2/17/2007
Walking Tours of Colonial Churches of Oaxaca
Walking Tours of Colonial Churches of Oaxaca: A tour for the devout, the lapsed, and the never-were. These two hour tours are guided by a U.S. artist who lives in Oaxaca and discusses art, architecture and history. The tour group meets in front of the Cathedral near the Zocalo at 10 a.m. on Tuesdays and Saturdays. A donation of 95 pesos per person is suggested which goes to the Estancia Fraternidád, a sort of Ronald MacDonald house for families and individuals from out of town who are undergoing outpatient treatment at the local charity hospital.. To schedule the tour at OTHER times, contact Linda Martin at ridgecliff@hotmail.com
2/12/2007
Sí Señor, Will that be Testicles or Head?
Some say it’s one of the oldest professions in Oaxaca, yet it garners little if any respect from most of the population notwithstanding the tradition and ceremony that has been its trademark for generations: the chivero, or slayer and preparer of goat, and its barbequing in an in-ground oven. There are a number of caprine cattle that are cooked in the ancient style, including ram and sheep, but since the early nineties the most popular (read unlucky) of these inhabitants of the hills has been the borrego pelibuey. Frequently one sees signs at roadside restaurants on Sundays offering BARBACOA, which although generally not prepared in the fashion as described below, affords an opportunity to taste, and tempt the buds for another occasion when the art, science and pomp of the process can be witnessed.
The ritual, reserved for larger fiestas marking rites of passage such as special birthdays and anniversaries, though variable, begins with the purchase of the appropriate number of candidates at a private farm or livestock market…unless you’ve been raising your own. If attending at the latter, arrive early since the best are bought up briskly. Count on 900 – 1100 pesos per beast, each one of this size feeding about 25. Plumping them up for a few days never hurts, if you have the space and inclination.
The chivero, frequently with associate and/or young apprentice, arrives early a day before the comida to survey and give instructions before beginning. Are the vessels, additional accessories, related foodstuffs and oven appropriate for the tasks at hand, or will there have to be last minute purchases or adaptations? Considerations include: type, dimensions and quantity of leña (firewood); requisite river rocks; age, size and composition of oven; type of grate; and even sufficiency of loose soil.
The better part of that afternoon consists of the slaughter and skinning, cutting and cleaning, with procedures marked by care and precision, right down to evacuating the insides of each and every inch of intestine with the nimblest of digital movements, akin to, and no less delicate a process than spinning yarn from raw wool. Nothing is wasted. Virtually every entrail, organ and liquid is gathered, prepared and saved for use. No less important to the ultimate creation of a culinary coupe, parallel provisions are attended by others elsewhere in or around the home, principally the select array of vegetables is cored, cut and cubed, and herbs and seasonings sequestered. Best to have a healthy compliment of friends and relatives on hand.
By evening the maestro is ready to begin the process of curing the oven. One which measures roughly 3’ x 3’ x 4’ should accommodate 4 – 5 animals for a party with upwards of 150 guests---the terracotta blicks used to line the pit need not have been fired to the same extent as those used in usual construction, for example of homes, and the better view is to build the oven with minimally baked blocks. Logs are lit by nightfall, the chivero having the option of thereafter returning home for a brief break, or napping on site until the madrugada, perhaps 2 or 3 in the morning, when he must add further firewood to ensure continued consistency of heat. Then atop this layer is strategically placed a stratum of rounded river rocks which will absorb and hold the heat pending completion of the cooking stage.
At about 7 or 8 am the previously prepared produce, with select innards, is placed on the scorching stones in an oversized cast aluminum casserole with water, over which is placed an iron grate sufficiently forged to hold the weight of the quartered meat including head and organs…either plain, or enchilada. The blood is readied for simmering in a hefty metal saucepan. A similar receptacle contains large corn kernels. All is covered with leaves of both avocado tree and maguey plant. But the coverture of the contents continues. On top of all is placed the petate, a large mat of dried palm leaf or reed, following which a sheet of laminated metal covers the entire pit so as to ensure that heat cannot escape. A sheet of plastic or vinyl is optional. For further assurance a mound of dirt is then shoveled on top of the lamina. Tradition dictates that once the oven and its contents are sealed for baking, a bottle of mezcal is placed within the hill of earth.
The foregoing steps, from when the first match is lit, are much more than mere convention. They are carefully calculated, much in the same fashion as the most specific time and temperature stipulations contained in a difficult baking recipe in a gourmet cookbook. However I have yet to determine the scientific roll played by the wooden cross set on the crest of the mountain of tierra firma.
Guests tend to arrive between 2:30 and 4:30 pm, by which time the blood has curdled to the consistency of a succulent accompaniment, and entrée has been grilled to perfection, its juices having dripped into the casserole thereby creating a thick, flavorful, bouillabaisse style vegetable and meat potage. At their option, males in attendance at the chosen hour may take a shovel and assist in the unearthing of the oven, with the one encountering the piping hot bottle of mezcal, its contents by then smooth to the extreme, being given the privilege of serving shotsful to others in the fraternity of helping friends.
The gumbo is served, followed by the most tender and tasty meat imaginable with sides of sangre and the cooked large grain, preferably to the sound of live music. And yes, a limited number of guests are presented with the available crania having been opened so that they can scoop brain and/or eye into tortilla and top with salsa before indulging. Care must be taken to avoid insulting one to whom a head has been promised. At a joint birthday bash I threw with a fellow Aquarian, en route to delivering the delicacy to a comadre I wished to honor, a friend stopped me at his table and by the time I’d arrived with the prize to its ultimate destination, almost all but bare skull remained. Finally, the testicles should be offered to others worthy of special tribute. But once again be mindful. At that same celebration, a five-goat-affair, someone absconded with all ten testicles.
