Waylaid by Handicrafts

Last Saturday, Alejandro and I went to Coyoacán, a district of Mexico City that was once a separate town before it was swallowed up by the growing metropolis.  (I will get to what we were planning to visit in the next post.)   There is no good way to get to the historic center of Coyoacán by subway or by Metrobus.  We decided that we needed the exercise.  So we took the Metrobus down Insurgentes Avenue to Bombilla Park which is in San Angel, another historic area of the city.  From San Angel we would walk the rest of the way to Coyoacán... about 1.6 miles.

When we got off the Metrobus, we found a small handicrafts market had been set up along the edge of La Bombilla Park.  "Do you want to take a look?" Alejandro asked.  Silly question.  Of course.

This gentleman was selling the traditional dolls made by women of the Otomí tribe in the state of Querétaro.  

Twice Alejandro and I have been to the town of Amealco, where the dolls come from, and I have bought several of them.  We had a very interesting conversation with the vendor, and he told us that there is debate over which town is actually the birthplace of these dolls.  I ended up buying another one to give as a gift.

This lady was selling pictures made of "popotillo", the dried, straw-like fibers of "zacate", a wild grass that grows on the volcanic slopes of central Mexico.

I already have a couple of "popotillo" pictures, but I bought a couple more.

We continued on our way, walking down Avenida Miguel Angel de Quevedo, a busy commercial avenue that would take us to the heart of Coyoacán.  (Actually we were already in the borough of Coyoacán, although we had not reached its historic center.)  We came to an upscale, outdoor shopping center called "Cielo Abierto" (Open Sky);  At the entrance there was a lady in traditional attire from Yucatán announcing that they were having a crafts market featuring Yucatecan artisans.  So we checked it out.

There were stalls selling the beautiful women's clothing of Yucatán.  For the men there were guayabera shirts.  These were made from bamboo, so they required no ironing!  In retrospect, I should have bought one for myself.  They were so attractive.

However, I didn't hold back at some of the other stalls.  Both of us love "X'tabentún", a Mayan honey / anise liqueur that comes from Yucatán.  The most common brand is D'Artisti, but there was a stall selling an artisanal brand I had never heard of.

It is called Yumbab.  We were offered samples to taste, and it was even better than D'Artisti.  We bought a bottle to take to the apartment.

We had a nice conversation with this couple from Mérida who were selling silver filagree jewelry.

When I told them that I am a retired Spanish teacher, the husband told me that he is retired English teacher.  So, our conversation was a mixture of the two languages.  We bought a pair of earrings for Alejandro's sister's birthday.

This fellow was not from Yucatán but from Oaxaca, and he was selling "alebrijes".

He had a couple of jaguar masks, so I bought one to add to my collection.

Fortunately Alejandro brought along the "morral" (a woven bag traditionally used by men in rural areas) to carry all our purchases.  

(This is my "morral".  I bought it many years ago in Oaxaca, and it has come in very handy.)

It is a running joke between us.  Whenever we go somewhere, Alejandro will ask me if we should take the "morral", just in case I see something I want to buy.

With the "morral" filled with our purchases, we then continued on our way to the center of Coyoacán.  

I Want One of These!!!

 I saw some t-shirts like this on the internet...

Hecho en México

Yesterday the orange "Pendejo" imposed a 25% tariff on all imports from Mexico to the United States.  There is a good likelihood that the Mexican President will retaliate with tariffs on goods imported from the U.S.

I guess I am going to avoid, whenever possible, buying anything from north of the border.  From my grocery shopping trip yesterday, that should not be too difficult.  I made a point of checking where everything is made.  The fresh fruits and vegetables of course are all grown in Mexico.  Even the package of Driscoll blueberries that I buy for my cereal and yogurt are "Hecho en México".  As for the occasional canned goods that I buy, I can always select a Mexican brand.  Eggs, butter and milk are all Mexican, as are packages of rice and dry beans.  Knorr Chicken Broth ... "Hecho en México".  (Sorry, Campbell's.)  Activia yogurt... "Hecho en México".  Even cleaning supplies should not be a problem.  I bought a refill for my bottle of Windex, and it was made in Mexico.

When I returned to the apartment, I looked at the items in the refrigerator and pantry.

Hellmann's Mayonaise... "Hecho en México"

Quaker Multibran Cereal as well as Kellogg's Raisin Bran... "Hecho en México".

  

All of my spices, including McCormick brand... "Hecho en México".

I often buy a package of sliced Sargento Swiss cheese.  I guess I'll go with Mexican cheese instead.  I can buy a Mexican brand of aluminum foil instead of Reynold's Wrap.  Purell, my preferred brand of hand sanitizer, made in my old back yard of Akron, Ohio...  well, I guess I will have to buy a couple large bottles before the price shoots up.

I never thought I would see the day when I would be boycotting products made in the U.S.  Very sad.

Carnaval!

Today is Shrove Tuesday, the last day before Lent begins.  In New Orleans it is known as Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday), while in Latin America the pre-Lenten revelry is known as "Carnaval".

