My Avocado Man

Long before I made the move to Mexico City, it was my habit to include an avocado as a part of my breakfast.  Shopping for avocados at the supermarket could be frustrating however.  Many times there wouldn't be any avocados that were ripe enough for immediate consumption.  I would have to do my grocery shopping when I still had three avocados at home.  That would usually give the ones I bought time to ripen.  However, from time to time, my supermarket would have avocados imported from Peru instead of Mexico.  Those Peruvian  avocados would never seem to ripen.  I would complain to the produce manager to buy Mexican not Peruvian, but of course he did not have much say over corporate decisions.

You would think that once I moved to Mexico, buying avocados would be easy.  However, at the nearby Walmart, the most convenient place for me to shop, the avocados too frequently would either be rotten or hard as rock.  My neighborhood does not have a public market, and I would have to walk about twenty minutes to get to the market in the adjoining neighborhood.  

We do have, however, two weekly "tianguis" (outdoor markets).  Every Sunday there is a large "tianguis" that stretches for a quarter of a mile along a nearby street.  The problem with it, however, is that it is very crowded, and you have to walk several blocks before you get to the section of fruits and vegetables.  On Thursdays, there is a smaller "tianguis" that stretches around three sides of the local park.  It is a calmer and more compact shopping experience.

So, now I go there to buy my avocados.  Since the first time, I have patronized the same vendor who has become my "avocado man".  

Every Thursday, he greets me, and we often chat briefly.  He picks out nice large avocados of varying ripeness so I can enjoy them daily.  Very rarely do they have any brown spots at all.  I will also buy one or two seedless "limónes" (limes) from him.  A squirt of lime juice is considered essential to enhance the flavor of the avocado. 

Once the avocados ripen, I put them in the refrigerator, and they last for the rest of the week.  For breakfast I will either slice an avocado and season it with salt, pepper and lime juice, or I will make my quick version of guacamole... smashing up an avocado with salt, pepper, lime juice and a good dollop of ground chipotle peppers.  Yum!