¡Mezcal! Entendamos la bebida más de onda en los EE.UU.

Yo miraba mientras el joven, quién quería ser un mezcalero maestro, esperaba nerviosamente.  Aquél joven vino a In Situ... la meca de mezcalerías... en dónde Ulises Torrentera, el Don de mezcal en Oaxaca, dedica cada día a su búsqueda para los mezcales más perfectos de Oaxaca. El joven le ofrecía una prueba a aquél romántico moderno, quién le parece mucho a Diego Rivera.  Mientras probaba, el Don hacía unas preguntas antes de pronunciar un veredicto. Para muchos americanos, pensar en mezcal es pensar en imágenes del actor Clint Eastwood en una de sus películas de vaquero con un cigarrillo en una mano y una botella de bebida con gusano en la otra.  Sin embargo, como lo explica Ulises, ya no es así: el mezcal ya está ganando lugar entre los grandes licores del mundo, saliendo de las sombra de su hermano mayor, el tequila. El mezcal, un licor embriagador que puede transportarte a un lugar de memorias increíbles, se está convirtiendo rápidamente en uno de los licores de onda en ciudades estadounidenses como Seattle y Chicago.  Parte de ésta nueva popularidad es la gran variedad de mezcales que se producen en México, principalmente en el estado de Oaxaca. Ulises, David y su Amigo Paco Garcia Recientemente, visité con Ulises con el propósito de aprender cómo piensa él y de aprender de ésta bebida fabulosa.  Como dice mi amigo Paco Garcia, “Oaxaca es mezcal y mezcal es Oaxaca”, o, en otras palabras, “David, no se puede comprender Oaxaca a menos que se comprenda el mezcal!” En una entrevista que cubría desde terroir [es integralmente importante] hasta su deseo como niño de ser escritor, empezamos con la historia vieja del mezcal. Mezcal . . . un repaso El mezcal como lo reconocemos hoy tiene ya más de 400 años de edad, a pesar de la insistencia de algunas personas que es un éxito nuevo  Descubierto y destilado por la gente indígena de México, el mezcal tiene una historia compleja. Por cierto tiempo, el mezcal sufría una persecución más común en los Estados Unidos.  Acusado de ser responsable para todo tipo de maldad, su peor pecado fue que era la bebida preferida de las clases bajas para sus fiestas y sus celebraciones.  La clase alta de México (la gran mayoría de ella siendo europea) lo echaba la culpa por el crimen, las enfermedades de niños, la violencia y la corrupción.  Naturalmente, esto contribuyó a su prohibición. Llegamos a la primera mitad del siglo veinte y la industrialización de la producción de la tequila.  México, con su cultura de machismo, aceptó a la tequila y tiró a un lado el mezcal, siendo que el mezcal tenía la reputación de ser algo bajo y primitivo. Pasando a la segunda mitad del siglo veinte, vemos que la versión moderna del mezcal tomaba forma en Matatlán, la Cuña del Mezcal, una región al este de la Ciudad de Oaxaca. El Maguey y el Proceso Ulises, el Don de Mezcal en Oaxaca Cocinado en ollas de barro y cobre en palenques locales, el mezcal era preparado por mezcaleros locales utilizando los métodos de destilar que ocupaban sus antepasados hace muchos s iglos cuando la gente indígena de México descubrió que se podía hacer un alcohol fuerte por destilar la pulpa y los jugos del maguey y el agave. Después de cosechar el maguey, se lo concina en un horno volcánico invertido.  Se lo muele con un muela antes de echarlo en tinas de madera para fermentar.  