El Mercado

Cora

Every day I manage to wander by el mercado, whether I need something or not. I guess most larger Mexican towns have them, a gathering place for vendors of every sort. Fresh fruits and vegetables, of course, meats, recently slaughtered, herbs and spices, shoes, cloth, plastic toys and novelties, a abuelita-granny selling a sampling of medicinal herbs, and possibly your lunch (huge caldrons of stews, meatballs, and pig parts). As always in Mexico, you are able to find a sweet treat to tide you over.

When you find the fruit aisle, there are four or more vendors, all selling the same thing, competing for your purchase. I think this competition is the reason for the beautiful presentations of the produce. Huge stacks of tomatoes (and they are reluctant to let you pick your own fruit for fear that you topple this huge pile!), radishes displayed like a bouquet of roses. They will pick the best for you, ripe to eat today, or less ripe for tomorrow´s feast and are quick to let you sample an item. The cheese dealer was eager to share each type´s purpose and best attributes.

I am planning to sample a few new freshies each time. For this trip, nopales (cactus fruits, which are like a mild green pepper and very high in vitamins), guayabas, and some fruit that resembles a sweet potato from the outside. Next week I have plans for the jicama, epazote herbs and the vendor who sells six different mole varieties. For those of you who have yet to try mole, seek it out his very instant. It is delicious! An ancient Aztec word meaning mixture, it is some variation of spices, seeds, chiles, and chocolate. It varies by region, but supposedly originated in Puebla.

Talon hates the market, due to the chicken booths with limp bodies (head and feet intact) that lie draped over the counter. He gags every time. The chicken carcasses bother him, but for me the most disgusting is the pork area. Big caldrons of boiling intestines, with every part of the pig, seemingly still warm from the slaughter. While there is a supermercado within driving distance, I´ve prefered to practice mi español and look locally for our needs. So, we brave the meat booths. I ask for a thin cut of beef, a filete or milanesa de res. The butcher is very helpful and obviously proud of his wares. He inquires about my plans for his meat and selects the best cut, then lets me choose where and how thick he cuts. My teacher, Lulu, says the best meat is red and very juicy, not dry at all. Then, the chicken. I skip the baskets of chicken feet (used for broth), heads, livers, etc. and request a breast. There are no boneless, skinless cuts here (and didn´t you always wonder about those, they definitely don´t seem natural...) and she uses a massive pair of scissors to cut my breast into four parts.

So far, so good. We are not sick, and our meal of tortas (a sandwich on rolls), with cactus salad was delicious. So, I will venture again over to the meat aisle tomorrow for our meal. I really wish my shopping experiences were similar in the US. This beats the weekly ¨chore¨ of going to the sterile grocery store. I love the mercado. It is an experience. We buy our food for the day fresh, usually based on what looks good and cooking it is much more satisfying. Plus it is cheaper and uses way less packaging.