Day 4 - Oaxacan Food and Culture

This morning we went to the huge Central Market of Oaxaca, Mercado de Abastos.  The sign above the entrance read “Todo de Todo y Mucho Mas....” and there was.  Because it was 9:30 am on Sunday morning, the market was very quiet.  It was a total sensory experience, amazing delights to see, overwhelming smells, tastes of amazing local food, and sounds of local culture.  You could buy anything you wanted or needed there, well maybe not electronics.  There was every kind of ingredient from dried grasshoppers to chilis to garlic, from breads to fresh yellow skinned chickens, fresh and dried fish and much much more.  I’ve never experienced a market where we went from place to place tasting everything.  I secretly hoped I wouldn’t get sick.  I found it was quite a trippy experience.  We started with cacao beans which were ground with stick cinnamon and almonds into a shiny dark brown paste.  We watched the young girl make Mexican hot chocolate, using the paste mixed with sugar and boiling water, then mixed until it was very foamy.  You’re not a good cook if you can’t make foamy chocolate water.  We stood in a circle and passed the cup of hot chocolate around to try it.  I thought it was like communion  and I said a silent blessing.  The next was maybe the best—the Oaxacan tamales.  They cost 5 pesos each (about 25 cents).  We all got plastic forks and passed the three different kinds of tamales around.  My delicioso!  They use the local corn specially treated to make the fresh masa and then added chilis, local fresh herbs and beans to make the different kinds and wrapped them in dried corn husks.  We wandered for hours, past the herbalists, with cures for almost anything, the fish sellers, went down bread alley.  We spent a long time by the dried chilis learning from our guide about each variety’s flavors and which chili is used in which dish.  It all went over my head.  There are so many different kinds!  I was impressed by one woman selling all the ingredients for a yellow mole (the right chilis, flowers, herbs, what looked like prickly pear pads and long brown pods with dark seeds and tortillas).  Last, but not least, we tasted Tejate, an ancient drink of the local peoples around

here.  It has a base of roasted corn, cacao, flowers, Mamey fruit and a kind of coconut all ground together and then whipped into water. It’s amazing that a drink that Zapotecos have had for  thousands of yearsd is still sold in the market today.  I liked it!  It seemed very nourishing and satisfying.

Next, we drove north into the countryside on a really bumpy road to the Seasons of the Heart Cooking School.  It was started many years ago by an ex-pat American chef. Susanna Trilling.  We heard a lecture about all the local cooking implements and ingredients used to make the meal.  Then we were treated to a delicious five course meal.  But first we were invited to help prepare the tetelas, tasty appetizers which after we made the tortilla, spread on the bean paste and folded it over into a triangle were then cooked on a copal (a big metal dish) over an open fire.  We were all happy that’s all the cooking we had to do.  Sopa de Ajo was our second course, followed by a delicious salad with jicama, citrus, avocado, pomegranate, and a variety of greens.  The main course was mild mole with chicken and finishing the meal was a bread pudding.  I don’t like bread puddings, but I’m glad I tasted this one.  It was soaked in a sauce with lots of brown sugar and mezcal, served with whipped cream and chucks of local fruits.  Yum.  Completely sated we climbed back into the van for the ride back to the hotel.  It was interesting to spend a day concentrating on food because it is truly our sustenance, at the basis of our lives.  You are literally made out of what you eat.  Here the local Oaxacan cuisine has used many local plants and is based around moles (chilis and chocolate)and corn and hasn’t changed for millenia.  Interesting to think how literally connected the local people are to their land.  Interesting to think about the birds we’re here to see and how they have interacted with their food supply around here.  Interesting to think how the food has been a big selection pressure for the successful adaptations we see.  It has been an interesting day centered around food.

