Tacos

When my host mother Gina told me we were going to get tacos at 8am Sunday morning, I assumed they would be similar to all the other tacos I had eaten in Mexico, and I looked at the event as one of those things you do with your mum because she is really excited about it, but you yourself would clearly rather be still in bed at such an hour. Little did I know I was about to have one of my favourite Mexican experiences. Piling in the car, Gina informed me I could have a little nap, as it was going to take about half an hour to get to the taco place. So, needless to say, I was quite bleary eyed as we rolled into the small town of Tuxpan – home of Dona Martinez Taco’s. We walked up to a quintessential small Mexican home and took a seat on the plastic chairs in the front room, which also contained many personal effects and a bed. In the next room, there was a line of people either eagerly awaiting their tacos or enjoying a plateful for breakfast. Then there was the kitchen. Clearly the smallest room in the house, it had a very old and rickety looking hot plate with a wood fire under it, and three ladies hand making tortillas and throwing them onto the hot plate at a fairly rapid pace. Another lady was furiously filling and wrapping the tacos, surrounded by pots of meat and beans, which where also lined up on the floor against one wall. There is clearly something special about these tacos, as a steady stream of people were flowing in and out, ordering bags of 50 tacos. Later that day, at lunch with Gina’s family, all members were very excited to hear we had some of these tacos in our possession. But back to the house of taco. Owned and ran by a couple who are around a hundred years old, Dona Martinez rises at 4am in the morning to start preparing her tacos. Whilst we were there, Gina suggested I get a photo of the women herself – unfortunately, as you can see, she was tuckered out from her morning of taco making and was having a nap in the waiting room. And, as a side note, the tacos were amazing – traditional Mexican fare at its best. I hope to return one day, and see if Dona Martinez tacos live on after her.

La Boda (The Wedding)

I had the great honour of being invited to one of my classmates from the University of Guadalajara’s wedding last Saturday, and although initially sceptical about whether or not I should go, after being informed it would be ridiculously rude to say no, I went along with a large group of my classmates and witnessed some of the lovely traditions of Mexican weddings (Boda, in Spanish). Unfortunately, due to Mexicans uncanny ability to be running hours late, regardless of the event or circumstances, we (along with a large number of other guests, mind you) missed the religious ceremony itself. When we arrived at the church, the Bride and Groom where being congratulated by family and friends while a Marachi band played softly outside. And onto the party it was. Held in a type of courtyard, the reception was simple, pretty and loads of fun. Seating wasn’t arranged, drinks were free (and free-flowing, thankyou Mexican table service) and the food was simple but delicious Mexican meat-beans-rice. The Mariachi wandered through the tables, taking requests and singing songs directly to you, much to my delight. One of the traditions I loved the most at the reception was the bride and grooms first dance. For their first dance, they begun dancing with each other, and than people who wanted to have a dance with either of them lined up next to the dance floor. Each person got a chance to dance with the bride or groom, but before dancing they had to pin money onto their dress/suit. It was really different then anything I have seen at Aussie weddings, but was lovely to watch minutes while everyone danced with the happy couple, and they would have ended up with quite a bit of cash!

D.F – Mexico City

Mexico City, or D.F (District Federal) as it is known to the locals, is nothing like I imagined. Being one of the biggest cities in the world, I imagined hundreds of high-risers, bustling streets at all hours and constant bumper to bumper traffic. What I found, however, was amazing buildings, beautiful parks and an unbelievably ancient history, still very much integrated in the Mexico City of today. Arriving on May the 1st, which also happens to the ’Day of the Workers’, our first taste of Mexico City was thousands upon thousands of people congregating in the main square and marching through the streets calling for better working conditions in Mexico. It was an amazing thing to witness, but made navigation through the centre of the city a little on the difficult side. We spent four days exploring the city, and every part was unique, special in its own way. From the main thoroughfare - Paseo de Reforma - where the big buildings, business people and western food chains live, to the quiet canals of Xochomilico with kids playing soccer in the dirt, to the colourful and artistic streets of Coyucan, we still only got a small taste of the real Mexico City. When travelling to the ancient ruins of what was once the Teohituacan empire, we were blown away by the sheer size of the place, with houses stretching for mile. Thousands of houses perched on the side of towering mountains, and we were told the people who live there are known as the ‘Parachute People’. This is because the houses are so dense and close together that from below you cannot see the streets between them, and they say the people would have had to land on the mountain via parachute and build their house where they fell. The city itself was much slower paced then I had expected, and although we caught the subway everywhere, there was only once where it was packed to capacity and you had to just get on and off with the crowd as it was impossible to stay or go without them. Because the city was once a lake, the water beneath the ground has began to take its toll, with building sinking and tearing about. Churches that were once built at ground level now have stairs leading down into them from the street, and the Cathedral of the Virgin Guadalupe, one of the most important figures in Mexican Catholicism has a floor so tilted one almost slides back towards the door from the altar. Mexico City is home to some of the worst street food stalls we have seen – so dirty and rank smelling it almost put us off our tacos. It also has some food treasures no doubt, but one needs to be a Chilango (slang name for people who were born and live in Mexico City) to know where to go. It is unfortunately also home to an astonishing amount of people trying to sell you stuff – the weirdest being those on the subway, making their way through the moving train screaming at you, and you have nowhere to go. The worst though were those at the site of the pyramids – they were really invasive while we were wondering through the ruins, and I felt they ruined the moment (no pun intended). We visited some great places, my favourites being the Frieda Kahlo musuem and the Ciudadel Artesian Mercado (marketplace), but one definitely leaves Mexico City feeling it has many more secrets to be discovered.

