Category: Travel

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.

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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:
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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!

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

Locally grown tiny, black-skinned aguacates (avocados), not much bigger than figs, can be eaten skin and all. The pit is about the size of a grape. This week they are priced at 23 pesos per kilo.

Brócoli is farmed in Michoacán’s Zona Lacustre (lake zone) as well as around the Meseta Purhépecha (Purhépecha tablelands).

Calabacita (little squash, similar to zucchini) are about four inches long.

Cebollita de cambray (small knob onions, freshly pulled from the ground) came to market at ten pesos
the kilo.

Chícharos (green peas) are always tempting during their season. Mexico Cooks! shells and washes them, then puts them in a bowl with a pat of butter and microwaves the peas until done.

Coliflor is also commercially farmed in Michoacán. In season now, the head in the foreground cost 12 pesos. The head weighed nearly three pounds.

Next week: Mexico Cooks! continues to find seasonal vegetables currently in the markets, Part 2.

Looking for a tailored-to-your-interests specialized tour in Mexico? Click here:
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2 de August de 2008
Delicias de Noche en Pátzcuaro: Enchiladas Placeras (Night Pleasures in Pátzcuaro: Plaza-Style Enchiladas)
Over the course of nearly 30 years, Mexico Cooks! has visited Pátzcuaro, Michoacán, one of the most beautiful small colonial cities of Mexico, more times than we can count. Every visit is memorable for 16th and 17th Century architecture, fantastic decorative arts, and food. Food! The regional Michoacán kitchen is incomparably rich and delicious.

Super Pollo Emilio has been famous for 36 years for enchiladas placeras: plaza-style enchiladas, the only item on the menu. The cooks prepare approximately 400 orders of enchiladas every night.

Great quantities of enormous pechugas (chicken breast halves, each large enough to satisfy two people) and piernas (leg/thigh quarters) are simmered early in the day until they're just done. A bit later, preparation continues with vats of tender potatoes and fresh carrots.

The cook fans four tortillas at a time between his fingers and dips them into this enormous pot of house- made salsa para enchiladas (enchilada sauce). The recipe? Mexico Cooks! has wheedled and whined, but Super Pollo Emilio won't give it up.

The cook spreads the salsa-doused tortillas evenly into the sizzling grease in the industrial-strength comal (griddle), flipping them rapidly from one side to the other. The tortillas need to be hot and soft, but not crisp.

He gives each tortilla a dollop of freshly mashed potato. The tortillas are then folded in half: voilá, enchiladas ready for your platter. Each order contains eight enchiladas as well as–well, we'll see in a minute.

While we waited for our supper, we were treated to a serenata (serenade) sung by strolling local musicians. We were quite taken with the multi-colored strings of this big bass fiddle.

Our order. The platter, which looks fairly small in the photo, measures approximately 16 inches from side to side. The two forks are ordinary-size table forks. Each platter contains:
- eight potato-filled enchiladas
- freshly sautéed potatoes and carrots, enough for two or more people
- the amount and kind of chicken you prefer–we normally order a breast portion, which was more than enough for the two of us
- a sprinkle of thinly sliced onion
- large shreds of queso Oaxaca (Oaxaca cheese)
- shredded fresh cabbage
- crumbled queso fresco (fresh farmer-style cheese)
- fresh salsa roja (red sauce, different from the enchilada sauce)
- a base of fresh romaine lettuce
- chile perón en escabeche (locally grown and pickled yellow chile: HOT), as much as you want
Mexico Cooks! has never seen one person finish an entire platter of enchiladas placeras as prepared by Super Pollo Emilio. We were hard pressed, but in the interest of pure research we managed to eat most of this order. We accompanied the order with a glass of agua fresca de jamaica and a bottle of LIFT, an apple soda. Our total bill was 95 pesos.

Super Pollo Emilio sets up every evening just around dusk on Pátzcuaro's Plaza Gertrudis Bocanegra (the plaza chica). It's the booth closest to the portal (covered walkway) on the market side of the square. The booth is open till the food runs out.

If you're still hungry after your platter of enchiladas is gone, there are buñuelos for dessert. You can order a buñuelo broken and softened in a bowl of syrup or still-crispy and dusted with sugar.

Our waiter Jesús and his sweet daughter Paola, who was helping take soft drink orders. Jesús has been a fixture at Super Pollo Emilio since long before his daughter was born.

When you're visiting Pátzcuaro, don't miss the enchiladas placeras at Super Pollo Emilio. If nothing else about this marvelous city brings you back again and again, you'll be pulled in by these addictive enchiladas, eaten on a chilly night under the stars, just by the market-side portales.

Looking for a tailored-to-your-interests specialized tour in Mexico? Click here:
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26 de July de 2008
Colores y Sabores 100% Mexicanos: Colors and Flavors, 100% Mexican

Banderitas mexicanas (Mexican flags) that are really sugar cookies!

Lucecitas navideñas (Christmas lights) in the form of Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe.

Nobility.

At the Mercado de Abastos (regional wholesale produce market) in Guadalajara.

Capirotada (bread pudding for Lent).

Finery for a parade in Uruapan, Michoacán.

Naturaleza muerta a la mexicana (Mexican still life).

19 de July de 2008