Category: Mexican Tourism

Muestra de Gastronomía Regional in Pátzcuaro: Regional Food, Pátzcuaro Style

Seasonal chiles en nogada (stuffed chiles poblano in walnut sauce) were the most popular item at the Pátzcuaro food show in September.

Pátzcuaro has just celebrated its 474th anniversary as a certified municipio (similar to a US county seat). Lots of events were scheduled during the weekend of September 19-21, including a parade, an artisans' fair, concerts, and two regional muestras de gastronomía (food exhibits and sales).

Joaquín Pantoja, Plaza Don Vasco de Quiroga, Pátzcuaro.

Mexico Cooks! was there, of course. Would we miss a reason for a fiesta? We spent a full and diverse day in Pátzcuaro, first listening to a concert by the incredibly talented Joaquín Pantoja, visiting friends at a nearby gallery opening, attending a talk at Casa Werma Buddhist Center, and eating–you guessed it–wonderful chiles en nogada at Sunday's Muestra de Gastronomía Regional on Plaza Don Vasco de Quiroga.

Imagine the taste of spicy chiles poblano stuffed with a rich meat and fruit picadillo (hash), bathed in creamy walnut sauce, and garnished with fresh pomegranate seeds and cilantro. Normally served in Mexico during late August, September, and October (the time when both pomegranates and walnuts are harvested), this beautiful dish represents the colors of the Mexican flag. For a recipe, look at this archived article from Mexico Cooks!

Just one of the Muestra de Gastronomía Regional tables in Pátzcuaro. From the beautifully presented platillos (individual courses) to the hand-embroidered tablecloth, the table was a feast for all the senses.

Pollo en Cuñete, a superb example of comida casera michoacana (Michoacán home cooking) that Mexico Cooks! has never seen on any restaurant menu.

Pollo en Cuñete

Ingredients
1 whole chicken, 4 to 5 pounds, skinned and cut into serving pieces
11 cloves of garlic, mashed
1 tablespoon sea salt
1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
2 tablespoons corn or other vegetable oil
20 new potatoes, peeled
3/4 cup vinegar, either white or red wine
1/3 cup olive oil
2 teaspoons salt
6 bay leaves
2 teaspoons dried thyme
2 tablespoons dried oregano
2 chiles serrano

Romaine lettuce
Pineapple slices
Orange slices
Avocado slices
Radishes

Procedure
Rub the chicken pieces with garlic, sea salt, and pepper and refrigerate for one to four hours.

In a large frying pan, heat the oil and sauté the chicken pieces, putting them in a large casserole dish as they brown. In the same oil, lightly brown the potatoes. Remove the potatoes from the oil and reserve.

Allow the oil to cool slightly. Add the vinegar (carefully, it will splash) and heat until it begins to boil. Remove the brown pieces that stick to the bottom of the pan. Pour the vinegar through a strainer and over the chicken. Add the olive oil, the salt, the bay leaves, the thyme, and the oregano to the chicken in the casserole dish. Place the chicken over a high fire until it begins to boil. Cover it tightly and lower the flame. Every 10 minutes, turn the chicken. After 30 to 40 minutes, test for taste and add the chiles and the potatoes. Cover and cook over a slow fire for approximately 15 minutes, or until the potates are done.

To Serve
Cover a large platter with romaine lettuce leaves. Arrange the chicken pieces on the platter. Garnish with decoratively cut radishes, peeled orange slices, thinly sliced pineapple, and sliced avocados.

Serves 6 to 8 as a main course.

This gorgeous jewel-colored drink is actually ensalada del obispo a Morelia traditional speciality served only during Semana Santa (Holy Week). It's prepared with beets, oranges, lettuce, other vegetables, and peanuts. You eat it with a spoon and drink the liquid.

This little section of the muestra de dulces regionales (regional sweets exhibit) features gelatina de frutas con leche (milky gelatin with fruits), pastel de almendras (almond cake), rollo de chocolate (chocolate roll), and ate casero de membrillo (home-made quince paste). We split a slice of almond cake and a little cocada casera (home-made coconut candy).