Day 3 -More Birding and Monte Alban

True to our usual pattern after one days’ practice

, we met for breakfast at 6:15 and left in the van for our morning birding trip to an old abandoned road north of the city.  It had occasional joggers, bicyclists and families just out walking, all locals along with the tdf (temperate deciduous forest) with its many birds.  Our guide Mark’s enthusiasm, expertise and funny stories make the whole experience a great pleasure.  We saw a Greater PeWee, the name being “a Mexican oxymoron” he said.  Flycatchers are notoriously hard to identify.  After spotting several, he expounded at length about the difference between bearded and non-bearded flycatchers. The bearded ones use those feathers around their beaks and their thick big bills to catch large flying insects, while the non-bearded ones, typically glean insects from trees and bushes.  For them to try to catch large insects would be “like me trying to catch butterflies with a goldfish net.”  We learned that in addition to habitat, size, shape, and behavior are better for identifying birds than color markings.  As we walked through this rich bird habitat, some special birds we saw were Bullock’s Oriole feeding on the nectar of the large white flowers of the morning glory tree.  We watched as they pecked a hole in the bottom of the flower to gain better access to the nectar, by-passing the pollen.  Too bad for the flower as it gives up it’s bribe of nectar and didn’t get pollinated.  Other birds worth mentioning among the many we saw were two kinds of hummingbirds, a couple of Green Elaenias, partial sightings of a sulky Elegant Tro and Blue Mockingbird.

From there, we drove to Monte Alban ruins which covers a large area on mountains surrounding the town.  The mountain top was purposefully flattened over a period a 200-300 years before the Zapotecos began to build their pyramids, houses and grand sites on the mountain top.  Benito our guide was passionately proud of his Zapotecan heritage and shared many stories about the society that lived and ruled here from 500 B.C. To 750 A.D.  We learned that it was a very advanced society with medicine, arts, music and complex administration.  Tromping up and down the very steep steps of the pyramids was challenging and hot in the exposed sun.  I photographed wildflowers whenever I saw them.  I was thrilled to find the “bloody nose plant”  (Calliandra) that I know from the Botanical Garden.  I learned from Mark that it is bat pollinated and makes new flowers each night with fresh pollen to attract the bats.  Mark also told us about how the Zapotecos (then and now) soak then cook their corn with a little piece limestone which helps dissolve the seed coat of the corn and releases the vitamin B12 which is essential for good health.  He made the point that there must have been a hugely developed agriculture system because in order to build such a site as Monte Alban was, there had to be many many surplus Calories available for all that work.  

Needing Calories, we had a picnic lunch in the shade and then toured the Museum where the most interesting case was one showing human skulls which had been modified surgically to have the shape of a panther (presumably while the person was alive).  We toured another museum and saw a wedding party outside the Santo Domingo Cathedral.  We were told it costs US$ 30,000 to rent the Cathedral for a wedding.  Some Mexicans have lots of money.  The day was finished with a delicious dinner in a wonderful restaurant.  It was a 13,000 step day with 22 flights of stairs climbed.  I’m tired.  

Day 2 - Birding, Weaving and Food

The day began at breakfast at 6:15 am.  The stars were still out and it was chilly on the roof terrace, but hot coffee and a Mexican breakfast of fresh bread, hard-boiled egg and fresh fruit nourished us.  It was the first time we met as a group and it looks to be a group that will get along well.  It was a 45 minute drive to our first stop - a grassy hillside in the foothills above the valley that Oaxaca is in.  Along the way, we were oriented by our guide, Mark, about the biogeography of the region and the various habitats we’ll visit.  Getting out of the van, we all had our bins, Bob had his big camera and we set out to see what we could see.  After the first ten minutes I was high, doing what I love, exploring nature.  I loved spotting a castor bean bush with leaf-footed bugs congregating and doing what congregating bugs do.  We saw many birds ( vermillion flycatcher, endemic gray breasted woodpecker, lark sparrow, Inca dove, curved billed thrasher and more) and learned about the cactus and trees growing in the area.  We learned about which birds eat what and where and when to expect them (when their food source is ripe or there).  After a couple of hours, we drove to a small creek spotting a variety of birds there - lots of flycatchers, including a pair of vermillion flycatchers  and warblers.  The morning held yet another habitat - a small lake behind a dam.  There I spotted a berylline hummingbird (emerald green hood and rusty wings and back) on a tree tobacco and many of the usual suspects for lakes (egrets, coots, sandpipers, killdeer, least grebes).  We drove into town - Teotitlán Del Valle - a small thriving Zapotec community where many weavers live and work and had lunch.  We chose from a menu of local foods - Mole negro, Mole coloralitos, hulaypo (Oaxacan pizza - a big flat toasted corn tortilla spread with spicy black beans and topped with stringy cheese and slices of avocado and tomato).  After a relaxed lunch (birders never hurry at lunch), we went to a local weaver and had a fabulous demonstration of natural dyeing and spinning and weaving.  As we sat in the shade in their courtyard, we were given a cup of a local drink - Atole - which is made from roasted corn ground into a very powder and diluted with water.  All the local food has left me queasy, with an upset tummy.  Bob couldn’t resist and bought of their beautiful rugs.  The day ended with a stop at the Biggest Tree on Earth - a Montezuma cypress which is 2000 years old.  In the 19th century Alexander von Humboldt came all the way from Germany just to see this tree, it’s that famous.  It’s huge and a spot many Mexican tourists visit.  I loved to see all the families there.  Afterwards, we had a Nieve - a Mexican sorbet or snow cone.  They come in lots of flavors, Bob and I

