First Tastes of Oaxaca

After a relaxing stay at the church in San Francisco Telixtlahuaca we pedalled the 35 km remaining to Oaxaca. We grabbed some groceries, then scouted the cobblestone streets of downtown Oaxaca for a buffet - we were rewarded with a 40 peso buffet with great food and fruit, but no mole (yet!). We met up with our Warmshowers host Juan Pablo in the afternoon and went to tour the local markets to try some typical Oaxacan food - tejate, a prehispanic energy drink made with coconut oil and cacao; chilacoyota, sweetened squash water; chapulines, the smaller (superior) Oaxacan grasshoppers; and chocolate, delicious and made locally. After our tour we stopped at Juan Pablo's friend Erika's design & internet shop, and she decided that she and her mom Silvìa would host us as their house was bigger and then we wouldn't have to camp on Juan Pablo's tiny patio. While we waited for Erika to finish work, Silvìa made us delicious hot chocolate, made with her own homemade chocolate, and we learned that this is the best way to enjoy the plentiful sweetbreads of Mexico. With the chapulines we had bought at the market and a variety of other grocery purchases we had all the makings of a late dinner (eaten at 9:30 pm) of tlayudas - the local large corn tortillas, with homemade guacamole, black beans, quesillo (Oaxacan string cheese), cream, salsa and the chapulines. The next morning we ate marmelas made by Silvìa before heading back out to explore the sights of downtown Oaxaca and delve deeper into the markets. We also searched for Juan Pablo, who is a street musician, among the downtown squares, but eventually found him back at Erika's shop at the end of the day with his guitar in hand. Given the great intro to food and excellent folks in Oaxaca, we were thrilled with having finally arrived in the city!Read more