Pátzcuaro is famous everywhere in Mexico for its ice cream, especially the nieve de pasta (richly creamy ice cream flavored with ground almonds, cinnamon, and honey). Mexico Cooks! didn't have room to eat even a small cup, but instead stopped a passer-by who waited patiently before taking a bite to have a photo taken of his treasure: nieve de pasta con mermelada de zarzamora (with fresh blackberry marmalade).

11 de October de 2008
La Inmaculada Concepción: Supper at La Concha in Morelia

The Templo de la Inmaculada Concepción (Church of the Immaculate Conception) is located on Calle Tejedores de Aranza in Morelia, Michoacán. The Immaculate Conception, a dogma of the Roman Catholic Church, means, "conceived without stain of original sin" and refers to the Virgin Mary.

Shortly after Mexico Cooks! moved to Morelia, a friend here insisted that we go to supper with her at a local institution. She wouldn't tell us exactly where we were going, just settled herself in our car and told us, "Turn here. Now here, and left at the next corner. Then right…" In a few minutes we were parking at the curb in a well-kept working class neighborhood, a huge church looming on the corner. Imagine our surprise when she told us that we were going to supper at the church!

Just a few steps down from the sidewalk, we were astonished to see a huge room filled with tables, chairs, and the hustle and bustle of a horde of people.

Bring enough people so that some can stand in one line, some in another, and some can save a place for your group to eat supper.

This was no run-of-the-mill church supper, with covered casseroles and your Aunt Joan's coconut cake. Morelia's Templo de la Inmaculada Concepción (Church of the Immaculate Conception) started its nightly food fair as a kermés, way back in the 1960s. A kermés is a street fair devoted to the sale of food, soft drinks, and sweets for the purpose of raising money for a cause. More than 30 cooks in the neighborhood of La Concha (that's the affectionate nickname for any woman named Concepción, and it's the nickname for the church as well) prepared enchiladas, pozole, tamales, buñuelos, atole and an infinity of other typical Mexican dishes, all for sale in front of the original adobe church. Every night of each kermés, thousands of people ate their fill of delicious food. Before long, the funds from kermés La Concha made the new church a reality.

Pay for everything from drinks to dessert with tickets you buy at the booth pictured below. Denominations range from one to five pesos.

When you finish your meal, you can exchange any leftover tickets for money. You can rent silverware, too, and turn it in for a refund when you're finished eating.

The nightly kermés has changed a lot over the course of more than forty years. When the neighborhood built the new church, the lower level became a permanent cenaduría (supper spot) that continues to raise funds for the parish. Nearly 30 booths range around the perimeter of the huge space, serving everything from soup (pozole, a thick, rich pork, chile, and corn stew) to desserts (tamales dulces (sweet tamales) and crispy, crunchy, syrupy buñuelos). Prices for food range from 28 pesos for a plate of chicken with enchiladas and vegetables to 5 pesos for a soft drink.

These quesadillas fritas (tortilla dough stuffed with cheese and deep-fried) are garnished with thick crema, shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, a spicy red salsa, and crumbled cheese.

This fellow has a little cheese problem with his quesadilla!

Approximately 300 people donate their services each suppertime at the Inmaculada. Cooks, cleanup crew, and security staff see the work as their apostolate: what they do for their faith, as a service to God. About 40 youngsters under the age of 14 are the volunteer waitstaff, frequently passing by each table asking if there is anything any diner needs. "Me traes un refresco…a mi unas servilletas…me falta un salero, por favor…" "Bring me a soft drink…some napkins for me…I need a salt shaker, please…" When you're finished with your supper, the children take your plates, clear the rest of the table, and make it spotless for the next round of guests. A tip is nice for the kids, even if they've only cleaned your table. Give them a couple of your leftover food tickets–your waitstaff will exchange them for cash.

Ready for the customer who ordered them: four orders of enchiladas with chicken and a pambazo, Michoacán style. To make a pambazo, start with a really good bolillo, split almost in half. Stuff the roll with as much picadillo as you can. Dip the whole thing in rich enchilada sauce and deep fry
it till it's smooshy and crunchy and totally decadent. Plate it with fried diced carrots and potatoes and top with freshly diced tomatoes, shredded lettuce, and crumbled cheese.

Mexico Cooks! took Morelia newcomers–and good friends–Jim and Linda Pierce to eat at La Concha last week. The smile never left Linda's face.