Resident Oaxacan Alvin Starkman can sometimes be seen scouring the markets for his livestock selections for his next big fiesta. He owns and operates Casa Machaya Oaxaca Bed & Breakfast ( http://www.oaxacadream.com ).
The ritual, reserved for larger fiestas marking rites of passage such as special birthdays and anniversaries, though variable, begins with the purchase of the appropriate number of candidates at a private farm or livestock market…unless you’ve been raising your own. If attending at the latter, arrive early since the best are bought up briskly. Count on 900 – 1100 pesos per beast, each one of this size feeding about 25. Plumping them up for a few days never hurts, if you have the space and inclination.
The chivero, frequently with associate and/or young apprentice, arrives early a day before the comida to survey and give instructions before beginning. Are the vessels, additional accessories, related foodstuffs and oven appropriate for the tasks at hand, or will there have to be last minute purchases or adaptations? Considerations include: type, dimensions and quantity of leña (firewood); requisite river rocks; age, size and composition of oven; type of grate; and even sufficiency of loose soil.
The better part of that afternoon consists of the slaughter and skinning, cutting and cleaning, with procedures marked by care and precision, right down to evacuating the insides of each and every inch of intestine with the nimblest of digital movements, akin to, and no less delicate a process than spinning yarn from raw wool. Nothing is wasted. Virtually every entrail, organ and liquid is gathered, prepared and saved for use. No less important to the ultimate creation of a culinary coupe, parallel provisions are attended by others elsewhere in or around the home, principally the select array of vegetables is cored, cut and cubed, and herbs and seasonings sequestered. Best to have a healthy compliment of friends and relatives on hand.
By evening the maestro is ready to begin the process of curing the oven. One which measures roughly 3’ x 3’ x 4’ should accommodate 4 – 5 animals for a party with upwards of 150 guests---the terracotta blicks used to line the pit need not have been fired to the same extent as those used in usual construction, for example of homes, and the better view is to build the oven with minimally baked blocks. Logs are lit by nightfall, the chivero having the option of thereafter returning home for a brief break, or napping on site until the madrugada, perhaps 2 or 3 in the morning, when he must add further firewood to ensure continued consistency of heat. Then atop this layer is strategically placed a stratum of rounded river rocks which will absorb and hold the heat pending completion of the cooking stage.
At about 7 or 8 am the previously prepared produce, with select innards, is placed on the scorching stones in an oversized cast aluminum casserole with water, over which is placed an iron grate sufficiently forged to hold the weight of the quartered meat including head and organs…either plain, or enchilada. The blood is readied for simmering in a hefty metal saucepan. A similar receptacle contains large corn kernels. All is covered with leaves of both avocado tree and maguey plant. But the coverture of the contents continues. On top of all is placed the petate, a large mat of dried palm leaf or reed, following which a sheet of laminated metal covers the entire pit so as to ensure that heat cannot escape. A sheet of plastic or vinyl is optional. For further assurance a mound of dirt is then shoveled on top of the lamina. Tradition dictates that once the oven and its contents are sealed for baking, a bottle of mezcal is placed within the hill of earth.
The foregoing steps, from when the first match is lit, are much more than mere convention. They are carefully calculated, much in the same fashion as the most specific time and temperature stipulations contained in a difficult baking recipe in a gourmet cookbook. However I have yet to determine the scientific roll played by the wooden cross set on the crest of the mountain of tierra firma.
Guests tend to arrive between 2:30 and 4:30 pm, by which time the blood has curdled to the consistency of a succulent accompaniment, and entrée has been grilled to perfection, its juices having dripped into the casserole thereby creating a thick, flavorful, bouillabaisse style vegetable and meat potage. At their option, males in attendance at the chosen hour may take a shovel and assist in the unearthing of the oven, with the one encountering the piping hot bottle of mezcal, its contents by then smooth to the extreme, being given the privilege of serving shotsful to others in the fraternity of helping friends.
The gumbo is served, followed by the most tender and tasty meat imaginable with sides of sangre and the cooked large grain, preferably to the sound of live music. And yes, a limited number of guests are presented with the available crania having been opened so that they can scoop brain and/or eye into tortilla and top with salsa before indulging. Care must be taken to avoid insulting one to whom a head has been promised. At a joint birthday bash I threw with a fellow Aquarian, en route to delivering the delicacy to a comadre I wished to honor, a friend stopped me at his table and by the time I’d arrived with the prize to its ultimate destination, almost all but bare skull remained. Finally, the testicles should be offered to others worthy of special tribute. But once again be mindful. At that same celebration, a five-goat-affair, someone absconded with all ten testicles.
Resident Oaxacan Alvin Starkman can sometimes be seen scouring the markets for his livestock selections for his next big fiesta. He owns and operates Casa Machaya Oaxaca Bed & Breakfast ( http://www.oaxacadream.com ).
2/10/2007
Burger King in Downtown Oaxaca
For a decade, famed Oaxacan chef Esperanza Chavarria Blando operated Restaurante Quickly, a traditional Mexican eatery a block away from the Zócalo on Macedonia Alcalá, the high-traffic pedestrian walkway. Not only lauded in most Mexico travelogues, Quickly was patronized by local merchants, bank employees, street vendors and artists, including on occasion Oaxaca´s current native son, famed artist Francisco Toledo who a few years ago spear-headed the successful opposition to McDonalds opening in the Zócalo.
Without apparent opposition, in mid-September, 2005, Burger King unveiled its signage at M. Alcalá 100B, the former Quickly locale, after having seemingly clandestinely completed its renovation of the premises. A week earlier there was no clue that the fast-food giant was set to open.