Dependiendo del mezcalero, se lo puedo destilar varias veces y ponerlo en botellas para vender. Como dice Ulises, este proceso no se ha cambiado mucho a través de los siglos.  El cambio más grande será las ollas de cobre, aunque algunos palenques siguen usando las ollas de barro. Hay tres tipos de magueys que se usan en la mayoría de los mezcales que vienen de Oaxaca.  El más popular es el espadín.  Alto con ramas que llegan a ser hasta dos metros, el espadín se madura en siete años.  Aunque lleva años en madurarse, lo bueno es que se reproduzca fácilmente.  Esta facilidad de reproducir explica la presencia de estancias en Oaxaca donde se puede encontrar miles de este tipo de maguey. Magueys Espadin, Madre Cuishe y Tobalá Los otros dos tipos principales de maguey son el madre cuishe y el tobala.  Estos magueyes son especial a causa de los sabores complejos que dan al mezcal.  Sin embargo, el madre cuishe y el tobala no son tan numerosas como el espadín porque toman quince años para madurarse.  A pesar de las esfuerzas de mezcaleros dedicados, como la familia Garcia de Wahaka Mezcal, no se ha logrado mucho éxito en reproducir ni uno ni otro de estos magueyes. Ulises dice que esto es un crises.  Si los intentos de proteger los magueyes silvestres no tienen éxito, no habrá cantidades suficientes de las plantas silvestres para satisfacer la demanda creado por la gente que quiere las matices que dan al mezcal.  Hay que preguntarse qué haría la industria si de repente se encontrara una escasez.  No hay muchos mezcaleros que quieren pensar en eso.  En lugar de eso, escogen esperar que la naturaleza resolverá los problemas que se formen. Mientras confrontan este problema, algunos están decidiendo a mezclar varios tipos de magueyes como parte de su estrategia por sobrevivir.  Estas esfuerzas en mezclar los sabores nos dan algo que la maestra mezcalera Cecilia Rios, La Niña de Mezcal, llaman “la belleza del mezcal”. La tequila se trata de la uniformidad, pero cada tipo de mezcal se diferente y nos provee con su propia aventura.  Esto se atribuye en una parte a la gran variedad de los magueyes que se usan en la producción del mezcal; de otra parte, se atribuye al local donde se crece el maguey.  Esto se llama “el terroir”. El Terroir  Según lo que dicen muchos mezcaleros, el terroir es el factor que más influye el sabor del maguey y, por extensión, el sabor del mezcal.  El medio ambiente, la tierra, la altitud y el clima se combinan en hacer un papel crítico. Un aficionado refinado puede distinguir las diferencias sutiles en las minerales, la flora local y el clima de la región donde se encuentre el maguey. Por eso, mucho screen que el palenque y el mezcalero deben de ubicarse muy cerca de su maguey.  Es esta proximidad y familiaridad que hace el retrato completo. Por unirse con la tierra, conocer sus plantas y el ambiente local y por usar los procesos antiguos, el mezcalero completa el círculo con su antepasados. Como dice Ulises, esto es indispensable. Yo le pregunté a Ulises si piensa que el mezcal llegará a ser más popular en los Estados Unidos.  Me dijo que esperaba que no, porque él quiere que la gente venga a Oaxaca para probar los grandes mezcales. ¿Por qué? Porque Oaxaca es mezcal y mezcal es Oaxaca! (c) Copyright Dave Miller 2013 - 2016. All Rights Reserved. Translated by Brian Cumings