chose to share a Mamey, a local fruit that tasted like persimmon to me.  Another flavor that looked interesting was Mango with Chili.  After a 45 minute ride back to the hotel, we quickly refreshened up and walked to dinner at a lovely restaurant.   It was a great first day and we are very tired and happy.

Day One - A Free Day in Oaxaca

We awoke refreshed and hungry.  Luckily, breakfast was right outside our door on the roof terrace.  We met our guide, Mark Pretti, and a couple of the participants.  We decided to go to the English tour at the Ethnobotanical Garden behind the Cathedral of Santo Domingo.  Without too much difficulty we found it and waited for the tour.  Our guide, Alonso, spoke English but with a really strong accent so words especially at the end of sentences were lost.  But I appreciated his skill at handling such a large group.  One of our fellow birders was on the tour.  I was impressed she had her bins and spotted hummingbirds and a kiskadee among the many she saw.  We enjoyed the two hour tour and took many beautiful photos especially of cactus and Ajaves (not birds).  My nighttime impressions of Oxaca were not wrong.  The city looked much more beautiful and vital by day.  The streets paved in big stones, the buildings are 19th century two story colonial and painted in many bright colors.  The accents of the iron work kept Bob occupied as he tried to determine how old it might be.  The city is small (40,000) and is situated in a valley with mountains ringing it.

When I think of what I experienced, I think color and music and short people.  There were many street musicians.  While we were eating lunch, we heard a loud banging, a big commotion outside and everybody (I mean everybody, the waiters, bus boys and patrons) rushed out to see what it was.  Can you imagine being serenaded by a brass band with two 10-12 feet high puppets dancing around.  If that wasn’t enough, there were two big 10-12 feet high balloon like structures dancing around.  One had writing that said “Felix Cupleanos” (Happy Birthday).  Eventually a couple appeared and a lovely young lady in a red lace dress was given a present and a big kiss by a young gentleman.  What a birthday celebration!  They know how to do it right here.  Walking along the streets which were filled with American tourists and street vendors, I felt mildly guilty not buying the trinkets, but I have enough of such things.  We walked 12,000 steps and were duly tired out when we got back to the hotel after a wonderful day exploring.

Beginning our Oaxaca Adventure

The rain had stopped by the time the Uber driver picked us up at 8:45 am and took us to Berkeley BART to begin our journey to Oaxaca.  I’d given us just a 50% chance of making it on Wednesday because the Government shut-down in its 26th day might mean fewer TSA agents and a very big storm was supposed to hit with high winds and serious rain just at our departure time.  Our worry about slow security lines didn’t happen.  We made it through security in just 30 minutes so we had lots of time at the airport.  We chatted with a nice fellow who was going to Oaxaca for a “destination” wedding.  Later the bride and groom arrived with big smiles. The storm did arrive, the plane sat at the gate for 30 minutes because of bad weather.  I was worried as we only had 1 1/2 hours for our connection in Mexico City.  It was an easy and quiet flight.  We were given food (ham and cheese croissants and a small container of applesauce).  As we were waiting to deplane, Bob chatted with his seatmate about where she was going.  Interestingly, she and the folks in front of me, were all going to Cancun for a 4 day Grateful Dead concert on the beach.  These 30 somethings and the wedding folks had some pretty exciting plans.  Bob and I considered and thought we’d rather be birding.  Mexico City airport was a mad-house!  It was unbelievably crowded, there were very few signs, and my memory is just being pushed along, all the while being unsure we were going to the right place.  We  managed to board the bus, asking “Oaxaca??” And.everyone nodded.  We had a delightful conversation with the same fellow who sat across from us in San Francisco Airport and discovered an amazing number of connections, schools, and people.  There is something magical about coming to Oaxaca.  At the Oaxaca Airport we managed to get on the  “Collectivo” - a mini-van filled with people going to different places in Oaxaca (like a ride-share).  My impressions of Oaxaca by night were of low, really old buildings painted reds, and pinks and blues with lots of black iron work of the balconies, windows and doors.  It was midnight when we arrived at Hotel Azucenas a charming little hotel with a beautiful courtyard.  We were ushered to our room after much discussion in Spanish and English.  It is the tiniest room, like a big closet and with no window.  We fell into bed, happy to have made it here on Wednesday and eager to explore Oaxaca.