We had eaten too many quesadillas, enchiladas, and other delicacies to want dessert, but the man who ordered these buñuelos let us take a picture.

Buñuelos are similar to very large flour tortillas. They're formed, deep-fried, and covered with a rich syrup of made from piloncillo (cones of brown sugar)and anís (anise). The buñuelo in the picture above was broken into three or four pieces so that it would fit on the eight-inch plate.

The choice of drinks is almost endless. In addition to soft drinks, you can also choose from several house-made aguas frescas. Alcohol is not permitted.

So, you might ask yourself, if the biggest bill comes out to 28
pesos for a big plate of food and 5 pesos for a drink to go with it, how profitable could this neighborhood charity be? Naturally most people order other foods as well, raising the cost of their supper by a little. When Mexico Cooks! eats at La Inmaculada, we usually spend about 100 pesos per couple. It's almost impossible to resist eating too much.

Okay, how much money does the parish take in? Are you sitting down? Every night, the profits are approximately 40,000 pesos (about $4,000 USD). The parish priest administers the funds, which are used, among other things, to provide school breakfasts and food baskets for the needy. The parish also provides a free doctor's office and a variety of other services.

Last week, mariachi sang at La Concha.

At the Templo de la Inmaculada–La Concha, when we're feeling tender-hearted–we eat well and we know we're contributing to a variety of good causes. Next time you're in Morelia, come along with us!

Looking for a tailored-to-your-interests specialized tour in Mexico? Click here: http://mexicocooks.typepad.com/mexico_cooks/2008/05/rinconcitos-esc.html

4 de October de 2008
La Feria del Hongo (The Mushroom Fair) in Senguio, Michoacán

Along the winding road to the Feria del Hongo (Mushroom Fair) in Senguio, Michoacán. The pink flowers in the center foreground are mirasoles (wild cosmos); behind them is a good-size corn field, then trees, then the lush blue-green mountains of north-central Michoacán.

Senguio, Michoacán, a tiny town much closer to the border of the State of México than to the city of Morelia, recently hosted its eleventh annual Feria del Hongo (Mushroom Fair). More than 100 locally found varieties of edible mushrooms were on display, along with 15 poisonous varieties and a few that are used medicinally.

Biologist Oralia Díaz Barriga Vega informed Mexico Cooks! that residents of Senguio consume more than 40 varieties of local woodland mushrooms. "The mushrooms most frequently eaten are the patitas de pájaro, the orejas de puerco, and a few others. People here in Senguio have a good bit of knowledge about edible as well as poisonous mushrooms that grow in local woodlands. Medicinal mushrooms are also widely used here, for diseases that range from viral and bacterial infections to high blood pressure to muscular dystrophy, chronic fatigue syndrome, and many types of cancer."

Hypomyces lactifluorum, known in English as lobster mushroom and in Spanish as oreja de puerco (pig's ear), is widely eaten in the mountains of Michoacán, particularly around Lake Pátzcuaro.

The level of cultivated, commercial mushroom production in Senguio has not been able to keep up with the demand for high-quality product demanded by international clients. Mushroom producers in Senguio harvest approximately two tons of mushrooms every month; that quantity satisfies only about five per cent of the demand from restaurant owners and other consumers. Juan González Ramirez, one of Senguio's top producers, says that within a short time, Senguio will produce a ton of mushrooms each week.

Patitas de pájaro (little bird's feet), occasionally known as manitas de santo (little saint's hands) is in season right now. It's found throughout the mountainous pine forests of Michoacán.

Pancita, or Boletus edulis, has until now only been used for medicinal purposes in Michoacán. Like most of the rest of these mushrooms, it grows wild in the pine forests here.

Boletus edulis, known in Mexico as the pancita mushroom, has traditionally been used medicinally. Because Mexican mushroom producers are unaccustomed to its use in cooking, its cultivation has not yet been prominent. In the year to come, mushroom growers in Senguio plan to produce a substantial quantity of what the world's kitchen knows as the porcini mushroom. "On the international market, this mushroom can bring as much as 800 pesos per kilo," mentioned one of the Senguio growers.

Pedos de burro–donkey farts–are better known (but much less picturesquely named in English) as the common woodland puffball. They're edible–and delicious–when picked while the flesh is white.

The beautiful russula emetica isn't edible; it provokes vomiting and diarrhea.