The landlord, a Oaxacan gentleman of means with other downtown holdings, had been increasing Ms. Chavarria’s rent, significantly. The last straw was the demand for a 5000 peso per month increase to take effect in January, 2004. She could no longer afford to stay in business…the late nineties earthquake and 9/11 had already taken their toll, and continuously raising menu prices was neither what she wanted nor figured the market could bear.
Word on the street was with Quickly gone, the landlord was now looking to double the previous rent. After several months, Apetito, a sterile fast-food establishment opened. I never saw many people in the place, for good reason. During the summer of 2005 it closed its doors, presumably as a result of a lack of business and the landlord misreading the extent to which his yearning for top dollar would pay dividends. A couple of months later voilá, The Whopper appeared.
So what happened? Should we not be looking to protect the entire Centro Histórico? Is the Anador Turística that much less preservation-worthy than the Zócalo? Were Burger King and the landlord in cahoots, to the extent that they kept the plan secret? Was Mr. Toledo out of town? Surely the landlord must feel that since Oaxaca, a tourist mecca in part because of its old-world quaintness and ambience, has enabled him to lead a comfortable lifestyle, he accordingly owes a duty to preserve even what the State and City have apparently not mandated as a priority? Apparently not.
There’s enough blame to go around. I don’t fault Burger King, my own leftist anti-capitalist politics having evaporated decades ago. It’s greed winning out over altruism and pride in one’s city, together with a lackadaisical, to be generous, government. There is a solution, even though it would mean yet another layer of bureaucracy…but this one well worth the cost and effort. Every business that proposes opening its doors in the Centro Histórico ought to submit an application to the municipality answering a simple question: is there a parent company, affiliate, subsidiary or franchise either American owned or otherwise with multi-national or extra-Mexico interests? All negative responses would result in rubber stamping. Otherwise the request would go to a sitting panel comprised of a broad diversity of individuals. Without a unanimous decision, public hearings would be held.
Sam’s Club, Pizza Hut, Sears and the rest have a place in our city, and to that extent the area outside the downtown core known as Plaza del Valle provides an important function. But if what’s happening now is not checked, tourist dollars will evaporate even without media reports of civil unrest such as occurred in the latter half of 2006, and we won’t have patrons with funds to support such enterprise, anywhere. The next time we pass by a downtown building under renovation or construction, we should worry that Wal-Mart might be set to open.
Alvin Starkman is a resident of Oaxaca, and together with wife Arlene own Casa Machaya Oaxaca Bed & Breakfast ( http://www.oaxacadream.com ).
Without apparent opposition, in mid-September, 2005, Burger King unveiled its signage at M. Alcalá 100B, the former Quickly locale, after having seemingly clandestinely completed its renovation of the premises. A week earlier there was no clue that the fast-food giant was set to open.
The landlord, a Oaxacan gentleman of means with other downtown holdings, had been increasing Ms. Chavarria’s rent, significantly. The last straw was the demand for a 5000 peso per month increase to take effect in January, 2004. She could no longer afford to stay in business…the late nineties earthquake and 9/11 had already taken their toll, and continuously raising menu prices was neither what she wanted nor figured the market could bear.
Word on the street was with Quickly gone, the landlord was now looking to double the previous rent. After several months, Apetito, a sterile fast-food establishment opened. I never saw many people in the place, for good reason. During the summer of 2005 it closed its doors, presumably as a result of a lack of business and the landlord misreading the extent to which his yearning for top dollar would pay dividends. A couple of months later voilá, The Whopper appeared.
So what happened? Should we not be looking to protect the entire Centro Histórico? Is the Anador Turística that much less preservation-worthy than the Zócalo? Were Burger King and the landlord in cahoots, to the extent that they kept the plan secret? Was Mr. Toledo out of town? Surely the landlord must feel that since Oaxaca, a tourist mecca in part because of its old-world quaintness and ambience, has enabled him to lead a comfortable lifestyle, he accordingly owes a duty to preserve even what the State and City have apparently not mandated as a priority? Apparently not.
There’s enough blame to go around. I don’t fault Burger King, my own leftist anti-capitalist politics having evaporated decades ago. It’s greed winning out over altruism and pride in one’s city, together with a lackadaisical, to be generous, government. There is a solution, even though it would mean yet another layer of bureaucracy…but this one well worth the cost and effort. Every business that proposes opening its doors in the Centro Histórico ought to submit an application to the municipality answering a simple question: is there a parent company, affiliate, subsidiary or franchise either American owned or otherwise with multi-national or extra-Mexico interests? All negative responses would result in rubber stamping. Otherwise the request would go to a sitting panel comprised of a broad diversity of individuals. Without a unanimous decision, public hearings would be held.
Sam’s Club, Pizza Hut, Sears and the rest have a place in our city, and to that extent the area outside the downtown core known as Plaza del Valle provides an important function. But if what’s happening now is not checked, tourist dollars will evaporate even without media reports of civil unrest such as occurred in the latter half of 2006, and we won’t have patrons with funds to support such enterprise, anywhere. The next time we pass by a downtown building under renovation or construction, we should worry that Wal-Mart might be set to open.
Alvin Starkman is a resident of Oaxaca, and together with wife Arlene own Casa Machaya Oaxaca Bed & Breakfast ( http://www.oaxacadream.com ).
2/09/2007
I Say Miracle Whip, You Say Mayonnaise
The fixation with mayonnaise in Oaxaca, Mexico, is subtle, as one would imagine with any condiment, yet manifests in an extraordinary supermarket phenomenon unrivalled elsewhere in North America. Venture through one of the Gigante chain of grocery stores and you’ll find no less than 39 different sizes, types and brands occupying 6 shelves, each 32½ feet long: original, lime, chipotle and other chili flavors; squeezable and not; Gigante brand, economy manufacturer, national brands, and no less than three familiar American producers; and, regular, light and 0% fat (rather stunning since Mexico tops even Florida in the obesity sweeps). To put the marvel into perspective, this singular versatile dressing garners pretty well the same respect from marketing mavens as does the whole range of breakfast cereals and soft drinks.
