The Los Abastos market is enormous. It spans about 10 city blocks, weaving in and out from vegetable sections, panederias, baskets, chiles and mole piles, stacks of live chickens and turkeys with their legs tied together, stalls filled with Chinese plastics and watches, sandals, parakeets in cages, carved wooded alebrijes, chapulines and televisions. The overwhelming two senses are the smells and sounds- the latter you can hear in the videos below as Abby follows the kids through the stalls. The music changes around every corner, with every vendor publicizing their wares. Even mobile vendors with their wares in baskets or on carts call out what they have as they pass by. The chocolate smells will alert you for aisles away that the grinders are nearby, churning out the fudge-like substance that serves as the base for either the hot chocolate or the mole. It is not the milk-chocolate that one is used to in the states- this is nutty and dark.
This market is easily Abby's favorite spot in Oaxaca- just milling through the aisles soaking in the all the senses.
About 2 block-size spaces are reserved for "comedores" - where families have set up tables around a kitchen area and serve everything from empanadas, enchilladas, tacitos dorados, and molotes (fried potato/sausage balls). For some reason, having a soda here is okay, even though we shun the stuff back home. I'm not entirely sure why that's the case since we carry our water bottles everywhere and aren't for lack of hydration- it's just a treat. So when I asked Max what the best part of the mercado was, it was not the little alebrijes he and Kaya have been buying up for their friends, not the wet kisses and smiles that old ladies leave with him as he passes by, not the pan dulces or standing up and sticking his head out the window on the bus rides, but rather the good ol' American Coke.
We had lunch a couple days ago (vegetable soup filled with potatos and choyotes (squashy, pear-shaped veggie)) with a woman called Nell but we couldn't find her today. I think it will take several summers of losing ourelves there to understand the lay-out of the Abastos. We ended up instead at the "Comedor de Cesi". Cesi herself was a very friendly Mama of two daughters who curiously watched Kaya and Max draw in their journals and cherish their sodas as they awaited their empanadas. Max copied the details of my "Fanta" label and Kaya drew the pile of squash flowers on the table that are cooked in the empanadas.
By this evening, Kelsey feeling well enough to suggest a game of cribbage and a trip to the Zocolo. She was giddy on her way there because it had been a full three days since her last visit to their wonderful benches. This is easily her favorite place in the city. The kids looked for their favorite crazy man, "Loco Paco", to no avail. They last spotted him (with his pants on this time) a couple days ago.
While Skyping Grandmom Mary today, Max felt his need to overcome his aversion to eating chapulines (fried crickets). He swallowed them down and requested no more, thank-you. He earned his "I ate chapulines" t-shirt.
Scott raved about a textile museum that he visited on his way back from the tamale fest yesterday so as everyone else enjoyed an ice cream in the park, I decided to check this place out. It was indeed a beautiful collection of international weaving, spanning several centuries. The classic zapotec design, which graces all the ancient ruins of the area, is incorporated into Spanish and then Moorish patterns. It's pretty amazing to see those same patterns in the classic Oaxacan patterns and those of Syria! The tapestries and textile bags and clothes hanging from the white-washed walls and ceilings were all numbered and were accompanied by a very informative guide book. It was as impressive as Scott had said and made me all the more grateful for the little rug purchase three weeks ago in this blog.
Every museum that we've visited here has been nothing short of impressive. Don't know how much government subsidies can be credited but there is an obvious professional appreciation for their arts. Not only has every museum we've been in been well-curated in impressive buildings, but they are informative and very child friendly. Every museum has a separate treasure hunt for the children.
Sad to be counting the days down here. Only five full days left.
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