Although the festival organizers labeled this mushroom Amanita parva, the label appears to have been moved from another mushroom. This very large mushroom has been tentatively identified by another mycologist as Omphalotus sp.

Dr. R.E. Tulloss, a specialist in the genus Amanita, told me, "Amanita parva is a very small, white species ('parva' means 'little') that is known from sandy pine-oak forests between Long Island, NY (USA) and (probably) the Gulf Coast states of the US. I would not think that it would be a good choice as an edible. In fact, there is a possibility that it is poisonous. To my knowledge, A. parva has never been reported from Mexico."

The seta is one of three mushroom varieties (setas, shiitake, and common white table mushrooms) grown commercially in Senguio.

Mexico Cooks! talked at length with Ezequiel Gómez López, who grows both setas and shiitake mushrooms. In the photo above, setas are growing in a plastic bag stuffed with sterilized hay. The bag is about 18" square. The setas in the picture sprouted the day before the photo and will mature in three days.

Lentinula Edodes, the shiitake mushroom originally cultivated in Japan and Korea, is heavily produced in Senguio.

Sr. Gómez explained that the shiitake mushroom grows on harvested oak branches about three to four feet tall and three to five inches in diameter. "Growing mushrooms on these branches is so much better than burning the branches as fire wood!" he said. "Each branch can produce shiitakes for seven years." The mushrooms grow from spores to maturity in only a week. Once the shiitakes are harvested the branch is allowed to rest for a period of time and then is re-inoculated with spores for another crop. Sr. Gómez showed off a picture of his shiitake farm. It's a long, narrow room with oak branches leaning against the walls, not at all what Mexico Cooks! ever thought of as a mushroom farm.

Mexico Cooks! ate quesadillas de hongos (mushroom quesadillas) at the Feria del Hongo. The filling on the left is chicken with mushrooms and cheese; the filling on the right is rajas de chile poblano (poblano chile strips) with mushrooms and cheese.

The food at Senguio's Feria del Hongo was substantially different from the food at most Mexican festivals. Some names were the same: quesadillas, pozole, ceviche, and tacos, but all of the dishes were prepared with mushrooms as the predominate ingredient. We also saw mushroom yoghurt and various mushroom ointments.

The Senguio Feria del Hongo is small in scale but filled with information and ideas. Mexico Cooks! had a marvelous time.

Looking for a tailored-to-your-interests specialized tour in Mexico? Click here:
http://mexicocooks.typepad.com/mexico_cooks/2008/05/rinconcitos-esc.html

27 de September de 2008
Fiestas Patrias Mexicanas: Mexican Independence Day

Mexico celebrates its yearly Fiestas Patrias (Independence Day holidays) during the entire month of September. From the end of August until mid-September, flag and patriotic souvenir sellers like this one in Morelia roam the streets of most cities.

The height of the annual party is the night of September 15, when every town in Mexico reenacts the Grito, the historic 1810 cry for independence from Spanish rule. The entire country whoops it up with public and private parties during this Gran Noche Mexicana (Great Mexican Night). Look back at this September 2007 Mexico Cooks! article for more of Mexico's Independence Day celebrations.

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Those two short paragraphs were to have been Mexico Cooks! for September 20, 2008. However, sometimes our lives are changed in ways we could never have believed possible.

At 11:05 PM on September 15, 2008, the unthinkable changed the life of every Moreliano (resident of Morelia, Michoacán). With 30,000 people assembled to hear Governor Leonel Godoy proclaim the first Grito of his term of office, on the most important festival night in Mexico, two fragmentation grenades exploded in Plaza Melchor Ocampo, directly in front of Morelia's Palacio del Gobierno (state capitol office building).

The attack, presumed to have been orchestrated by Mexico's drug mafiosos and meant to be a spit in the faces of the state and federal governments, is the first attack that has been directed squarely at the innocent.

The toll: seven dead, more than 100 injured–many gravely–and this city of one million plunged into mourning. The deaths include a mother of three, her youngest still a nursing baby. A band at her grave, hired by her family, played Juan Gabriel's Amor Eterno. The refrain:

Como quisiera, ay
Que tu vivieras
Que tus ojitos jamás se hubieran
Cerrado nunca y estar mirándolos
Amor eterno,
E inolvidable
Tarde o temprano estaré contigo
Para seguir amándonos.