Oaxaca will simply not let mayonnaise take a back seat to its deep red cousin or to mustard, and not for a lack of sophistication of the Mexican palate. You’ll find your Dijon, Maille, provencale, deli and the rest, at one end of the mayo mantels, and your catsups and ketchups at the other, but that’s just the point…they envelope and draw your attention to the aisle’s star attraction, just as bookends provide functionality and little more.
Much in the same way as liberals, progressives and others of a reasonable bent decline to appear on Fox News’ Bill O’Reilly show, the Gigante executives declined to grant an interview to assist in unraveling the mystery, leaving this writer to glean an understanding from elsewhere, using: a background in sociological fieldwork, a keen eye for observation, on-the-street interviews, and a death wish to rapidly put on weight (otherwise known as, amongst anthropologists, “going native”).
If you think it’s hard to find the beef in a Big Mac, it’s even more of a treasure hunt in Oaxaca when eating a hamburger on the street loaded with, you guessed it, our dreamy white wonder. Be it burger or dog, when your merchant of the finest meat you’ll find on the corner is finished grilling your fare, he’ll likely ask “con todo” (with everything), the local retort invariably being a simple nod in the affirmative; mustard relish and onions is a virtually unheard of request. The twin temptations of elotes (boiled corn on the cob) and esquites (the same, but off the cob and in a styrofoam cup) are similarly finished off with the works, in this case juice squeezed on the spot from a lime, crumbled Oaxacan cheese, chili, and a healthy dollop of mayo. For this Oaxaca-street-corner-food junkie, as well as his family, life doesn’t get much better than stirring up a steaming cup of fully garnished cooked kernels.
Now your industrial size jar of mayonnaise finds greater application in more stationary eateries, but who would have thought in the snootiest of fine restaurants? “Oui monsieur, boot of coors I’ll brling you mor.” And in high end marisquerías, even before your appetizer of crab bisque, shrimp cocktail or mixed seafood salad is brought to your mesa, a mountain of mayonesa alongside freshly fried tostadas and cellophane swathed saltines arrives. Your middle-of-the-road restaurants never progressed beyond the sixties, and so in bistros and buffets alike one finds every imaginable side and salad smoothed over: pea and carrot; waldorf; boiled broccoli; and virtually every other fruit and vegetable combination, all whipped up with miracle.
For linguistically challenged travelers transfixed on sandwiches and tortas, alongside musts for remembering from your Spanish phrasebook such as “donde está el baño,” and “la cuenta, por favor,” mark in “sin mayonesa, por favor.” Otherwise, be it chicken, pork, beef or cheese, and regardless of whether or not it’s already been greased from the grill, as automatic as corned beef on rye with mustard, that additional layer will be levied.
Finally there’s the home, where in many respects one encounters a similarity with commercial use, particularly in the kitchen. However, venturing into dining and living rooms reveals even a greater dedication to daubing than hereinbefore noted, where devotees ranging from toddler to teen, and adult to aged are frequently found indulging in buns and breads spread with nothing more. But we dare not venture down the corridors to the bedrooms, leaving that to the imagination.
Alvin Starkman is a resident of Oaxaca, and together with wife Arlene operates Casa Machaya Oaxaca Bed & Breakfast: http://www.oaxacadream.com .
Oaxaca will simply not let mayonnaise take a back seat to its deep red cousin or to mustard, and not for a lack of sophistication of the Mexican palate. You’ll find your Dijon, Maille, provencale, deli and the rest, at one end of the mayo mantels, and your catsups and ketchups at the other, but that’s just the point…they envelope and draw your attention to the aisle’s star attraction, just as bookends provide functionality and little more.
Much in the same way as liberals, progressives and others of a reasonable bent decline to appear on Fox News’ Bill O’Reilly show, the Gigante executives declined to grant an interview to assist in unraveling the mystery, leaving this writer to glean an understanding from elsewhere, using: a background in sociological fieldwork, a keen eye for observation, on-the-street interviews, and a death wish to rapidly put on weight (otherwise known as, amongst anthropologists, “going native”).
If you think it’s hard to find the beef in a Big Mac, it’s even more of a treasure hunt in Oaxaca when eating a hamburger on the street loaded with, you guessed it, our dreamy white wonder. Be it burger or dog, when your merchant of the finest meat you’ll find on the corner is finished grilling your fare, he’ll likely ask “con todo” (with everything), the local retort invariably being a simple nod in the affirmative; mustard relish and onions is a virtually unheard of request. The twin temptations of elotes (boiled corn on the cob) and esquites (the same, but off the cob and in a styrofoam cup) are similarly finished off with the works, in this case juice squeezed on the spot from a lime, crumbled Oaxacan cheese, chili, and a healthy dollop of mayo. For this Oaxaca-street-corner-food junkie, as well as his family, life doesn’t get much better than stirring up a steaming cup of fully garnished cooked kernels.
Now your industrial size jar of mayonnaise finds greater application in more stationary eateries, but who would have thought in the snootiest of fine restaurants? “Oui monsieur, boot of coors I’ll brling you mor.” And in high end marisquerías, even before your appetizer of crab bisque, shrimp cocktail or mixed seafood salad is brought to your mesa, a mountain of mayonesa alongside freshly fried tostadas and cellophane swathed saltines arrives. Your middle-of-the-road restaurants never progressed beyond the sixties, and so in bistros and buffets alike one finds every imaginable side and salad smoothed over: pea and carrot; waldorf; boiled broccoli; and virtually every other fruit and vegetable combination, all whipped up with miracle.