The Ugly…

Mexico, although an amazing country, is like anything else- its not all beer and skittles. While there is no need to dwell on its less pleasant points, I did promise the good, the bad and THE UGLY…

Toilets: Ahh the good old dunny. A majority of places you have to pay to use one in Mexico, and even then cleanliness generally isn’t all that. Toilet paper is sometimes handed out by an attendant at the door, or they just don’t have any. They are also a lot closer to the ground in Australia and have those weird half/half seats – if they have one at all. Now, all this, although at times unpleasant, is not that unusual and doesn’t take long to get used to. The fact that you cannot throw the toilet paper into the toilet, does however, take some time to get your head around. Yep, that’s right, no toilet paper in the toilet – always in the bin next to it. You can imagine the smell this creates in most bathrooms. One stray bit of toilet paper flushed down and you’re in a world of trouble. Not great when for 21 years you have flushed the paper, and you get up in the middle of the night half asleep to use the bathroom and forget you can’t flush the paper and…

Vendors: People are constantly trying to sell you something in Mexico. Sitting on the beach, in a restaurant, at the bus station, in traffic in your car…someone will have something or some service they want money for. There are practically none of these in Guzman, thank god, but everywhere else we have travelled it has been a constant. You get good at saying ‘no, gracias’ without looking up very quickly – the moment you glance at what they are selling it is all over, they will not leave. Flagging down a taxi in Mexico is never needed, they are constantly pulling over to ask you or bombarding you in the doorway of the bus stations. I think the worst, however is at the market stalls and some of the general shops. As soon as they spot you they are shouting, ‘come in, take a look, welcome, what would you like,’ generally in spanlglish, and calmly browsing is not an option. Leaving without buying anything will either get you followed down the street by the vendor offering you a discount, or huffily swore at and ushered towards the door.

To be continued…

Vallarta Town

Puerto Vallarta during Mexican Spring Break is like nothing I have ever seen before. The town itself is a great mix of old school Mexican authenticity and new aged tourism. It has beautiful beaches and a great atmosphere, but in many ways has managed to keep its charm. There is something for everyone in the main center, from restaurants with live cuban music to beer halls playing old rock to packed clubs with the latest tunes. During the day the beaches are so busy finding a spot to park yourself can be tricky. Luckily, once you have found one there is no need to leave it, because as soon as you sit down someone will come along with a large umbrella for hire (around $10 Aus for the whole day and they will return to reposition it for you as the sun moves) and the food and beverage vendors will be past every few minutes if you get peckish. At night thousands of people of all ages stream up and down the streets – most of the pubs in Vallarta are fairly expensive by Mexican standards, so lots of people prefer to drink foam cups of beer and enjoy th evenings outside. Despite the huge amount of people, everyone is calm and happy, and many families with small children can be seen in amongst the students on vacation. Vallarta spreads from the beach into the hills behind it and although there was a lot more tourism than many places we have visited, the town was captivating to explore. Every street seemed to have a hidden treasure, wether it be handmade leather goods, fresh bread or two-for-one cervezas. On our last night there we wandered down the main street next to the beach and came across musicians playing in the amphitheatre, with hundreds of older couples dancing around the plaza. Acrobats swung upside down from a large vertical pole and an artist arranged stones into sculptures on the beach. Our hostel, which was at the top of a very steep hill was charming to say the least, and our room, which was basically on the roof, had walls made from plastic table-cloth and a view to die for. We fell asleep at night with a faint sea breeze and the sounds of Vallarta partying on below us. More on Vallarta coming soon…

Food, Glorious Food….

I have this far tried to refrain from rambling too much about the amazing food in Mexico, so as not to give the impression I have been doing nothing but eating since arriving here…but truth is, I basically have been. Food is very important to the Mexican people and they take great pride in their traditional dishes and general cooking expertise. The first thing most Mexican people will ask you about their country is what foods you have tried – often followed by oh really come to my house and I will make you something even better. Sure why not? There is a number of different ways to eat in Mexico, but street food is definitely their forte. Vendors cooking everything from tacos to hot dogs and everything in between line the streets and you will often be quite surprised at where you will find one. Diced fruit, agua fresco (mexicans never drink plain water, it is always flavoured with a fruit or something of the sort), cactus, hamburgers, ice-cream…if people eat it in Mexico, you can probably find it on the street. Street stalls themselves are largely varied - some are on wheels and made to be placed somewhere new every day, while others are a more permanent set up. There are a few vans like one might see in Australia, but usually the bbq and such are on a trailer. Those who sell food which doesn’t require cooking use a type of push bike or push cart, and you would be surprised how many have a TV integrated into their stall. If you happen to walk along my street around 8pm on weeknights, you will find the little old lady from across the road has moved her kitchen table and chairs out on to the street and you can join her for some very tasty, very cheap tostadas (flat cripsy tortillas with salad and meat on top).