How I wish, oh,
That you were still alive
That your beloved eyes
Had never closed, so that I could see them
Eternal love,
Unforgettable love
Sooner or later I'll be with you
And we'll continue loving one another.

The injuries include a 12-year-old, all of whose fingers had to be amputated, and another young woman who required amputation of both legs. Ángel Uriel, age 13, is still in intensive care in Morelia's Children's Hospital: shrapnel wounds to his torso destroyed several of his organs.

Sunday, September 21, 2008: This morning's newspaper announced that Ángel Uriel died on Saturday. Qué en paz descanse.

La Dolorosa (Our Lady of Sorrows), pictured with seven swords piercing her heart.

There have been nearly 3,000 drug-related assassinations in Mexico in 2008. Who will stop the violence? What cost must we pay?

May Our Lady of Sorrows console us all.

Looking for a tailored-to-your-interests specialized tour in Mexico? Click here: http://mexicocooks.typepad.com/mexico_cooks/2008/05/rinconcitos-esc.html

20 de September de 2008
Circo Hermanos Atayde: Atayde Brothers Circus

Photo courtesy Circo Hmnos. Atayde.

The circus came to Morelia! Mexico Cooks! had to be there.

The Mexican Circo Hermanos Atayde (Atayde Brothers Circus) gave its first show in 1888. The founder, Aurelio Atayde Guízar, actually ran away from home as a child to join a circus. Later, Aurelio convinced his other brothers to come with him to found their own company. One hundred and twenty years later, the Circo Hermanos Atayde is the longest-running and most exciting circus in Mexico.

Under the Big Top, the circus roustabouts set up the ring for the opening act.

Getcher cotton candy! Getcher popcorn here! Georgia and Chuck were as excited as any kids.

Fifteen enormous tigers filled the ring to capacity.

We were seated less than six feet from the big cats. One of our companions got a special souvenir: a huge male tiger sprayed her trousers with urine! She was eager to see what her house cats would think of that memento when she got home.

Pink and purple lights played over the ring filled with the tigers. Beautifully cared for, healthy and well-muscled, these tigers respected their trainer and he definitely respected them.

This bactrian (two-humped) camel ate as much popcorn as it could while posing for photos.

First the juggler juggled silver clubs, then huge rubber balls, then seven ping-pong balls (with his mouth!), and ended with flying multi-colored straw hats.

The last of the dancing horses in the ring took a bow for the troupe.

The Ibarra brothers flew on the high trapeze, nearly 45 feet above the ring floor.

We waited till the last night to go to the circus this year, but we'll absolutely go again the next time the Big Top goes up. The circus! It was pure magic, pure entertainment, and pure delight.

Looking for a tailored-to-your-interests specialized tour in Mexico? Click here: http://mexicocooks.typepad.com/mexico_cooks/2008/05/rinconcitos-esc.html

13 de September de 2008
La Feria del Chile (The Chile Fair) in Queréndaro, Michoacán
In Queréndaro, Michoacán, daily work is all about locally grown chiles chilaca.We fell in love with these wee ballet folklórico performers, children no more than four years old.

For the last seven years, just around the late July-early August harvest time, the town of Queréndaro, Michoacán, has celebrated the Feria del Chile (chile fair). The center of town fills with rides for children, booths specializing in all sorts of food, games of chance, a big stage for daily ballet folklórico and nightly music, and all the usual whoopdedoo of fiesta time. The star of the fiestas is, of course, the chile chilaca.

About 3 thousand acres of chile chilaca are planted in the central Mexican states of Aguascalientes, Jalisco, Guanajuato, Zacatecas and Michoacán. Many of the residents of Queréndaro, Michoacán commercially cultivate this particular chile.

All work and no play is no good, though. This sign on a Queréndaro grocer's door says, "Beer and wine for the road".

These chiles chilaca matured to their ripe, deep-red color before harvest.

The chile chilaca also has other names such as negro (black), prieto (dark), or, particularly here in Michoacán, chile para deshebrar (chile to tear in small strips). High quality chilaca is long, slender and undulated. Each chile can measure a foot long. Before its fully-ripe state the chilaca is inky blue-green, with color and flavor similar to the chile poblano. Here in Michoacán, where there are at least two names for every growing thing, the fresh chile chilaca is coloquially known as the cuernillo (little horn).

