day trip

Today was a full free day, and thanks to Omar from Casa de los Sabores, we got to go on a day trip out of Oaxaca and to some villages in the east.

We started out the morning at the market in Tlacolula, where we had a group breakfast. Most of us had spicy barbacoa soup, mushroom/cheese/squash blossom quesadillas, and these delicious chicken taquitos topped with everything.



Afterward we went on winding bumpy roads through the mountains to get to Hierve el Agua (boiling the water), the source of what we hoped were hot springs. The place is so named because water bubbles out of the earth, as if it was boiling. Which is to say that it wasn't boiling, because the water wasn't hot. Nevertheless, this pool of collected spring water made for a decent pool. Even better is that it looks as if on the edge of a cliff when there's actually a slight slope down on the other side. In fact, when people enter the pool, water is displaced and starts to flow down the other side, as if a mini waterfall.



After swimming, part of the group went on a hike over to the top of this petrified waterfall (and then wound down into the valley before coming back). I opted not to hike, which was just as well because one part of the hike required clinging onto the rock since there was barely a path.



Instead I sunbathed and ate sandwiches that Cris and I prepped last night.



After Hierve el Agua we made a stop at Mitla, to see the intricate stonework on the Zapotec ruins there. Since not everyone wanted to stop, we didn't pay to go into the more extensive ruins and only saw this very small free part.



Then we went to the village of Teotitlán del Valle, known for its weaving work. We stopped by this one house where one of the weavers offered to explain the process to us. Besides showing us the bases of the different dyes (such as cochineal beetles, which are dried and pulverized, then mixed with substances of different pHs to create colors ranging from orange to purple), he also led us to the courtyard where the largest loom was. Two men working simultaneously to weave a 10m by 14m (33' by 46') carpet. Just in case you ever want one, it's 12,000 pesos (less than $1000!).



After that we wandered around to different shops to peruse the collections of carpets and rugs. Some of us bought the weavings to take home. I got a café frappé and some earrings. Exciting, I know.



Our last stop was El Tule, where the biggest tree in Latin America stands. I think the trunk's circumference is greater than 80 schoolchildren's armspans combined. Too bad we couldn't climb it!



For more pictures of today's trip, see here!

la teca

Today we had class with La Teca, a legendary lady from the isthmus (coastal) region of Oaxaca. She taught us dishes typical of that region's cuisine, many of which I sampled on my first evening in Oaxaca.

We were able to utilize the kitchen space of El Origen, where we had our group welcome dinner. La Teca divided us into different stations to tackle different dishes. I went to stand by the plantains, because I love plantains. My station made both the plantain dish and the mashed potato dish.

For the plantain dessert, we started by boiling whole plantains (peel on, ends cut off) until the plantains were bursting.



Then the peels were removed and the plantains mashed.



Then La Teca showed us how to make the molotes (traditionally masa with potato and chorizo filling) by first oiling our hands, then taking a dollop of plantain and smashing it flat in our hand, then filling the middle with a mixture of queso fresco and crema.



The edges of the plantains were then sealed (as if a dumpling) and then rolled into these oblong shapes, which were then fried. The trick here is to have a teflon/non-stick pan, otherwise the molotes will stick to the pan and fall apart.



By the time all stations were finished, we were able to sit down to a feast. For starters, these garnachas - fried masa rounds topped with a beef and onion mixture, red salsa, and dry cheese (similar to Parmesan). It came with a simple cabbage/carrot/jalapeño slaw.



Then fresh corn tamales, which were literally the freshest corn tamales I'd ever tasted. Makes sense too, since we shucked the corn and everything.



Mashed potato casserole, which contained carrots, peas, parsley, onion, egg, cream, dry cheese, mustard and salt - baked till brown.



Pork chileajo, with the isthmus version of mole coloradito sauce.



Then for dessert, the molotes garnished with more queso fresco and crema.



After class, Jennie introduced me to the best bakery in Oaxaca. Pastries galore - donuts, cookies, croissants, everything.



And gigantic bins (plus more racks!) of bread! I got a whole armload of stuff for 30 pesos... unbelievable.



After walking around and shopping for souvenirs, it was time for our last Spanish class. In my class we played a fun matching game where we had to match Mexican food names with their descriptions. Made me realize there are still foods I haven't heard of and haven't tried. Now that my mouth is better, it's about time!

la casa de los sabores: last day

Today was our third and last day at Casa de los Sabores, and we spent it all on mole. Four kinds, to be exact: chichillo (similar to negro), amarillo (yellow), coloradito (colored) and verde (green).

I was at the table making coloradito and verde, both atypical in its own way. Coloradito because it is a bit sweeter (contains chocolate and sugar) and is not thickened with masa. Verde because of its emphasis on fresh greens - Chef Pilar says she never orders this in a restaurant because the color and flavor are already diminished by the time the mole reaches the diner's plate.

