Oaxaca: Day 21 Glug, Glug, Glug

That is the sound of brain slipping under the ocean of Spanish.  We have been working really hard every day from 9am till 6pm which some days is simply overwhelming but most days goes really well.  We have met many fun people from school, some in our classes and some in others.  Several of our friends have apartments which is nice since it allows me to fool around in the kitchen. 

Two weekends ago we went to Monte Alban which are the local Toltec/Mixtec ruins.  Surprisingly the Spanish did not tear down the temples particularly, presumably in large part because the “ruins” are out of town at the top of a mountain with no water source.

The tour was fun although it was a windy and chilly day, our guide was very funny and easy to understand in Spanish which was a delight.  Unfortunately three people joined the tour after it had started and they did not speak Spanish thus the tour got presented in both Spanish and English.  I found that it was fairly straight forward to under stand the Spanish but as soon as the tour was presented on both languages I started struggling with the Spanish.

We finished the day with a trip to the local market, 20 de Noviembre, for a delish Oaxacan tamale (a little masa, chicken and mole negro) which is wrapped in a banana leaf as opposed to corn husks.  The flavors are terrific.  We also shared a chicken mole because of course I can’t get enough mole (I have tried mole negro, colorado, poblano, verde and enfojado).

The day before the Monte Alban trip had started out very wet with a good solid, unseasonal, we were told, storm.  We dug out our waterproof gear and shuffled off through the town to find the Mercadao del Abasto which is the biggest market in town which gets even bigger on Saturdays.  The market was fairly lightly traveled presumably since the weather was so dismal. 

Despite the lack of life which our Spanish teacher, Belen, said was a blessing, the market was fun, a visual and olfactory treat.  There were stalls selling heaps and heaps and heaps of chiles of all sorts.  There were heaps of the local high protein source of food known as chapulines which are grasshoppers fried with chile, salt and lime.  They come in various sizes and are quite tasty particularly with a mezcal or two.

   Which of course brings me to mezcal.  Mezcal is the unsung hero of tequila, it is the local variant produced in quantity here in the state of Oaxaca and can be found for sale on most of the main roads very similar to wine in the Napa Valley.  As with tequila there are three version:

• plata or blanco which is clear, possibly freshly distilled and generally a little harsh similar to tequila
• reposado which literally means rested and is mezcal that has been sitting in a wood barrel for a while and has taken on a lovely light brown color and has developed a softness and a depth of character missing in the plata variant.
• The final form is anejo which is reposado that has been aged as the name implies.  Usually this is darker in color and more complex in taste than the reposado and of course the prices reflect this.

I had my first sip with some school friends after a particularly grueling day mid-week the first week and immediately was smitten.  It tasted similar to a good single malt: there were complex flavors, smokiness, a lingering peppery aftertaste and a soft fire in the belly.  Delicious!  If you find it, try it.  I buy it direct from a producer at the organic farmers market nearby for 60 pesos a liter!