Give the Gift of Water... literally!

$100.00. One Benjamin.  A C-note.  One bill. What if I told you that by giving just $100.00, you could change a family’s life?  Would you do it? What if I told you that $100.00 could be the single most important ministry gift you make this year because it could save someones life?  Would you make that donation? And what if I told you that by giving one C-note, you might save a little boy or girl from dying of dehydration?  Would you empty your change jar and instead of turning it into Coinstar, give it to Adventures in Life Ministry? Here’s the newsflash... it’s all true! That’s right.  A single donation of $100.00 to Adventures in Life Ministry, in response to this appeal will literally save lives. Let me explain. More than 10% of all babies born to indigenous women in Mexico will die before they reach five years old.  I have personally heard from many parents that one of the reasons they have so many kids is that they assume at least one child will die young. One of the main reasons for these early deaths is lack of quality water.  Many rural parents lack an ability to buy clean water and often, they are living in an area with no potable water source or sewer system.  That means two things... one, outhouses and two, water from polluted wells near those outhouses. Taken together, this is a recipe for disaster, especially mixed with a lack of quality medical care when your baby does get sick. So, how can you help? With a Sawyer Water Filter. It really is as simple as that.   A $100.00 donation will help a family in our little corner of Oaxaca, Mexico have a water filter that will literally change their life.  Pastor Chable, with whom I’ve worked for many years told me in March that his family has not been sick since they got their filter in August.  It is the first time in all his life that his family has ever gone 6 months without being sick! Incredible isn’t it? In an age when almost everything we want is at our fingertips here in the United States, our neighbors just to the south are needlessly dying for need of quality water.  And we have within our grasp the ability to change that equation for less than the cost of a few Vente Mochas at Starbucks. Think about it.   Every $100.00 will give us one filter to put into the hands of a family in Oaxaca and help support the ongoing ministry of Adventures in Life and Pastor Chable in this challenging area. Are you able to help us save a life today so that we will have the opportunity tomorrow to share about an eternity with Jesus?   If so, follow this link to our support page and then drop me a line to let us know you are on board.

Spring in Oaxaca... while teachers protest, kids are left behind...

Scene from 2006 teacher protests If it is spring, it must be time for the annual teacher strikes in Oaxaca.  This year instead of descending on the city center, thousands of teachers have made a pilgrimage to Mexico City to voice their displeasure and share their plight.  Others have taken up the call to block highways and generally disrupt life in their attempt to publicize their cause. Each year, as surely as the swallows return to Capistrano or the monarch butterflies descend on Pacific Grove, teachers in Oaxaca organize strikes, marches, demonstrations and protests, disrupting life across the state. And each year, thousands of children in one of the most impoverished states in the country are deprived of good quality education as these teachers leave their communities and classrooms to take part in the annual protests. Yet you will never hear that from the teachers. They will never tell you about parents that must leave kids alone at home because class has been canceled.  They will never tell you how far behind Roberto and Julia are in their studies because their teachers decided to take another day or week off of classes to protest.  And they will never tell you that many teachers in Oaxaca have never received any formal training to be a teacher. They won’t tell you these things because it does not serve their purpose. If you travel, as I have, in the villages of Oaxaca and talk to the parents, they are fed up with the powerful teachers unions.  How, they ask, can their kids get an education if you never know when a teacher will show up?  The frequency of the teacher strikes and the demands of the union leadership for participation in those strikes are not helping solve the education challenges in Oaxaca.   They are exacerbating it. Teaching in Oaxaca is not easy and at some point, people reach a boiling point as they did in 2006, almost bringing down the state government of Ulises Ruiz Ortiz.  For a good look at that fateful time, watch the documentary "Un Poquito de Tanto Verdad."  I was there and can tell you, while this movie has a bias, it rings true and is pretty accurate.  I get that wages are low for teachers.  I understand that many of the schools are pretty crappy.  I’ve been in some of those tin walled rooms on hot days in Oaxaca and it isn’t pretty.  I can tell you from experience how hard it is for a family to buy the necessary uniforms and supplies for their kids to attend school. Many of the schools in Oaxaca are miles away from the people or, if they are close by, lack the basic necessities like electricity and running water.  In some areas school is taught by video satellite and discipline is enforced by a different untrained parent each day.  The challenges that are faced with educating population groups that grow up speaking indigenous languages and have no written alphabet are legion. But teachers walking out of classes to get the attention of the government officials is not the solution.  The only people hurt by this shortsighted strategy are the children the teachers claim to be helping. The teachers union, known locally in Oaxaca as Seccion 22, APPO, and the government of Gabino Cue must find a way to solve the educational crisis in Oaxaca in a way that benefits everyone.  Ignoring the teachers, refusing to negotiate and walking out on classes and leaving thousands of children behind to somehow educate themselves is not the answer.  Grow up people, Oaxaca, her children and her future are depending on you!