Most of the locally grown deep-red chiles chilaca are dried in the sun. These are spread out along a main street in Queréndaro. The chiles are drying on petates, mats made of woven lake reed.

The chilaca turns dark reddish-brown when it's allowed to ripen on the bush. When ripe and then dried in the Queréndaro sun, the chilaca becomes very dark red and is called chile pasilla. If the seeds are removed from the dried chile, its name is chile capón. Chiles capones literally means 'castrated' chiles. This vegetable castration refers to the removal of the seeds prior to cooking.

Some chilacas are sold bottled, either en escabeche (pickled in vinegar) or as chiles capones (dried, seeded, soaked, toasted, and then cooked with onion), to be used as a botana or condimento (appetizer or condiment).

These are chiles chilaca rellenos—chiles capones stuffed with tomates verdes (tomatillos), onion, and garlic. The chiles in the photo, prepared for carry-out at the Alberto Gómez family booth , still needed to be topped with shredded Oaxaca cheese.

The Barajas family of Queréndaro offered this variety of freshly harvested chiles at their booth at the Feria del Chile. Clockwise beginning with the dark green chiles at the bottom of the basket, they are:
- chiles poblano…………14 pesos per kilo
- chiles güero……………14 pesos per kilo
- chiles chilaca verde……12 pesos per kilo
- chiles cola de rata……..50 pesos per kilo (for dry chiles; the booth was out of fresh)
- chiles poblano rojo…….14 pesos per kilo
Mexico Cooks! bought a kilo of fresh mature (red) chiles chilaca. We've been preparing them in various dishes. The flavor they add is deeply sweet and deadly hot. So far, our favorite recipe is with potatoes, onions, and flor de calabaza (squash blossoms). Here's what to do:

Papas con Flor de Calabaza y Chile

Ingredients
3 large white potatoes, russets if you can get them
1 medium white onion
2 fresh mature chiles chilaca
1 large clove garlic
2 bunches fresh flor de calabaza (squash blossoms)
Flour
Vegetable oil or freshly rendered lard
Water
Sea salt

Utensils
Large pot
Colander
Griddle
Small plastic bag
Large plastic bag
Large sauté pan
Spatula

Procedure
Peel and cube (approximately 3/4") the potatoes. Bring salted water to boil in a pot large enough for them. Boil the potatoes until tender (approximately 15 minutes) and strain. Allow the potatoes to dry for 30 minutes or more.

Wash and rough-chop the squash blossoms. Discard their stems.

Dice the onion to approximately 1/2". Mince the garlic.

Heat the dry griddle and roast the chiles until they are blackened. Put them in the small plastic bag, twist it closed, and allow the chiles to "sweat" for about 10 minutes. Peel and seed. Slice the chiles in 1/2" rounds.

Heat the oil or lard in the sauté pan. While it heats, put approximately 1/2 cup flour and a teaspoon of sea salt into the large plastic bag. Add the potatoes to the bag and shake until the potatoes are dredged with flour and salt.

Sauté the onions, garlic, and chiles. Add the potatoes and continue to sauté until the potatoes are golden brown. Add the squash blossoms and sauté briefly–the blossoms will wilt. Add sea salt to taste.

Serves 3 or 4 as a side dish.

¡Provecho!

Looking for a tailored-to-your-interests specialized tour in Mexico? Click here:
http://mexicocooks.typepad.com/mexico_cooks/2008/05/rinconcitos-esc.html
6 de September de 2008
Como México, No Hay Dos: David Lida in Mexico City

More than a few blocks off the tourist track: lunch in Tepito. Photo courtesy of Federico Gama.

Rachel Laudan, a singularly intelligent and well-spoken friend who lives in Guanajuato, says in her blog that Mexico Cooks! writes about "a dreamy Mexico". I've puzzled a bit over that statement, not knowing if her words are complimentary or if she thinks that I'm an innocent about how things really are here in México lindo y querido (beautiful and beloved Mexico). The truth is, I do think that at times, many things Mexican have a surrealistic, dream-like quality about them. It can be difficult to reconcile the several truths that exist in any one statement about la República mexicana.

