Let us have lettuce...

I'm a little neurotic about my greens.  It's partially because I've gotten so ill from them in the past.... but that was in the States!  And here.... well, it hard to know exactly what you are getting and how fresh it is.  I've learned to wash/soak everything in Microdyn, an anti-bacterial, both here and there.  Better safe than sorry and it's so easy. 

My solution is to grow it all myself.  These have grown in total shade on the north side of the house. I've been eating from the top one for a couple of months.  Now it's time to start the next batch.  They never get full sun during the winter months and don't bolt or go to seed.  I still wash the lettuce as I pick the leaves for fresh salads.  I try to have a constant source and the crazy thing is when the sun hits them and they do go to seed, they reseed and I find little lettuce plants growing everywhere. 

Street art - Sweet art

 The murals, posters and paintings, the street art, is ever-changing, and so much fun with which to try and keep current.

Oaxaca has a varied and vibrant world of art, not only the wide variety of folk art, but the contemporary art scene is very well established with many famous and yet to be famous artists working in every medium imaginable.  The graffiti artists are quite renown and it's easy to see why.

 

There are galleries all over the city filled with art, but one can see great things just walking around doing errands.  Pretty sweet, eh?  Well some of it is not so sweet, much more bittersweet and important.

"For the mothers who cry over the empty graves of children never to return."

This is so Oaxaca...

What do you notice?  Besides that there are lots of tourists in town.  A hint:  the sun is starting to intensify and it's hot...... That's right,  everyone is walking on the shady side of the street.  It's just the way folks deal with the heat here, but people probably do this everywhere in the world when the sun is beating down.

More Gotta Dance - San Juan Geulavia

I just love the look on the little girl's face as she watched this elegant dancer perform... and there was much more.

The Feria del Carrizo in San Juan Gelavia was so good last week that a return trip was in order for the second and last Sunday of the celebration.  This time there was actually more and a better selection of pieces made from the bamboo-like grass.  I was early once again and brought more of an appetite, but was a bit early for all the food stalls to be ready.  However, just like last week there was dance, and it appeared like most of the dances came from northern Mexico, some from the state of Chihuahua.

No matter where the folkloric group was from, and I missed that, they were good and tight as they performed what almost appeared to be variations on country swing and two-step.

 Not too intense a look on her face...

They all could really cut a rug, very tight and crisp in all their steps.

Like most groups, they would dance and then run and change outfits quickly for the next dance.  In between the group dances, this elegant couple performed.

  Their swirling dresses always remind me of flowers or butterflies.

 What an amazing look.

More on the carrizo and the rest of the day in a bit.

The Eagles!

I shoulda known... As a New England fan I should have recognized the omen when my neighbors came out this morning and pointed out these big birds high up in the trees near the house.  "Look! The Eagles!"

The Birds won!  Felicidades!  Ah well... it's only a game, right?

Higaditos - Oaxacan style.

If you do a search for "higaditos," you will find hundreds of recipes, but none of them seem to be of the kind I've had in Oaxaca many times.  "Hígado" is liver, so we are talking about chicken livers in most of the recipes.  However, I think they prepare it here with meat of the chicken as well, but it is mostly an egg dish.  Best description I can come up with is that it's scrambled eggs with a very nice texture, in a chicken broth with pieces of meat and liver.  It is not a spicy dish, just a rich yummy eggy thing.

It is a very traditional dish in Zapotec villages like Teotitlan del Valle and Villa Diaz Ordaz ,where this lady made some of the very best I've ever had.  It was heavenly.

Here's the classic presentation for Teotitlan del Valle.

And here, from the wedding of good friends, Sergio Ruiz and Virginia, a breakfast of higaditos, bread, chocolate and tlayudas..  Note the size of their servings.  They do not eat it all.  Everyone takes it home.

Food, glorious food - San Juan Guelavia

One constant at all the ferias is food.  One is drawn in and tempted by too many sights and smells.  The Feria del Carrizo had wonderful temptations every which way one turned.  I guess this might be categorized as "street food,' but really it is just folks setting up and selling freshly prepared food.  So many taste treats!  Everything from tlayudas, barbacoa, oaxacan style higaditos, tamales, tacos, memelitas, on and on.  There was both chivo and borrego barbacoa (goat and lamb) and lots of vendors, who were all doing great business.  I grabbed a nice lamb taco.

