to see what was available at the mercado that would go with our pork.

When we walked into the mercado, we fell in love with the place.  It was neat, orderly, and clean.  No foul smells.  We walked through the aisles absorbing all the sights and sounds.  There was a stall that had a gentleman that was selling homemade tamales.  He had several varieties.  We just had ceral for breakfast so we weren't too hungry; however, there is always room for a good sweet, "dulce" tamale.  We each had one.  They were delicious.  He told us that on Sunday, "domingo", he had all of the varieties, about 8 different types.  Three of the types were with different moles.  We will definitely go back to see him.

We continued our browsing and found wonderful fruits, vegetables, breads, meats, flowers, fresh chocolate, fresh honey, etc.  We were definitely going to cook in tonight.  We decided to go back to the carniceria outside the market to purchase some pork loin.  We asked the young man if he could cut us a small piece because there were only two of us.  "Claro que si", he said.  After cutting the small piece, he continued to clean the fat and silver skin from the meat before he weighed it.  We were pleased with our selection.

Now it was back to Mercado Hildago.  We went to one of the fruit and vegetable stalls that had a wonderful display.  We bought mushrooms, garlic, an heirloom tomato, small new potatoes, red onion, bananas, mango, ginger, strawberries, and asparagus.  It is nice to buy just what you need.  This way, we can have fresh every day.  The most expensive part of this adventure was the asparagus;we bought 16 tips for 30 pesos...$2.43.

 

The workers were very friendly.  We chatted with them in Spanish, of course.  The only English they know are the names of the fruits and vegetables.  Our new friends are Lucy, Carmen, Orlando, and Esaelias.  We love this market and of course, the people.  When we go back, we will have to take their picture.

After purchasing all of our goods, we decided to continue our walk in the barrio.  We really liked it.  We commented several times that it reminded us of a nice downtown area of a small town.  The area had a lot of well-kept small tiendas, restaurants, (which we will check out) and schools.  It was quiet and clean.  No wonder Elpedia responded, "Clario que si".  We also found another larger grocery type market for canned goods, dry goods, etc.  Sam even found some maple syrup she wanted for pancakes, and Bob found some inexpensive wine.

So for dinner, we enjoyed pork tenderloin with a fresh mango and ginger salsa with raisins, garlic, red onion, jalepeno and lime juice, sauteed new potatoes with fresh rosemary and onions, asparagus (they were tender and delicious), sauteed mushrooms with fresh garlic, and chopped heirloom tomatoes with red onion, olive oil, and fresh lime juice.  And of course, a glass or two of wine.

Of course, because the weather is wonderful, we decided to dine outside on our patio.  We love this country, and we are excited!

 

CASA OAXACA

We thought we would share some pictures of our home in Oaxaca.  We are very fortunate to have such a wonderful place.  The pictures are in a slideshow format.  Click on the link below and it will take you to Photobucket.  Yes, Bob did get carried away with the camera.

Enjoy!

http://s233.photobucket.com/albums/ee21/eplbobsam/Casa%20Oaxaca/?action=slideshowhttp://s233.photobucket.com/albums/ee21/eplbobsam/Casa%20Oaxaca/?action=view&current=e3ad152d.pbw&t=1260483074