For linguistically challenged travelers transfixed on sandwiches and tortas, alongside musts for remembering from your Spanish phrasebook such as “donde está el baño,” and “la cuenta, por favor,” mark in “sin mayonesa, por favor.” Otherwise, be it chicken, pork, beef or cheese, and regardless of whether or not it’s already been greased from the grill, as automatic as corned beef on rye with mustard, that additional layer will be levied.
Finally there’s the home, where in many respects one encounters a similarity with commercial use, particularly in the kitchen. However, venturing into dining and living rooms reveals even a greater dedication to daubing than hereinbefore noted, where devotees ranging from toddler to teen, and adult to aged are frequently found indulging in buns and breads spread with nothing more. But we dare not venture down the corridors to the bedrooms, leaving that to the imagination.
Alvin Starkman is a resident of Oaxaca, and together with wife Arlene operates Casa Machaya Oaxaca Bed & Breakfast: http://www.oaxacadream.com .
Angélica Vásquez Cruz
Master ceramicist Angélica Vásquez Cruz has set herself apart from other sculptors, not only in her hometown of Atzompa, itself known for a longstanding tradition of villagers handcrafting fine figures, kitchenware and fanciful forms, but throughout the central valley of Oaxaca. Since age 7 Angélica has been innovating and adapting her artform using different clays and natural substances to produce variations in texture and color for her unique and thought-provoking pieces.
Atzompa is one of a plethora of quaint little craft towns which can be visited by travelers to Oaxaca. It’s most often known for the workshops of potters who make green glazed and pastel colored ceramics. However, as is the case in other villages peppering the region, on the rarest of occasions the odd maestro with something truly unique and special to offer emerges, and in Atzompa, Angélica is that angel.
Angélica’s work has been heavily influenced by her own family as well as Mexican history and legend. Her belief in the importance and strength of the matriarch in Oaxacan cultures shines through her work. What immediately strikes the eye upon entering her “showroom,” a small space set aside in her home / workshop, are two important features of her mastery: the complexity of detail; and flowing natural movement so rarely captured by her colleagues. Of peers she has very few.
Atzompa is a 15 minute drive from Oaxaca, easily accessed by taxi. Angélica’s home, on Avenida Independencia, is several blocks up from the main downtown artisans’ market. She or one of her children will warmly welcome tourists into their charming and quaint world, a well-kept homestead featuring an abundance of colorful flowering plants, shrubs and fruit trees. She can be reached at (951) 558-9061.
Resident Oaxacan Alvin Starkman, together with wife Arlene operates Casa Machaya Oaxaca Bed & Breakfast ( http://www.oaxacadream.com ). He includes a stop by Angélica’s on one of the tours he offers.
Atzompa is one of a plethora of quaint little craft towns which can be visited by travelers to Oaxaca. It’s most often known for the workshops of potters who make green glazed and pastel colored ceramics. However, as is the case in other villages peppering the region, on the rarest of occasions the odd maestro with something truly unique and special to offer emerges, and in Atzompa, Angélica is that angel.
Angélica’s work has been heavily influenced by her own family as well as Mexican history and legend. Her belief in the importance and strength of the matriarch in Oaxacan cultures shines through her work. What immediately strikes the eye upon entering her “showroom,” a small space set aside in her home / workshop, are two important features of her mastery: the complexity of detail; and flowing natural movement so rarely captured by her colleagues. Of peers she has very few.
Atzompa is a 15 minute drive from Oaxaca, easily accessed by taxi. Angélica’s home, on Avenida Independencia, is several blocks up from the main downtown artisans’ market. She or one of her children will warmly welcome tourists into their charming and quaint world, a well-kept homestead featuring an abundance of colorful flowering plants, shrubs and fruit trees. She can be reached at (951) 558-9061.
Resident Oaxacan Alvin Starkman, together with wife Arlene operates Casa Machaya Oaxaca Bed & Breakfast ( http://www.oaxacadream.com ). He includes a stop by Angélica’s on one of the tours he offers.
Motorcycle Diary
My longtime passion for riding a motorcycle took a twenty year hiatus until taking up residency in Oaxaca. I ignored the foreshadowing and warnings. While my story pales compared to the epic journey of Ché Guevara popularized in the film Motorcycle Diaries, there is a tale to be told, with observations and advice for those with such suicidal ideations.
For Oaxacans, it’s part economic necessity and part climactic permissiveness, with street logjams and a parking crisis factored in, as well as, dare I opine, a somewhat different attitude towards life and living amongst those at and below a certain socio-economic level…fatalistic. What’s striking is the paucity of helmeted riders, and prevalence of entire families (the record number of family members seen on one bike is currently five) who take to negotiating the jammed streets on a single motorbike often mechanically unfit, each member including young children bare-headed and unsafely dressed (no gloves, leathers, jeans, etc.). A helmet law and mandatory education might help. Educators must remember to teach that the helmet is to be worn on the head, not simply slung over an arm. Additionally, owners of deliver services such as and by example, Chuchos Tortas y Mas, should watch their couriers leaving the premises to ensure helmets are worn and not carried.
For my part, I’ve been accused of having yet another mid-life crisis at 55, having recently purchased a 150 cc. Honda “Bros”, off road moto for use on the streets, complementing our car and pick-up. Perhaps each above-noted reason applies to me, despite leading a middle class existence.
I sold my Suzuki 550 in the mid 1980s when my wife became pregnant. But now, in quasi-retirement, family grown, life insurance policies kept current, I was only minimally fazed when Canadian Consul Frances May warned that she’s lost three friends to motorcycle accidents. And compadre Pancho was in three accidents within about 2 years. He once took me on a trip with some of his motorcycle buddies through the mountains to the town of Sola de Vega. It was the first time in 15 years that I’d been on a bike. I forgot a cardinal rule: never brake while negotiating a turn on gravel. I recall regaining consciousness, covered in blood, with severe knee pain, in the back room of some pharmacy, to teary-eyed Pancho, shaking me with hands on my shoulders while screaming “¡compadre, compadre!”