Mexico Cooks! usually writes about aspects of culinary and cultural items of interest to Mexicophiles of various stripes. I've deliberately chosen–at least here on Mexico Cooks!–not to delve into the oftentimes problematic and frequently sublimely enigmatic components of Mexican sociopolitical daily life that also fascinate me.

David Lida, author of First Stop in the New World. Photo courtesy of Federico Gama.

However, a few months ago Mexico Cooks! met David Lida, in that blogospheric nouveau way that we've adopted here in cyberspace. I admired his blog and told him so. He admired Mexico Cooks! and told me so. David offered to send me a copy of his latest book, First Stop in the New World: Mexico City, the Capital of the 21st Century. Would I kindly think about reviewing it? With some trepidation, I said, "Send it on." His blog posts were quirky and interesting, but a whole book about the odder side of Mexico City? How good could it be?

Viva Tepito! Photo courtesy of Federico Gama.

Ay ay ay, friends, the book is really good. It's really, really very good. It's three-thumbs-up good, it's six-stars-in-a-five-star-rating-system good. First Stop in the New World is as spot-on as it gets about Mexico City and about the Mexican character in general.

Lida, a native New Yorker, has lived in Mexico City for nearly 20 years. When he first arrived in Mexico, he spoke little Spanish and was more than a little fearful. Today, he knows Mexico City's down-and-dirty nuances like the back of his (unwashed) hand.

Although David Lida writes about a few typical tourist attractions, for the most part his essays provide insight into a Mexico City that tourists never see. Paradox by paradox, he delineates the Distrito Federal (the Federal District, seat of national government and in that respect analogous to the District of Columbia in the United States). A porno king is juxtaposed with Rigoberta Menchú; Lida's personal secuestro express (express kidnapping) is cheek by jowl with the story of Christ's Passion according to José Manuel Guillén. Lida compares La Central de Abastos (Mexico City's central wholesale produce market) with Tenochtitlán, the Aztec capital, and a 13-year-old homeless glue sniffer to the richest man in the world. It all works, drawing together Mexico City's ancient history and the capitalino's modern life at its most vibrant.

Competition, Tepito style. Photo courtesy of Federico Gama.

This is Mexico City at its grittiest. The details of the seamy side tell us that David Lida really "gets" what the Distrito Federal is all about. Any tourist can write a postcard home about the Palacio de Bellas Artes, the charming Coyoacán plaza, or Sanborn's Casa de Azulejos (House of Tiles). David Lida's knowledge of Mexico City starts on the floor of a taxicab and leads to Tepito, the capital of piratería (pirated goods) and home of La Santa Muerte (St. Death).

You'll have to ask the photographer about this photo. Photo courtesy of Federico Gama.

I'm not alone in loving First Stop in the New World. Here's what a few other reviewers have to say:

"It’s received some incredible reviews since it was published in June.
Reed Johnson of the Los Angeles Times called it “streetwise and
up-to-date … a charmingly idiosyncratic, yet remarkably comprehensive
portrait of one of the planet’s most misinterpreted urban spaces.” Mary
D’Ambrosio of the San Francisco Chronicle said, “As Joseph Mitchell
captured life on the margins of midcentury New York, Orhan Pamuk the
melancholia of 20th century Istanbul, and Martha Gellhorn civilian
suffering in Civil War Spain, Lida masterfully details the plight of a
struggling and repressed city.” And Richard B. Woodward of The New York
Times opined, “To test the quality of a travel book, it helps to ask:
Would you like to share a meal or a drink with the writer? On the
evidence of his book, which reveals him to be an expansive soul with
big eyes and an even bigger heart, Mr. Lida should expect calls from a lot of newly arrived strangers, including me.”

First Stop in the New World, book cover. Photo courtesy of David Lida.

So buy the book. You have to have it. Look in the book list, to the left on this page, and click on the book cover to be taken directly to Amazon.com. Don't wait, do it now!

Looking for a tailored-to-your-interests specialized tour in Mexico? Click here:
http://mexicocooks.typepad.com/mexico_cooks/2008/05/rinconcitos-esc.html

30 de August de 2008
August Fruits at the Tianguis (Street Markets): What’s Ripe Right Now in Mexico (Part 2)

Our last stop at Morelia's tianguis showcases more Mexican-grown seasonal fresh fruits.

