Oaxaca-The Year After: Preparing the turkey

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.

Thursday, November 24, 2016

Preparing the turkey - Teotitlan del Valle style

I was a participant, with most of the males at a wedding, in the killing, cleaning and preparing of eighty turkeys for a wedding feast. It gave me a whole new perspective. It was actually quite a fun experience, because for these men, it was a happy social occasion.

Old school techniques. I had no idea cleaning a bird was such hard work. Those feathers and the feet were tough. The guys laughed as they watched and then taught me how to do it. I think I cleaned one bird in the time they could do four or five.