Mezcal! Understanding the new hippest drink in America…

I watched as the young man, hoping to one day be called a maestro mezcalero waited nervously.  He’d come to In Situ, the mecca of mezcalerias where Ulises Torrentera, the Godfather of Mezcal in Oaxaca, holds court daily in his quest to show off the finest mezcals in Oaxaca. Ulises Torrentera at In Situ, Oaxaca And here he was offering a taste to this modern day romantic and Diego Rivera lookalike.  As Ulises tasted, he asked questions before offering his verdict. For many Americans, the idea of mezcal conjures up images of Clint Eastwood in one of those old spaghetti westerns with a cigarette in one hand and a worm-laden bottle in the other.  But as Ulises explains, those days are long gone as mezcal is starting to take its rightful place among the worlds great spirits as it emerges from the shadows of its cousin, the better known tequila. Mezcal, an intoxicating drink that can immediately transport you to a place of incredible memories is quickly becoming a spirit trend-setter in United States cities like Seattle and Chicago.  Part of the reason for this is the wide variety of mezcal that is being distilled across Mexico, but primarily in the southern state of Oaxaca. I recently sat down with Ulises to learn what makes him tick and see what I could learn about this great drink, for as my friend Paco Garcia says “Oaxaca is mezcal and mezcal is Oaxaca”, or as he explained it, “David, you cannot understand Oaxaca until you understand mezcal!” In a wide ranging interview that went from terroir [it’s vitally important] to his desire as a young child to be a writer we started with the early history of mezcal. Mezcal… a look back Mezcal as we know it has existed for over 400 years despite the insistence of some that it has become an overnight success.  Discovered and distilled originally by the indigenous people of Mexico, mezcal has lived a checkered past. L to R: Ulises Torrentera, Dave Miller and Paco Garcia For a while mezcal suffered the type of persecution more familiar to spirits in the neighbor to the north. Accused of being responsible for all types of evil, perhaps its biggest sin was that it was the favored elixir of the poorer classes for their fiestas and celebrations.  The Spanish ruling elite of Mexico laid the blame for everything from childhood ills to local crime, violence and corruption at the feet of mezcal, which naturally led to its prohibition. Fast forward to the mid 1940’s and the industrialization of tequila. Mexico, steeped in its macho culture embraced tequila, tossing aside the poorer cousin mezcal that was often seen as an unrefined drink for the lower classes. It wasn’t until the mid 1950’s that we started to see the modern version of mezcal begin to take shape in an area east of Oaxaca City, known as Matatlán, the Cradle of Mezcal. Brewed in clay and copper pots at local palenques, local mezcaleros the same methods handed down by their forefathers hundreds of years ago when  used then, and still do today, the same methods of distillation used hundreds of years ago by their ancestors. The maguey and process Brewed in clay and copper pots at local palenques, local mezcaleros use the same methods handed down by their forefathers hundreds of years ago when the indigenous people of Mexico discovered that if you distilled the pulp and juices of the maquey and agave cactus you could make a powerful elixir. Once that maguey is harvested it is cooked in essentially an inverted volcanic oven.  It is then treaded out under a millstone before going into wooden vats to ferment.  Next, depending on the mezcalaro, it is distilled a number of times and the bottled for delivery. As Ulises said, this process has remained mostly unchanged over hundreds of years.  Perhaps the biggest change being the addition of the copper still, although some palenques still use the classic clay pots. Magueys Espadin, Tobala and Madre Cuishe There are three magueys used in the majority of mezcal from Oaxaca, the most popular being the Espadin.  This is what most Americans think of when they think mezcal.  Tall with spindles sometimes reaching over 6 feet, the Espadin takes over 7 years to mature. While the maturation process takes years, the good thing about the Espadin is that it is easily reproduced.  