Other peoples' thoughts about Mexico I agree with... and Food!

Ok, so this will be kind of an experiment, as this post will happily intermingle very unrelated topics... Thing is, I feel like writing, but my recent photos are mainly of my favourite Mexican foods. On the other hand, I read some other peoples' thoughts which are hilarious to me, as they really express exactly what I feel here in Mexico. So, let the experiment begin.

As appetizer I suggest a fresh salad from nopal (cactus) and faba bean (by the way, that's the plant my name derives from).

Fava bean salad with loads of cilantro - often mixed with fresh nopales. (Photo: The Mija Chronicles)

And here's the first thought I stumbled upon. It's from the same blog as the above photo, yet from another date. Mija writes down her impressions after returning from NY to Mexico City, where she had lived before:

"On the way there, I remembered how many times I’d tripped on the cracked sidewalks, and how slowly people walked, and how they took up the entire width of the sidewalk even if they were only three people. 

Other details I hadn’t noticed much when I lived there jumped out at me: kids maybe five years old sitting on the sidewalk and begging for change. An old woman carrying a bulging rebozo on her back who asked me for “una caridad.” 

The hordes of young office workers lining up outside Banamex, waiting to use the ATM."
(Source: The Mija Chronicles)

Oh yes: Cracked sidewalks, slowly walking people, omnipresent poverty, people waiting for hours in front of the ATM to withdraw some minor amounts, just because they don't want to pay with their debit cards or because they don't trust companies and therefore don't allow them to draw cash from their accounts.

To pay water, gas, electricity, TV, etc. First go to the ATM. Wait for hours, because everybody has the same idea. Meanwhile, munch on one of my favourite street snacks: Popped amaranth honey bars, topped with peanuts and raisins.

"Alegrías de amaranto" (Amaranth pleasures)

After this profound sugar fix you should have the energy to hold out a few more hours, before finally: Withdraw your 200 pesos (15 USD).

Treat yourself with another candy: Cocadas, shredded coconut sweets. Either full-sized...

Cocada

... in the mini version, resembling German coconut macaroons ("Kokosmakronen")...

Mini cocada (for me still a "Kokosmakrone")

... with some coloring (which doesn't have any influence on the coconutty taste)...

Cocada naranja

... or if you feel a bit more Christmassy, go for the version that features cinnamon. If this latter wasn't so tooth-hurtingly sweet, it would clearly be my favourite:

Coconut cinnamon bar

Back to the ATM: When you have your money, head straight to the next convenience store and make your payment. Repeat each and every month. Efficiency? Not exactly... (but at least you have time to indulge in some candy).

Talking about time. I think, it's time for something a bit more savoury. How about probably the most famous Mexican food ever: Tacos. Although this national signature dish normally relies heavily on meat, in Mexico City there's another version "on hand": Tacos de guisado are filled with some kind of stew in lieu of shredded animal. Believe it or not: There are plenty of vegetarian versions. The most common are Rajas con crema (sliced poblano pepper in cream) and Chile relleno (Poblano pepper filled with white cheese, covered in egg batter and deep-fried), but you won't have to search long to find other options like zucchini-potato-cheese stew, champignon-tomato stew, broccoli in tomato sauce, spinach...

First you choose from a broad range of stews...

Variety of stews for "Tacos de Guisado"

 ... then the vendor will grab two small tortillas, some Mexican-style rice (i.e. long-grain variety cooked with tomato and onion - you can opt this out) and top everything with your preferred stew:

Two corn tortillas, Mexican-style rice, sliced poblano pepper in cream - and then added by myself: Beans, onions, chili, salsa, and lime.

How to eat this? One tip: Not with a spoon...

Mind you, they are massive. If you don't want to end up totally stuffed, restrain from ordering more than three.

Champignon-tomato-cheese stew, once again topped by myself witgh onions, chili, salsa, beans and lime.

This is the perfect street food if you don't have lots of time left after having waited for hours at the ATM. But that time perception in Mexico is different is not only a saying. It's true and you can already see it in how slowly people walk. Or how another blogger puts it:

"Even when Mexicans are in a hurry, they’re still moving about thirty times slower than me. I don’t understand how this works but it does.

Getting stuck behind anyone on the street when you have to get to work is a complete nightmare because you look like the town weirdo bobbing back and forth behind them trying to find a gap to shuffle past.

In Mexico there are no such sidewalk rules that I can see and certainly in Oaxaca the idea of rushing to get somewhere is a rare one. Families will wander along in lines of 5 making it impossible for anyone to get past. The same families will stop suddenly to chat and discuss where they are headed next, to review a menu, to greet someone they know who is walking down the street.

When walking towards people, I find that a group won’t go into single file to let someone pass, like they would in London, but will carry on straight towards them, still chatting to each other, almost unaware of anyone else. 

And I have to admit it makes me mad. I huff and I puff and I walk on the road to get past people and when I am with friends I can’t concentrate on conversations because all I can hear is my internal monologue of annoyance at how people “just don’t know how to walk down the street” or “have no concern for anyone else” or simply “how  in the world am I going to overtake”."