Finding an Even Keel

For the last couple of weeks, I’ve been slowly regaining my equilibrium after an exciting and busy Christmas.  Now, it’s time to get back to normal, whatever that means.  Perhaps normal refers to living our usual patterns that provide us the comfort of familiarity.  That is a good thing. However, we can get too comfortable find ourselves living on automatic pilot.  Doing new things breaks us out of the pattern and the excitement gives us fresh eyes to see things in new ways.  But too much change and we find ourselves unsettled, rushing from one activity to another, and getting worn out.  For me, a happy life is a balance between the familiar and the new.  These first weeks in January, we returned to our pattern of going to the gym three times a week.  It is good to get back to the bicycles, the weight machines and yoga.  I also find I am having lunch with friends, enjoying reconnecting.  The Book Club met.  On these rainy winter days, the Botanical Garden is especially quiet.  I haven’t spent much time there.  Each plant has adjusted to the colder temperatures, the short days and the rain.  The deciduous trees have lost all their leaves while the magnolia buds are swelling, getting ready to burst forth in blossom in a few weeks.  Each plant is resting and preparing for spring in it’s own way.

Bob and I are preparing this week to go on a ten day birding trip to Oaxaca, Mexico each of us in our own way.  Bob said we are like the Ant and the Grasshopper in an Aesop fable.  I am concerned with having the right clothes for different weather extremes.  I prepare way ahead of time: my trip clothes have been laid out for more than a week.  Bob is concerned with having the right lenses for his camera and has gone on several bird photographing sessions in the last week.  We were going to practice our birding skills but it has rained nearly every day since the first of the year, so we haven’t.  I look forward to warm weather, the experiencing the gentle ambiance of Mexican culture,  the rich natural environments and seeing new birds.  Bob is looking forward to having a relaxing time with everything taken care of for us, concentrating of the scenery and photographing the birds, and the Mexican culture and the food.  Together we will experience all this each of us in our own way.   It is good to get out of our routines and do something new and exciting.

Christmas is Over

Christmas is over.  The nest totally emptied yesterday when we took Erik to the airport to go back to Cambridge.  When we pulled up to Departures Area, we all jumped out of the car in one quick movement as though we were physically connected.  Erik gave me a big hug, said thanks and then he said “You filled the house with love.”  If there is one thing I wanted to do with all my actions and work over the holidays, it was that.  There is nothing more important.  It was a lovely lovely Christmas.  As I recall the busy days, my heart is filled with beautiful memories:  of the grandkids making cookies and decorating gingerbread houses, playing games, playing music, playing with each other and Liam building Lego.  I have wonderful memories of the many meals with all of us around the table;  of the many outings to local science museums, to parks, to the Botanical Garden;  of the hours spent in the shop making water bottle rockets.  I have memories of all special times and traditions but most of all just all of us being together.  As  I remember all the preparations, all the trips to the markets, I want now let that all go and just remember the love that the food represented as it nurtured us, body and soul.  Nothing was wasted:  the ham bone made split pea soup, the leftover Christmas roast went into a beef pot pie.  Love is never wasted.  Today, I will take down all the decorations and put them away for another year.  These Christmas holidays are very special for our family.  I hear Erika’s voice in my head saying she can’t imagine Christmas without being at Gramma and Grandpa’s house.  What a gift to us that they come every year all the way from Michigan, that Erik comes all the way from the UK and that Arne and Karna and kids and Summer dog come from Palo Alto all to crowd into our house for some days of togetherness.  I hope everyone felt the love that was so generously around this Christmas expressed in so many different ways.  That is the biggest gift of all and what Christmas is really all about.