Oaxaca-The Year After: Hot tamale

The here and now... and what and why

Complacency is a trap. At least that’s what I was thinking when I up and left the comfort of a Yankee prep school gig, where I taught music, amongst other things, for 28 years. There was also that life long career as a composer, musician and artist.

First, it was a year in St. Thomas, USVI, working as a reporter and shooting photography and then, a year in San Agustin Etla, Oaxaca, Mexico.
Time passed.
More time passed and a year back in the Athens of America followed by a hasty return to Oaxaca where it is all happening.
A couple of years in San Sebastian Etla and now, just down the road in San Pablo Etla. Life is good.

Click on an image to see it larger.
For additional photography please visit my flickr page.
You can find my music on Jango (World & latin - Worldbeat) and at iTunes and most online stores.
¡Soy consciente de todas las tradiciones del Internet!
If you are coming to Oaxaca, please contact me for tours or advice.

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Hot tamale

Oh, did you miss something. Well, you do have one more day if you can get it together to go to the 8th annual Feria de Tamale y Tejate in the Plaza de la Danza. This is Irene Peres and hers were the best I tasted today.

I wish I had gotten this woman's name, because hers were just as good.

Rajas! Mmmmm....

I am so full, but I could still eat another one... or two.... or maybe even three. They were that good. All of the ladies were from San Andres Huayapam, a village to the west of the city, the only place one can find "rosita de cacao," the key ingredient in tejate.

Aside from this unique ingredient, tejate can also be made from corn, cinnamon and the seeds and flowers of the fruit called mamey.

The tamales came in about ten different varieties. I should have taken a pic of the list, but I was too busy having fun and eating. We sampled, rajas, flor de calabasa, mole, chebil and came home with a additional bagful of the hot steaming treats.