In Mexico City there is no large celebration comparable to New Orleans, Rio de Janeiro, or even Veracruz in Mexico.  However, there are some neighborhoods in the city where the tradition continues to be observed.  One of those is San Juan de Aragón, where Alejandro's family lives. There are organized groups known as "comparsas" which dress in costume and dance through the streets the days before Lent.

I was at the family house yesterday.  Around six in the evening, I could hear a band playing.  As the music grew louder, I went outside.  The band and the dancers were about a block from the house.

The costumes were originally meant to poke fun at the upper classes.

The group turned the corner and headed down another street, heading away from Alejandro's house.  For a long time afterward, though, I could still hear the band as it made its way through the neighborhood streets.

 

Oscar Snub

Last night was the Academy Awards ceremony, and we were upset by the movies and performances that were NOT nominated.

A couple of weekends ago, Alejandro and I went to see the movie "Maria", which imagines the last tragic days of the opera star Maria Callas.  

(image taken from the internet)

I suppose that younger people would say, "Maria WHO???".  But those of my generation, even those with zero interest in opera, remember the scandals surrounding her.  Callas was the mistress of Greek shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis, until he dropped her to marry Jacqueline Kennedy.

We both thought that it was an excellent movie, and even if it didn't get a nomination for best picture, Angelina Jolie should have most definitely been nominated for best actress.  I can't really say that I am a fan of Jolie, but her performance in the film was tremendous.  At the end of her short life (she died of a heart attack at the age of 53), she lived in isolation.  She had lost her operatic voice, and her great love Onassis had preceded her in death.  According to the movie she self-medicated with prescription drugs which provoked hallucinations and ended up weakening her heart.

Jolie was robbed!  And I might add that we were also disappointed that neither Julianne Moore nor Tilda Swinton were nominated for their excellent performances in the movie "The Room Next Door" which we saw a few months ago. 

Eating at the Supermarket

Many people think that the cuisines of Spain and Mexico are the same, when in fact that are very different.  Spain's contributions to the culinary world include paella, a rice dish; gazpacho, a cold tomato soup; and tapas, appetizers traditionally served at bars in Spain.  

We have not had luck finding good Spanish food in the neighborhood of the apartment.  There was a take-out place nearby that sold paella and tapas.  I ordered vegetarian paella (I don't care for shellfish) and an order of ham croquettes once to take back to the apartment for our supper.  The price was rather expensive, the portions were small, and the quality of the food was underwhelming.  That place has since gone out of business.  A few weeks ago I found a tapas bar not far from the apartment.  We went there one evening, and ordered a selection of tapas.  We will not be making a return visit.

If we are in the mood for Spanish food, we have found that our best bet is to go to "City Market", an upscale supermarket that is about a half hour walk away from the apartment.  Last weekend we went there a second time to eat.  I thought that I had already written about eating there, but I couldn't find any blog post about it.  So, here is our dining experience at "City Market", and I hope I am not repeating myself.

In the middle of the supermarket there is a counter where you can sit down and order Spanish food.

 "Pintxo" is the Basque word for tapas.  The menu, however, includes a lot more than just the little, appetizer-size snacks that we know as tapas. 

To drink, we ordered "tinto de verano", a traditional summer beverage in Spain.

"Tinto de verano" is very similar to sangría.  It is made with red wine, lemon soda, and chunks of fruit.  Outside of the southern province of Andalucía, Spaniards look upon sangría as something for tourists.  Since I really don't care for the taste of alcohol, I usually prefer sweet drinks.  However, in my experience in Spain, sangría is sometimes TOO sweet, whereas "tinto de verano" has always been very refreshing.  The "tinto de verano" at "City Market" is very good.

Next we ordered gazpacho, the delicious cold soup that comes from Andalucía.

So many places outside of Spain serve a sorry excuse for gazpacho that is bright red and simply tastes like cold tomato soup.  Real "gazpacho andaluz" must have bread ground in to give it a thick consistency.  This tasted just like what I would have in Spain.  The only thing missing were little bowls of chopped onions, bell pepper, cucumber and tomato to spoon in as a garnish.  They served it with slices of cucumber.

As a main course we both ordered a casserole made with eggs and "serrano" ham.  It was served in little cast iron skillets.  It was very good.  Although the serving looked small, by the time we were finished, we were very full.

It was an excellent meal that brought back memories of Spain.

  

Turning to March

It's time to turn the page on the calendar.  This year, the calendar which I have custom-made, using photos that I have taken, features Mexican archaeological sites.  The photo for March is of a small site just to the north of Mexico City, Santa Cecilia Acatitlán.

Acatitlán was a town on the shore of Lake Texcoco which came under the rule of the Aztecs.  After the Spanish conquest, the town was largely dismantled, and the stones from its ceremonial center were used to build the nearby parish church of Santa Cecilia.  In 1962, a Mexican architect and archaeologist reconstructed the small pyramid.  The steep steps lead up to a temple with a sacrificial stone in front of it.  

The Spanish thoroughly destroyed most of the Aztec cities.  So, even though this is a reconstruction, this temple gives us a rare glimpse of Aztec architecture.