But by adopting and adhering to a number of simple riding guidelines, some of which are admittedly difficult to follow, I’ll hopefully stay out of the hospital and my 19-year-old daughter will never “benefit” from my being over-insured. My less-impetuous and more level-headed wife surprisingly enough enjoys riding with me despite serious reservations.
For those unattached and in their 20s and 30s, I’ll indicate which of the following rules I’ve set for myself you’ll likely want to break and how to minimize the adverse implications of so doing:
1) Don’t ride at night unless absolutely necessary. Alcohol-related and other driving deaths increase when road conditions are less than perfect. Lighting and highway markings are often absent.
2) If you know that it’s likely the weather will become inclement (i.e. during the rainy season) consider another means of transportation, or at minimum dress appropriately and check your tires.
3) Try to follow the rules of the road to the extent you can discern them, and when in doubt fall back on the highway traffic laws with which you grew up.
4) Try to resist the temptation to weave, as difficult as it will be. Once you’re in your fifties you’ve likely lost much of your neck range-of-motion, so if you must weave, rely on your peripheral vision and mirrors.
5) Always use full-face helmets, appropriate footwear and leathers, gloves and jacket at minimum. It’s better to be hot and uncomfortable than require jaw surgery and extensive skin grafting. Leather provides that first layer of defence and it gives…cotton, wool and polyester each will simply rip, along with your skin.
6) Never permit an unhelmeted passenger to ride with you.
7) If you’re a tourist and have an opportunity to rent a motorcycle, unless it’ll be used strictly for cross-country, or you have a great deal of experience driving in third world congested cities and are certain of the condition of the bike, resist the temptation. As my father often said, “don’t be an idiot.” It’s not worth the risk.
8) When buying, make it a new cycle, and keep it in top condition.
9) Don’t buy a small scooter or anything under 125 – 150 cc. You may need power to extricate yourself from danger caused by other drivers. The most popular bike in Oaxaca is the Honda 125, used by a plethora of businesses. If you can afford a Japanese make, or better, go for it. Many Oaxacan friends have cautioned against, for example, the Chinese models. My off-road Honda 150 was carefully selected, even though it’s smaller than those that I’d been accustomed to riding in my former life. It’s an off-road model given the numerous topes and state of disrepair of the streets. Motor size is 150 because it’s the smallest engine I feel comfortable gets my wife and I up the steep hill to our home, is light and has sufficient power for defensive maneuvers. It’s small enough so that it helps me resist the temptation to do highway touring.
10) Think twice before opting for a larger bike that you may use on the carreteras. There’s nothing like open highway touring, but the danger increases exponentially the higher the speed of vehicles. By contrast, while living in Toronto I always felt safer riding on the highways than in cities…more control, drivers more vigilant and experienced, and easier to avoid potential dangers. By contrast, in Oaxaca the highways aren’t as good, many motorists drive under the influence, and vehicle mechanical condition is generally questionable, leading to less control by drivers. If you are set on touring, make it at least a 550 cc. model, the minimum power with which I felt comfortable and safe on the open roads with a passenger.
Apart from organized cycling groups that meet periodically for generally weekend off-road challenges, there is at least one traditional motorcycle club in Oaxaca, Los Caballeros Templarios. These riders are the exception to most of what I’ve indicated. The individuals, at least when touring outside of the city, follow virtually all of the rules I’ve set out. The group is comprised of mainly shopkeepers, tradesmen, restauranteurs, and professionals such as doctors and accountants, average age being 40 something. Their bikes are kept in excellent condition, they dress appropriately, complete with leathers embossed with club and rider name and logo, and they host and attend national conferences as well as enjoy frequent local get-togethers and regional excursions of one to several days. The camaraderie is strong, warm and welcoming. And thus with my little Honda 150, I continue to resist invitations to fulfill the initiation requirement and join…until the purchase of a larger bike, and with that a divorce.
Resident Oaxacan Alvin Starkman operates Casa Machaya Oaxaca Bed & Breakfast ( http://www.oaxacadream.com ).
For Oaxacans, it’s part economic necessity and part climactic permissiveness, with street logjams and a parking crisis factored in, as well as, dare I opine, a somewhat different attitude towards life and living amongst those at and below a certain socio-economic level…fatalistic. What’s striking is the paucity of helmeted riders, and prevalence of entire families (the record number of family members seen on one bike is currently five) who take to negotiating the jammed streets on a single motorbike often mechanically unfit, each member including young children bare-headed and unsafely dressed (no gloves, leathers, jeans, etc.). A helmet law and mandatory education might help. Educators must remember to teach that the helmet is to be worn on the head, not simply slung over an arm. Additionally, owners of deliver services such as and by example, Chuchos Tortas y Mas, should watch their couriers leaving the premises to ensure helmets are worn and not carried.
For my part, I’ve been accused of having yet another mid-life crisis at 55, having recently purchased a 150 cc. Honda “Bros”, off road moto for use on the streets, complementing our car and pick-up. Perhaps each above-noted reason applies to me, despite leading a middle class existence.
I sold my Suzuki 550 in the mid 1980s when my wife became pregnant. But now, in quasi-retirement, family grown, life insurance policies kept current, I was only minimally fazed when Canadian Consul Frances May warned that she’s lost three friends to motorcycle accidents. And compadre Pancho was in three accidents within about 2 years. He once took me on a trip with some of his motorcycle buddies through the mountains to the town of Sola de Vega. It was the first time in 15 years that I’d been on a bike. I forgot a cardinal rule: never brake while negotiating a turn on gravel. I recall regaining consciousness, covered in blood, with severe knee pain, in the back room of some pharmacy, to teary-eyed Pancho, shaking me with hands on my shoulders while screaming “¡compadre, compadre!”