Then there is the taquerias. They are in abundance – there would be at least 20 in the main centre of Guzman alone. These are small shops which will sell either only tacos, or quesadillas, gorditas and tortas as well. The chairs are plastic but the food is amazing, and served within the minute. The tables boast a wide selection of condiments, including vegetables soaked in spicy water and a taco will usually set you back around 70 pesos, or 70 cents.

Mexican home-cooking is also fantastic, and has the added bonus of being a little bit healthier for you. My host mother, Gina, is an amazing cook and had a wide repertoire of dishes – we have very rarely eaten the same main meal twice since arriving. Mexican dishes often seem simply with few ingredients, but have an abundance of flavour from the different varieties of chiles used. Popular breakfast dishes include Chilequiles (triangles of fried tortillas cooked in a cheese and chile sauce and renowned as a hangover cure), Quesadillas (ham and cheese cooked in a flour tortilla) and Huevos Mexicano (eggs cooked with chiles and tomatoes). American style hot cakes are also popular here. As lunch is the main meal of the day in Mexico, it is quite often more than one dish – a main accompanied by either flavoured rice or soup. Gina’s Mexican snitzels are to die for, as are her vegetable soups and beef fajitas.

Deserts in Mexico revolve mainly around sweet bread, of Pan Dulce, and you can rarely turn a corner without running into a someone selling them from their bicycle cart or out the back of their car. Conchas are by far the best – a round sweet bun topped in a crumbly topping made of god knows what – utterly amazing. Chocolates and lollies are not so popular, whilst sweet biscuits do a roaring trade at the small shops and service stations. Then there is the ice-cream. Ice-cream shops in Mexico have a ridiculously large array of flavours, most of which are based on fruit. But fruit ice-cream here is in a whole new league from the ‘strawberry flavoured’ excuse we have in Australia. When buying a vanilla and strawberry paddle pop from a Mexican ice-cream shop you will recieve creamy vanilla ice-cream with real, whole strawberries frozen throughout. That means its healthy, right?

In all the above, chile is the what makes the difference in Mexico. Everything is either cooked with chiles, or is accompanied by a chile salsa or sauce. Breakfast always comes with a spicy salsa rojo (red sauce), fruits and vegetables can be bought as snacks covered in chile and alcoholic cocktails come in glasses rimmed with chile. And they are definitely on to something – the flavours this creates are delicious, regardless of the dish. Lemon and salt are constants as well, but never with coronas or tequila as in Australia. Tortillas, either made from flour or corn, are also served with everything, much as we might eat bread with most dishes.

Burritos are my favourite Mexican dish, and having recently found ‘Hamburgesa Davis’, a tiny street stall on some random road in between my house and the university, I have discovered the best burritos in Mexico. Flour tortillas filled with chicken slow cooked in a creamy tomato (and Chile) sauce and cheese, fried on a hot plate for several minutes and served on a bed of tomato and lettuce, you can add whichever strength salsa you like, as well as jalapeno and cucumber in chile water. I might just pay them a visit right now…

Mexican Meanderings – 2

Ciudad Guzman has corner shop on, well every corner. They are called Arrobates and much like all the shops in Mexico, they sell a little bit of everything. They are crammed into impossibly small spaces, and although they often don’t look like they have much, they actually sell everything you could want on a whim. Fresh fruit and bread stands next to packets of chips, whilst fridges are crammed with meats and cheeses. They also sell long necks of beer, for around 30 pesos ($3 Aus) and if you take the bottle back, they will refund you 10 pesos. Quite a bargain really. This corner store is just across the road from my house in Guzman, and has become a favourite, as it is open at strange hours, but there is also two more on our block. The lady who owns the store is in her seventies and is a gorgeous character. The only problem we have is it only really fits one person at a time, so we have to take turns at buying goodies!

The Laundromat in Guzman, and nearly everywhere else in Mexico, is not your run of the mill stark room full of washing machines requiring endless $2 coins and shady looking characters. No, the La Lavendaria is a hole in the wall shop full of a variety of washers and driers and a little old lady wearing an apron. Well, the one I go to is anyway. You take your giant bag of dirty clothes, give to said little old lady and she will smile and tell you what time to come back. When you do come back, she will give you a stack of beautifully washed, dried, ironed and folded clothes and in return you give her 40 pesos. Quite a lovely system really. After much enquiry, I found you can use the washing machines yourself, but with the little old lady assisting you at every turn, it is much easier to just let her do it, and give her an extra 10 pasos for her trouble. Oh, and the old school dryer seems to have actual flames coming out the top – not great for occupational safety, but fun to watch.