There are certain rules about how one should eat when traveling to parts of the world prone to travelers diarrhea. These are things one should do (or not do) to stay healthy.
Things like not eating uncooked food that you can’t peel, and only eating food served hot. One should only drink beverages from unopened containers. And politely decline any ice offered.
I took a food tour this morning, and probably managed to break every one of these rules.
We met our guide, Daniel, at the Etnofood Lab, and began our walk to the market. There were 7 of us, representing the US (Michigan and Hawaii), Canada, and Ireland.
Daniel was a fantastic guide. He probably in his mid 20s, has a broad open smile, and a deep black ponytail that peeks out of the back of his hat. Over his shoulder he carries a satchel, from which he pulls an occasional ingredient. All along he tells the stories of the Oaxacan foods and history.
It was a great day.
Twenty minutes after meeting with him, we followed him into a market that none of us would have ever found. As we stood at the entrance he cautioned us that, “you can take selfies, but then put your phone back in your pocket.” Apparently phone theft is a thing here.
And slowly he began assembling the ingredients, picking up cheese from the first stand, and onions from the next. This was followed by a chile de agua (a local Oaxacan chile that releases a lot of water when it cooks).
Around the corner, a vendor had a variety of meats hung for sale, as well as a small grill set up for cooking.
Here Daniel stopped us, and suddenly the pepper and onions were laid out on the coals. Next, nopales (cactus) emerged from his satchel, and we were gradually adding more to the grill. Cheese would follow, and chorizo and beef.
A few stalls away, Daniel acquired a stash of floppy, delicate, tortillas to bring it all together. I’ve never seen their like before.
And then we were seated, assembling our tacos in the middle of the market. It was one of the best I’ve had, and all made exactly to order, by us (or Daniel, really). It couldn’t have been better.
And it was barely 10:30.
The market tour would continue on, winding through the labyrinthine stalls, stopping occasionally so we could examine chiles or sample cacao beans (or chocolate).
We ate this. I didn’t catch the name, but it came garnished with lettuce, which gave me pause.
The taquito with mole colorado (sweetened with berries) was outstanding.
And the bowl of tejate was delicious (even if it doesn’t look that way in the photo). It is a beverage made with cacao and maize and at least one other seed. The fats come to the surface, making the froth. The chocolate is gentle and the corn flavor a perfect partner,
If we had been getting it to go, we would have received a cup. Instead we had this from the more traditional bowls. I didn’t ask about washing techniques or water in the middle of this market.
Beyond this we found the insect market where we all tried at least a few grasshoppers (and I ate the big guy, dusted with chili lime).
And so it continued, with eggs that we made ourselves.
And a breathtaking array of unique vegetables.
Following the tour I was ecstatic that I had done it. I don’t think I would have found this market or many of these things.
So yes I probably broke every food safety rule for travelers,
But it was just so darn good, I couldn’t help myself.
Wish me luck.
butterblogger 