But by adopting and adhering to a number of simple riding guidelines, some of which are admittedly difficult to follow, I’ll hopefully stay out of the hospital and my 19-year-old daughter will never “benefit” from my being over-insured. My less-impetuous and more level-headed wife surprisingly enough enjoys riding with me despite serious reservations.
For those unattached and in their 20s and 30s, I’ll indicate which of the following rules I’ve set for myself you’ll likely want to break and how to minimize the adverse implications of so doing:
1) Don’t ride at night unless absolutely necessary. Alcohol-related and other driving deaths increase when road conditions are less than perfect. Lighting and highway markings are often absent.
2) If you know that it’s likely the weather will become inclement (i.e. during the rainy season) consider another means of transportation, or at minimum dress appropriately and check your tires.
3) Try to follow the rules of the road to the extent you can discern them, and when in doubt fall back on the highway traffic laws with which you grew up.
4) Try to resist the temptation to weave, as difficult as it will be. Once you’re in your fifties you’ve likely lost much of your neck range-of-motion, so if you must weave, rely on your peripheral vision and mirrors.
5) Always use full-face helmets, appropriate footwear and leathers, gloves and jacket at minimum. It’s better to be hot and uncomfortable than require jaw surgery and extensive skin grafting. Leather provides that first layer of defence and it gives…cotton, wool and polyester each will simply rip, along with your skin.
6) Never permit an unhelmeted passenger to ride with you.
7) If you’re a tourist and have an opportunity to rent a motorcycle, unless it’ll be used strictly for cross-country, or you have a great deal of experience driving in third world congested cities and are certain of the condition of the bike, resist the temptation. As my father often said, “don’t be an idiot.” It’s not worth the risk.
8) When buying, make it a new cycle, and keep it in top condition.
9) Don’t buy a small scooter or anything under 125 – 150 cc. You may need power to extricate yourself from danger caused by other drivers. The most popular bike in Oaxaca is the Honda 125, used by a plethora of businesses. If you can afford a Japanese make, or better, go for it. Many Oaxacan friends have cautioned against, for example, the Chinese models. My off-road Honda 150 was carefully selected, even though it’s smaller than those that I’d been accustomed to riding in my former life. It’s an off-road model given the numerous topes and state of disrepair of the streets. Motor size is 150 because it’s the smallest engine I feel comfortable gets my wife and I up the steep hill to our home, is light and has sufficient power for defensive maneuvers. It’s small enough so that it helps me resist the temptation to do highway touring.
10) Think twice before opting for a larger bike that you may use on the carreteras. There’s nothing like open highway touring, but the danger increases exponentially the higher the speed of vehicles. By contrast, while living in Toronto I always felt safer riding on the highways than in cities…more control, drivers more vigilant and experienced, and easier to avoid potential dangers. By contrast, in Oaxaca the highways aren’t as good, many motorists drive under the influence, and vehicle mechanical condition is generally questionable, leading to less control by drivers. If you are set on touring, make it at least a 550 cc. model, the minimum power with which I felt comfortable and safe on the open roads with a passenger.
Apart from organized cycling groups that meet periodically for generally weekend off-road challenges, there is at least one traditional motorcycle club in Oaxaca, Los Caballeros Templarios. These riders are the exception to most of what I’ve indicated. The individuals, at least when touring outside of the city, follow virtually all of the rules I’ve set out. The group is comprised of mainly shopkeepers, tradesmen, restauranteurs, and professionals such as doctors and accountants, average age being 40 something. Their bikes are kept in excellent condition, they dress appropriately, complete with leathers embossed with club and rider name and logo, and they host and attend national conferences as well as enjoy frequent local get-togethers and regional excursions of one to several days. The camaraderie is strong, warm and welcoming. And thus with my little Honda 150, I continue to resist invitations to fulfill the initiation requirement and join…until the purchase of a larger bike, and with that a divorce.
Resident Oaxacan Alvin Starkman operates Casa Machaya Oaxaca Bed & Breakfast ( http://www.oaxacadream.com ).
Fonda Mexicana Oaxaca Restaurant Review
What a joy to happen upon a good, “safe”, traditional Oaxacan restaurant with a reasonable fixed price luncheon menu (comida corrida) in the Benito Juarez market district (aka 20th of November) a couple of blocks southwest of the Zócalo. Owners Roberto and Clara Loranca seem to always be on hand to ensure their patrons receive fast, hearty, tasty offerings, from the a la carte menu or the diverse daily full meal specials.
After wandering the aisles of the market looking for gifts, crafts, foods or simply chácharas under the awnings outside the main building, it can’t get any better than to find a pleasant respite right under your nose.
The ambience is classic Oaxacan: the walls in deep pink and mauve with yellow and blue accents are adorned with vintage photos, pottery pieces and textile; glass topped pine tables and comfortable chairs are set off with bright green tablecloths; and the music is traditional taped Mexican, when a trio or lone troubadour is not passing by. There’s always an unusually adequate compliment of smartly uniformed staff to greet and ensure that you have a tall cool glass of the water of the day virtually upon being seated…a prerequisite after negotiating the market or crowded streets.