(Source: Not In The Pink)

I agree with each and every single line of this. But as a person crazy for food, I can add: It's even worse when at the same time you try to enjoy your fresh torta - Mexico's take on a sandwich:

Torta de huevo (egg sandwich): White bun, mayonnaise, omelette, cheese, beans, avocado, pickles... and HAM... as vegetarian as you can get in meat-loving Mexico...

Although I do like the egg sandwiches, you have to be careful, because if the omelette contains ham, it's still meat-free and perfectly vegetarian by Mexican standards (not that there was any "standard" for this strange concept of "vegetarianism" in Mexico).

Ok, back to the slow walking speed. People told me that Mexico City is still fast compared to the other parts (as long as you don't go more in the north like Monterrey, which according to Mexicans is "more US than Mexico"). Well, to me everything still feels insanely slow.

I'm in Mexico for 14 months now - and I'm still the aforementioned "weirdo" who desperately tries to overtake, jumping back and forth, stumbling left and right... and thinking how it's possible to actually advance while rather appearing to stay put (and back in Germany I was told that I was the one who walks slowly - just to put this in perspective).

Perhaps I should just have a tamal...

Tamal con rajas (Source: Niña Levadura)

They can be tasty, but always contain such huge amounts of lard, that you can hardly do anything else but lying down after having had one. Perfect remedy if you feel other people are walking too slowly.

And anyway, there is one sentence in the quote, which is totally unnecessary in Mexico (apart from rushing, of course): Arriving at work timely. Meeting at 9? Come on - let's get one more sope and start the meeting at 10. Sounds impossible? Well, depends on the culture (but your boss should definitely be Mexican!).

Wondering which food is it worth to risk losing your job? Well once again, arriving late is almost expected here in Mexico. I'm always the first in a meeting when I arrive "just in time". But these sopes, if done well, can really be wickedly good.

First decide which kind of topping you are going for:

Lots of options to top your sope.

While watching the women prepare your food, feel slightly sorry for your body regarding the artery-clogging high amounts of lard, cheese and cream which make it into the dish... and then thrust aside any doubts and just enjoy:

This sope consists of blue corn dough, refried beans, lard, string cheese, squash blossoms, some more crumbled cheese and cream.

Even better topped with salsa:

You will find them on each and every tianguis (street market). But on Saturday, near the upbeat Condesa district, there's a tianguis which makes an awesome version of my absolute favourite: Tlacoyos. Although not hard to come by anywhere in Mexico City, it's here on mentioned tianguis where they make them huge, with rich fillings and lots of optional toppings.

Tlacoyo de requesón con quelites

As you can see, I love them so much, I don't even have a picture of them as a whole. They usually come with three different fillings: Refried black beans, mashed faba beans, or with requesón - a fresh cheese with a consistency somewhere between crumbly and creamy. Pictured above is the version with requesón, topped with quelites (a leafy Mexican vegetable), cheese, salsa, cilantro, pineapple, chili, and onions.

When they are freshly made, they are deliciously soft, but they are also awesome when being left for  some time on the comal...

Tlacoyos fresh on the comal (Source: The Mija Chronicles)

Then they develop a very crispy exterior, which for example H. likes better than the "fresh" version (I just love all of them). So, if you come to Mexico City (or "D.F." as it's called here), make sure to check out the Saturday street market in Calle Bajío, near the Condesa district.

Oh, and talking about D.F. and Condesa, I also found a comment about this topic (what a coincidence, I know):

"While not the international city that NY, Berlin, Prague, etc. are (thank God), our DF does have, and always has had, an element of melting pot cultures (especially French and Spanish) and the "new" Condesa is one of them. Sometimes these "international" places can seem like poor imitations of the originals (as can the "French" bistros in New York as well) but when you live here, they can be a welcome respite from "la tradicional"."
(Source: http://forums.egullet.org/topic/94858-mexico-city-dining/page-6)

Oh yes, the part "can seem like poor imitations" is also definitely true. You see the "newly rich" middle class, walking around with their dogs and nannies (importance in this order), and parading their savoir vivre by choosing the recently oh-so-trendy Italian osteria at the corner, where you pay a fortune for some ridiculously small and not even original appetizers...

Given that Mexico City is one of the biggest cities in the world, it's astonishing how "Mexican", or at least "Mexicanized" everything is. To see people with any other than Latin American descent is not usual. Of course, there are gringos, tourists, etc., but everything within very narrow limits and just in some "dedicated" areas.

Don't get me wrong, Mexico City for me is the best place to be in whole Mexico. It's just very different from what you might be used to from other big cities (or also smaller ones like Berlin).

But it's probably also the only place where you find so many camoteros at night, selling tasty grilled plantains and sweet potatoes:

Grilled plantain and sweet potato - but please without the pictured "lechera" (sweetened condensed milk) and with cinnamon instead (Source: http://www.foodspotting.com/reviews/2100661)

For that reason alone I love my "D.F."