El Centro, La Comida

The food tour did not disappoint. There are several mercados squished together in Centro Merida. This photo is of the tortillaria. I noticed that there were no tortillas in the grocery stores in Centro and I wonder if people either make them at home or buy them at the Mercado.

This is a very local dish called salbutos. It’s made from Turkey, the poultry of choice with a mole negro sauce. The base is a thick fried masa base, thicker than a tortilla. 

Cochinata- pork in a tortilla

An assortment of moles, and dry goods.

Empanada and porcana. The porcano (on the right) is made from beans and pumpkin and was a favorite. Apparently people eat them at baseball games?

Dulce shaped like fruit. These are not marzipan. They are made with sugar and pepitas, but they are way sweeter than marzipan.

I totally loved the market tour, and after was able to peek into the cathedral de Merida. The rumor is that it is the oldest cathedral in Mexico built in the 1500s. Some of the stones used to construct the cathedral were pilfered from Mayan ruins. I walked by on Sunday and peaked in. The pipe organ was blaring, and the people were singing. It was quite beautiful. Later I went inside to view the incredibly gargantuan Jesus, carved of wood, at the altar.

Merida

I thought this was a sleepy colonial city, but instead it seems to be expanding as expats and wealthy Mexican refugees stream into the city. Roberta, my old neighbor and current expat, picked me up at the airport and drove me through the town. Everything is still relatively low rise save some hotels, and the town has wide avenues, some still decorated for the holidays. Currently I’m staying with Roberta in a neighborhood called San Miguel, outside of Centro in a one-story house that she shares with a roommate. It has all the modern conveniences but is not luxurious.

Roberta is an incredibly social person who knows how to make friends, the polar opposite of me. She belongs to and has started various groups and from there has made several friendships. Last night she took me to a gathering of the international women’s group… Maybe 50 women from all over the world. We were in town on the gastronómica turística street (hundreds of restaurants, prices not cheap) and a friend ran up and hugged her. We ate breakfast at a fancy hotel and her friend had a tour group there! From Portland no less.

Last night we went to the museum of Yucatecan Music for a concert.  The two groups were utterly charming, I wish I had taken a video. And I wonder why Philadelphia doesn’t have a museum of Philadelphia music since the city has been a birthplace for a number of famous groups.

The weather is kind of perfect and the homes well designed to stay cool. There is an a/c unit in my room and I haven’t used it yet!