Here are the featured ingredients for coloradito:



And for verde:



True to form, the ingredients are toasted and then soaked/peeled as necessary:



Then we took a break to go to the market, this time the smaller local one.



Then we took all our mole ingredients to the grinder's, where they have giant machines and different machines tend to be dedicated toward different things (one for corn, one for beans, one for coffee, one for spices, etc.). You bring your stuff in a bucket or bowl, and they grind it and you pay them.



The previous bowl of mole coloradito ingredients came out like this:



Then back to La Casa for cooking. The typical mole starts out with an olla over a charcoal flame. Then lard:



Then the ground-up mole ingredients, followed by masa lightened with broth of whatever meat is being used in that particular dish (step omitted with coloradito):



Then the mole is cooked until it's bubbly and oil is rising to the surface. Cooked meat and/or vegetables are added last:



Mole verde's process is almost reversed. Masa and broth are cooked first until the masa thickens:



The ground-up ingredients are added after because adding it first would mean overcooking the greens and having it turn dark. Then we added white beans, as is traditional:



After all four moles were done, we had a feast. I'm eating solid foods now so I was very happy not to have to miss out.



Once we'd finished gorging ourselves, we went up on the rooftop and had a nice graduation ceremony in which everyone received diplomas.



It was a very lovely experience overall, thanks to Chef Pilar and her staff.



Tomorrow we go to a different kitchen. Can't wait to see what we'll make next!

(almost) free day

Today we had an almost free day, so I went to the dentist for a teeth cleaning. This was the same dentist who'd sent me to the ENT last week - while she was evaluating my canker sores she also remarked that my teeth could use a cleaning, which I sheepishly accepted (hey, no insurance = no dental care). On the plus side, teeth cleaning here is 600 pesos, roughly $40. I figured it was a good deal.

After almost an hour of metal instruments buzzing and straining my jaw open, she pronounced my teeth clean (using the same mouth probe to show me the view). She then announced that I had slight gingivitis (as evidenced by my gums bleeding slightly during the procedure) and several cavities. I was not happy about that. Each cavity would be 500 pesos to fill, which is still steep for me despite the peso pricing.

She also showed a slideshow replete with gruesome pictures (such as the following), illustrating the advanced effects of several teeth diseases...



I decided to go back later this week to fill my biggest cavity, and then to just adopt the new teethbrushing way she taught me - brush from gum to edge of teeth (as opposed to across the teeth), both on the outer surface and inner surface, then brush in a circular motion on the tops of the molars, then brush across the upper mouth cavity and tongue. And hopefully after every meal time...

After teeth cleaning came a celebratory lunch at none other than El Quinque. I decided to attempt solid food, having swallowed some mashed potatoes and rice last night.

Cris and I went in soon after the restaurant opened, and though there was a bit of a wait, everything was freshly made, like the strawberry vinaigrette that came with the salad.



For the main course I had spaghetti bolognese, one of my favorite meals ever. The noodles were cooked (and oiled) perfectly.



In the afternoon we all had Spanish class. I missed the last two because I couldn't talk so there was not much of a point. Felt bad about it, so I went today despite not being able to say much. We went over more recipe words, using an iPad app called Buena Mesa (which I would recommend to anyone who likes to cook Latin and can read Spanish). We also read an article on chiles. I learned that the "salt, chile, lime" combination that's ubiquitous to Mexican food uses the chiltepín chile, which in its usual powder form is known as piquín. So that was cool.

After class got my laundry back from the launderers - they charge by the kilo, 15 pesos per kilo to wash/dry/fold!

monte albán

We were warned that Monte Alban would be unrelenting in its lack of shade. The guys in the group made sure to get straw hats to combat this. Turns out the sun was a late riser, and since we went in the morning we were able to escape the brunt of direct sunlight.



The view was very nice from the mountain - roughly 6000 ft above sea level (compared to Oaxaca's 4500). The Monte Alban site is actually on a leveled mountain top - and when I say leveled I mean that some 2000 years ago, the Zapotec people used their hands and rudimentary tools to physically make the mountain top flat.



Most of the structures were located in this arena area, where pretty much each steppe structure had its own sacrificial square, which tells us that these structures served a religious purpose. Besides the upper and lower classes, there was the class of priests responsible for serving as an intermediary with the gods (mainly on matters relating to the weather). In gatherings, the arena would be filled with the 45,000 people that occupied this Mesoamerican city. And the priests could be heard from their platform because of the arena's impressive echo. Our tour guide demonstrated this by clapping/whistling while we were down on the arena grounds - there was definitely a surround sound type effect.



After the tour we had some time to wander around. It took us awhile to get down the stairs.



At the entrance to the site there's a museum, where artifacts dug up in/around the site are displayed. I brought my shark along and he looked at things, such as this ancient skeleton.



After the visit, our tour guide drove us to an artisanal village store, where many of us were able to buy jarros or comals or what have you. I had a good time looking around, but being as I only brought a backpack along, I won't be taking anything big like these things back!