Papaya! Cut open to expose its sweet orange flesh, this papaya is ready to eat. Be sure to let your papaya ripen till the skin is nearly moldy. The fruit will be at its peak of ripeness.

These Mexican pears are similar to the Bosc or Seckle varieties. The vendor priced them at 25 pesos the kilo.

Piña (pineapple) is grown in the Tierra Caliente (hot lowlands) of Michoacán. Allowed to ripen more thoroughly prior to cutting, pineapple grown for consumption here in Mexico is rarely acidic.

Plátano dominico, a tiny banana approximately three inches long, is also grown in the hot lowlands of Michoacán.

These ciruelas (plums) are just about golf ball size. Sweet and slightly tart, they're eaten out of hand or prepared as agua fresca (fresh fruit water).

Mexico Cooks! thinks there's no fruit quite as refreshing as ice cold watermelon.

Tunas (prickly pears) are the fruit of the nopal cactus. They're easy to peel (cut off the ends, split the thick skin with a knife, and zip it off). Chilled, they have the texture of watermelon. Go ahead and swallow the many small, hard seeds.

Uvas rojas sin semilla (seedless Red Flame grapes) are sweet as candy. Washed, disinfected, and chilled, they're the perfect complement to lunch or supper. Right now, in season, they're priced between 15 and 20 pesos the kilo. Mexico Cooks! likes them best in chicken salad.

Mexico Cooks! will continue to keep tabs on what's new and seasonal in our Morelia markets during September.

Looking for a tailored-to-your-interests specialized tour in Mexico? Click here:
http://mexicocooks.typepad.com/mexico_cooks/2008/05/rinconcitos-esc.html

23 de August de 2008
August Fruits at the Tianguis (Street Markets): What’s Ripe Right Now in Mexico (Part 1)

For the last two weeks (August 2 and 9, 2008), Mexico Cooks! shopped around Morelia's tianguis (street markets) to see which late-summer vegetables were available. This week, let's have a look at seasonal fruits.

Duraznos (peaches) from near Uruapan are here, priced at 22 pesos the kilo.

Locally grown granadas (pomegranates) are starting to ripen. We buy them whole or buy just the seeds, packed in plastic cups. These whole granadas were priced at 10 pesos per kilo.

Local figs, 20 pesos the kilo. The flesh of these huge figs was bursting through the skin.

Limón criollo (Key limes) are almost always a bargain. The vendor priced these at eight pesos per kilo.

Mango season is drawing to a close. This large Paraíso variety currently costs 15 pesos for two kilos.

It's always a good idea to ask if produce is imported or grown in Mexico. These apples from the state of Chihuahua cost 24 pesos the kilo. Red Delicious apples, imported from Washington State, cost 34 pesos per kilo.

Mexican-grown melón chino (canteloupe) is always sweet and fragrant if you know how to shop for it. Heavy weight for size indicates lots of juice; rich, melon-y fragrance at the stem end tells you your choice is truly ripe when you buy it. These weigh at least two kilos each and cost 11 pesos per kilo.

Next week: more seasonal fruits.

Looking for a tailored-to-your-interests specialized tour in Mexico? Click here:
http://mexicocooks.typepad.com/mexico_cooks/2008/05/rinconcitos-esc.html

16 de August de 2008
August Vegetables at the Tianguis (Street Markets): What’s Ripe Right Now in Mexico (Part 2)

Mexico Cooks! continues its photographic tour of August's seasonal bounty. This week we visited several tianguis in Morelia to see what's available.

Locally grown ejote (green beans) are eight pesos the kilo this week. I bought half a kilo for today's comida.

Elote (ears of corn) are relatively tender right now–if
they're just-cut and you cook them immediately! Wait till tomorrow and
you won't be able to sink your teeth into them.

Flor de calabaza (squash flowers) are in season as long as calabacitas are in season.
This huge manojo (bunch) was priced at five pesos.

Jitomate roma (plum tomatoes) weighed in at 10 pesos per kilo.

Zanahoria (carrots) cost just 2.5 pesos per kilo right now!

Looking for a tailored-to-your-interests specialized tour in Mexico? Click here:
http://mexicocooks.typepad.com/mexico_cooks/2008/05/rinconcitos-esc.html

9 de August de 2008