I would have loved to have tried more.  I am always tempted by those deep fried things bubbling away in oil. 

I know, I know, but everything in moderation... Actually, the taco came after these molotes, which are little empanadas filled with potatoes and chorizo. 

Wow, they were so good, I wish I had some right now. A good reason to go back next Sunday.

Gotta dance - Los niñ@s - San Juan Guelavia

One of the many things I love about Oaxaca is that dance is so important here, a part of the daily fabric and just about everyone does it in one form or another.  Kids learn the regional dances in school and seem very happy and into it.  

And so it was wonderful to watch these very young dancers perform at the Feria del Carrizo in San Juan Guelavia yesterday.

I, like almost everyone else, have seen these dances performed many times in many different venues and by many different dancers, so there is a familiarity with the steps and the music.  The dances are like familiar friends, so nice to see over and over again. 

There is a palpable sense of joy and pride in both the dancers and the audience.  You can see the happiness in this boy's face.

Watching these girls perform the flor de piña dance was so sweet. 

I'm not sure where they all came from, but the looks on their faces was "OMG, Where are we?? Look at all these people in the audience."  Remember this is in a relatively small village, normally quiet and all of a sudden, thousands of people are there. 

I think the girls' ages were between five and eight with maybe a couple even younger.

The fact that the kids get such joy and draw such hearty applause reinforces that the traditional dances will continue and continue....

¡Viva San Juan Guelavia y Oaxaca!

Feria del Carrizo - San Juan Guelavia - Bigger and better

The Feria de Carrizo in San Juan Guelavia is one of the great success stories of the last few years and today was the opening of the 2018 version.  Several years ago, maybe a few hundred people showed up, today, thousands were there and I was there early.  Carrizo is a bamboo-like grass that the people in the village make into all sorts of things, baskets being the most common.

I think only seven families continue the tradition of working with carrizo, but they all must be pretty happy today as sales looked like they were really good. 

And it's possible that more people are returning to the art as the feria becomes more and more successful.  Clearly, the village realized its potential and they constructed a covering over the zoccalo, arranged for lots of parking, offered lots of food and presented a mini-guelaguetza, featuring lots of the regional dances.  Watching little girls dance the flor de piña dance was so sweet.... but more on that later.  The stars of the show were the artesanos who worked with carrizo.

It was so nice to see items created by the students of the village.  Maybe some will continue the tradition for years to come.

Some of the masters...

Years of experience...

 

And some with a bit less

Look at this very cool garafon (water bottle) arrangement.

 And these lamp shades.

The whole thing repeats next Sunday, be there or be square...

And there is also a rodeo all week.

Blue skies.....

A year of mayordomo

Yesterday, I was invited to Casa Cruz in Teotitlan del Valle, the home of Fidel and Maria Luisa Cruz as they ended their year long commitment as mayordomos to the Virgin of Guadalupe.  It is a huge undertaking with many aspects and responsibilities, both religious and social.  Zapotec culture is complex and I don't know nearly enough to talk about it other than to say it was an honor to be there.

Last month all of the action was at Casa Cruz, but this time it was across the road at the house of the other mayordomo, Bulmaro Perez Mendoza.  However, I spent most of the afternoon at Casa Cruz where things were low-key, mostly eating, drinking, talking and helping the girls/young women get ready for the convite, the procession into the village.

Fidel is a master of natural dyes, one of the most knowledgeable in the village. 

And Maria Luisa is a Mendoza sister, famous around the world for their cooking.  She was so busy, she was in a blur.

Here's Abigail telling me to get it together and sit down with some tejate, which I got from one of her sisters.

 Which I gladly did.

The meal was caldo de oregano, a beef broth with chucks of meat.  No utensils, just tlayudas with which to eat it.  I've gotten used to eating this way and it was very tasty.

It is always so much fun taking photos of the convite participants getting ready. 

 It is so easy to get classic shots.

And what's a convite without Beatriz Ruiz?  It turns out they are cousins..

Each blouse is unique and beautiful

 Such a gorgeous look

 These two were about to head out for the long procession to the church.

Lots of these young ladies I've watched grown up and I look forward watching these two.

And of course, the danzantes were there.  We are watching them mature, too.  One more year to go for them.

And off they went.

 

Of course, the celebration continues for two more days..... How do they do it?