The menu is diverse both in terms of breakfasts which range from 15 to 30 pesos, and comidas from 18 to 45 pesos. The comida corrida is 40 pesos and offers a wide variety of choices. While la carta is easily readable and well organized into, for example, delicious meal-sized Salsas (egg, cheese, chorizo or chicharón), Carnes, and Traditional and Mexican Plates, we invariably opt for the daily specials. For this visit the comida corrida consisted of, in addition to bottomless water of the day, dessert and tortillas, your choice of soup, then flavored rice or green bean salad, followed by one of four entrées…an aromatic roast chicken breast plate with refried beans and fresh salad, a beef and bacon dish similarly garnished, pork spine in amarillo sauce or mole negro (naturally with chicken).
We tend to gravitate to comidas built around one of the 7 moles, and did so for this visit. You can’t go wrong. But first, the soups were pasta with vegetables, and cream of broccoli with croutons, each of which were flavored in a subtle and mild fashion, deliberate so as to not overshadow the main courses, enabling the meal to build up to a tangy and piquant crescendo. The saffron rice contained the prerequisite peas and carrots and the cooked green beans included onion and tomato, topped with crumbled cheese.
Each of the moles finish the palate with a little bite, but not so much as to mask or overtake the classically distinct Oaxacan flavors. The chicken mole was extremely flavorful in terms of easily being able to discern the chocolate and chili components. While the sauce was rich, at the same time it seemed light, reminiscent of all the times I’d lamented if only I could have the taste and tang without the oil and fat. My yearning was not in vain this day. Similarly the pork spine in amarillo had a nice kick to it, this time from ancho and guajillo chilies, also prepared with the bare minimum of artery clogger. The meat easily fell off the bone as it should, and the sauce, containing green beans and chayote, garnished with onion, had that tell-tale avocado leaf flavor. Roberto and Clara are proud of their moles, so much so that if you manage to finish your main course including sauce, all you have to do is ask and management will be proud to oblige by bringing you some extra sauce, with tortillas to help you along. The chilled gelatin dessert proved to be a perfect finish to a memorable meal. And so whenever we have guests to the city, hidden-away Fonda Mexicana is always on our list for a spur-of-the-moment impressionable Oaxacan treat.
Notes:
Lunch and breakfast offered
Fixed meal offered
Beer and mezcal
Average price full meal incl. beverage 40 – 60.
Traditional Oaxacan
One word: moles
Roberto and Clara Loranca López
Fonda Mexicana
20 de Noviembre Num. 408
Tel. 51-43121
Food critic Alvin Starkman, a resident of Oaxaca, together with wife Arlene owns Casa Machaya Oaxaca Bed & Breakfast http://www.oaxacadream.com
After wandering the aisles of the market looking for gifts, crafts, foods or simply chácharas under the awnings outside the main building, it can’t get any better than to find a pleasant respite right under your nose.
The ambience is classic Oaxacan: the walls in deep pink and mauve with yellow and blue accents are adorned with vintage photos, pottery pieces and textile; glass topped pine tables and comfortable chairs are set off with bright green tablecloths; and the music is traditional taped Mexican, when a trio or lone troubadour is not passing by. There’s always an unusually adequate compliment of smartly uniformed staff to greet and ensure that you have a tall cool glass of the water of the day virtually upon being seated…a prerequisite after negotiating the market or crowded streets.
The menu is diverse both in terms of breakfasts which range from 15 to 30 pesos, and comidas from 18 to 45 pesos. The comida corrida is 40 pesos and offers a wide variety of choices. While la carta is easily readable and well organized into, for example, delicious meal-sized Salsas (egg, cheese, chorizo or chicharón), Carnes, and Traditional and Mexican Plates, we invariably opt for the daily specials. For this visit the comida corrida consisted of, in addition to bottomless water of the day, dessert and tortillas, your choice of soup, then flavored rice or green bean salad, followed by one of four entrées…an aromatic roast chicken breast plate with refried beans and fresh salad, a beef and bacon dish similarly garnished, pork spine in amarillo sauce or mole negro (naturally with chicken).
We tend to gravitate to comidas built around one of the 7 moles, and did so for this visit. You can’t go wrong. But first, the soups were pasta with vegetables, and cream of broccoli with croutons, each of which were flavored in a subtle and mild fashion, deliberate so as to not overshadow the main courses, enabling the meal to build up to a tangy and piquant crescendo. The saffron rice contained the prerequisite peas and carrots and the cooked green beans included onion and tomato, topped with crumbled cheese.
Each of the moles finish the palate with a little bite, but not so much as to mask or overtake the classically distinct Oaxacan flavors. The chicken mole was extremely flavorful in terms of easily being able to discern the chocolate and chili components. While the sauce was rich, at the same time it seemed light, reminiscent of all the times I’d lamented if only I could have the taste and tang without the oil and fat. My yearning was not in vain this day. Similarly the pork spine in amarillo had a nice kick to it, this time from ancho and guajillo chilies, also prepared with the bare minimum of artery clogger. The meat easily fell off the bone as it should, and the sauce, containing green beans and chayote, garnished with onion, had that tell-tale avocado leaf flavor. Roberto and Clara are proud of their moles, so much so that if you manage to finish your main course including sauce, all you have to do is ask and management will be proud to oblige by bringing you some extra sauce, with tortillas to help you along. The chilled gelatin dessert proved to be a perfect finish to a memorable meal. And so whenever we have guests to the city, hidden-away Fonda Mexicana is always on our list for a spur-of-the-moment impressionable Oaxacan treat.
Notes:
Lunch and breakfast offered
Fixed meal offered
Beer and mezcal
Average price full meal incl. beverage 40 – 60.
Traditional Oaxacan
One word: moles
Roberto and Clara Loranca López
Fonda Mexicana
20 de Noviembre Num. 408
Tel. 51-43121
Food critic Alvin Starkman, a resident of Oaxaca, together with wife Arlene owns Casa Machaya Oaxaca Bed & Breakfast http://www.oaxacadream.com
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