Perfection!
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Outstanding!
Lunch on a full day excursion visiting a Zapotec archaeological site Monte Albán, black pottery village and 2 other villages.
Looks weird but it’s chicken in mole negro, because hey, when you are in Oaxaca, the place the try real moles.
Two different meats on this plate. Plus potatoes and sweet chayote (squash).
Cactus “salad”. Beetroots have pineapple chunks mixed in. Hadn’t thought of that. I eat lots of beetroots, gonna steal this idea.
“Dry beef” (known as “tasajo” in Oaxaca, but something else in other Spanish speaking countries) and mini corn tortillas with cheese.
Heavily overcast day at Monte Albán. This is just one area of the site.
Traditional Zapotec weaving
Tortilla cooking rig, it’s everywhere in Oaxaca.
Silent observer meets another silent observer
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Yep.
It’s time Mr Happy went to Chengdu/Sichuan.
I did, 3 times. Failed to even scratch the surface. Loved the food there, especially dan dan noodles, dumplings, tofu, boiled beef etc.
@brucesw , I’ve only tried the tamales at this one place. Need to try a few more to compare. But if they are “wet/slimy” I would not eat them (texture aversion).
The taste of chapulines/grasshoppers I think depends on what the cook likes to use. Some can be salty, or garlicky. I was looking forward to trying them. Pyramids of chapulines are a common sight both inside and outside the markets.
I thought it was banana leaves.
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Agree, Mr Happy does indeed need to go to China and continue his reporting from there. What a huge and extremely diverse country, in food and many other ways! Think maybe Mexico and India are closely tied for a close second. So much to explore, so little time!
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Thank you.
Where I ate, inside a market that has mostly food “stalls”. Everyone yells at you and shoves menus in your face. Competition is fierce. Do research before going to Oaxaca so you know what the dishes are when you see their names and photos on menus. People eat at any time of day so don’t think the empty benches mean this or that stall serves bad food. At busy meal times it’s very crowded and in times like these it’s better to come before or after.
One of Oaxacan classics. A giant (as in much bigger than a dinner plate) crispy corn tortilla that’s brushed with lard, then a thin layer of bean paste, then cheese (my order is called “Tlayuda simpel”, the most standard version). Extra toppings such as crispy grasshoppers, several types of grilled meat, greens, avocado etc are optional.
Quesadilla filled with Quesillo (Oaxacan string cheese) and courgette flowers are also super popular. An English-speaking muscular Mexican who sat next to me ate one and drank 2 beers. I thought he was a vegetarian and that was his meal. Then his tlayuda arrived. Whoa, the works. Had all the optional toppings on it, including all the different types of meat and grasshoppers.
You see a pile or 2 or this on most counters in this market. Giant crispy corn tortillas for Tlayudas.
Another meal on a different day. Local restaurant on a street just outside the market. Lots of gringos stop to look but don’t dare come in. Owner and employees treat us just like locals. Mexico is one of the few countries where people are kind and don’t treat us as walking wallets. Announcement on chalk board outlines new prices and asks for patrons’ understanding.
Condiments.
I ordered all 3 kinds
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Which did you like the best? They all look wonderful!
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First time for everything - mini corn dogs! Tasted good but you can see the batter came off some so they look like madeleines in shape. Each frank was cut in half to make dipping easier.
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Okay, @Presunto, talk about sensory overload! It’s drizzling here but I’m going to have to step outside for some fresh air - the colors, the descriptions, knowing at least generally the tastes you are experiencing…
The food court looks a lot like the one at Mi Tienda, a huge supermarket (owned by HEB) aimed at the Hispanic market. They don’t push menus at you – the aromas are enough to get you interested. Lines at some stalls are very long.
I wish we had an outpost of El Pozolito here. I wonder if they’d let me …
Thanks, too, for the kind words about the Mexican people.
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Methi Paratha - Ashoka brand. I had hoped to make tacos 
with these but they’ve been too soft in the center; used a different pan this time and this one was too stiff - overgriddled. Still good.
Leftover boiled potato on the right. Patra, also Ashoka brand, rolled, stuffed colocasia leaves, at the top, onions and some ginger pickle on the left. Also had some home-made cucumber raita, not pictured.
I discovered Patra at a small Gujarati buffet at a grocery store on the far western edge of the city a few years ago. I almost cleaned out the whole tray on the buffet. I love 'em. These frozen ones are much spicier and more complex, I think, that any I’ve had before. Not sure if I’ll buy them again.
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Lunch-- Pancakes & sausage, both frozen. My stomach was insisting FOOD NOW! + unless I’m inspired I avoid any clean-up mess when possible. Pancakes quite good, sausage meh due to microwave.
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I’m planning a trip tomorrow to ikea and the Polish grocery store for some shopping so I’ve been clearing out the fridge, freezer and pantry to make room. Actually need to hit many of the specialty markets in town – it’s been a few years now. Recent lunches have been using up what I’ve turned up.
Feltman’s uncured frank, brioche bun from Aldi, Bertner’s Stadium mustard, mushed peas on the lower right, Ikea’s Gronsaksbullar (vegetable balls) and some cucumber pieces.
I found some rye bread in the freezer - probably from the now-closed Swedish Bakery in Chicago so half a decade old at least. Got some Black Forest Ham from the supermarket deli and aged Swiss, Bertner’s mustard on Dave’s Good Seed with shaved zucchini marinated in lemon juice and sea salt. The earlier version with the rye was not so good and also featured the dregs of a jar of ‘Swedish Style Vegetable Salad’ - sweetish pickled vegetables. I really shouldn’t have kept them so long 
Canned (baby) limas. I used to grow limas, Florida speckled I think was the variety, and loved them; I didn’t realize these were baby limas and they came out of the can like lima bean soup. Ugh. Marjoram helped some.
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