That is why you can see farms with literally hundreds of this type of maguey planted around the countryside in Oaxaca. The other two principle magueys used are the Madre Cuishe and the Tobala. These magueys are prized for the complex flavors they bring to mezcal. But there is a problem brewing.  Both the Madre Cuishe and the Tobala are less plentiful than the Espadin and can take up to 15 years to reach maturity, double the Espadin.  Despite efforts by some dedicated mezcalaros, notably the Garcia family of Wahaka Mezcal, there has not been much success in reproducing or replanting either of these magueys. Ulises calls this a looming crises.  If the efforts at reforestation of these magueys are not successful, there may not be enough wild product to satisfy the growing demand of people desiring the subtle nuances they bring to mezcal.  What will the industry do he asks if we suddenly find ourselves facing a shortage?  It is a question few really want to ponder, choosing instead to hope that somehow nature will solve whatever problems come. Yet even as the mezcaleros face this issue, some are choosing to mix and blend other types of magueys as part of their strategy to survive.  These efforts at mixing flavors give us what Maestra Mezcalera Cecilia Rios, La Nina de Mezcal, calls the beauty of mezcal. Unlike tequila that strives for a certain consistency, every type of mezcal is different and takes you on another adventure.  And while part of that difference is due to the wide variety of magueys used for mezcal, another large factor is where the maguey is grown, sometimes known as terroir. Terroir To many, this is the central most important thing that influences the taste of the maguey and by extension, mezcal.  The environment, the soil, the altitude and the weather all combine to play a crucial role in the final product. A finely tuned palette can taste the subtle differences in minerals, local flora and climate of the area where the maguey is found. It’s one reason many believe that both the palenque and the mezcalero must be close to their maguey.  It is this proximity and familiarity that connects all of the dots.  By being at one with the land, knowing his plants, his local environment and using the same processes passed down through generations, the mezcalero closes the circle with their ancestors. This, in Ulises opinion, is indispensible. I asked Ulises if he thought mezcal would ever break out of its niche in the United States.  He said he hoped not because he wanted people to come to Oaxaca to try the great mezcals. Why? Because Oaxaca is mezcal and mezcal is Oaxaca! Measuring up I watched as the young man, struggling to keep his composure, answered all of Ulises’ questions, knowing his future was on the line.  And then came the moment of truth.  The taste.  Ulises swirled it around in the glass and smelled it.  He took one, two, maybe three sips before finally giving his verdict. Yes, he’d be glad to put a bottle of this mans mezcal on the wall of the greatest mezcals in Oaxaca and thus was born another in the long line of maestro mezcaleros. © All rights reserved by Dave Miller [A special thanks to Ulises Torrentera, Cecilia Rios, Paco, Beto and of course Ed Draves of Premier Wines for help on this article]

Coffee in a Barrio? Of course... in Oaxaca!

The Church of Saint Matthias in the Barrio Jalatlaco Coffee in the barrio? Yes please… When I am in Oaxaca, inevitably, I will be spending time in El Barrio Jalatlaco, the oldest neighborhood in the city.  When I first started coming here back in 1999, good coffee was something desired, but seldom found. Thankfully as this area of the city has started to find it’s personality, it has left behind the vestiges of years of coffee abuse at the hands of Nestle and their ubiquotis brand Nescafé Classico, or as it is known here, No es Café! Now we are seeing a growing coffee and culture in Jalatlaco anchored by Café El Agora, owned by Arnel Cruz, longtime owner of Casa Arnel, a wonderfully quaint bed and breakfast hotel that has been in the area for years.  (Full disclosure, I have stayed at Casa Arnel many times and count the owner Arnel as a friend.] Think of Café El Agora as the gathering place.  Holding court at the corner of Aldama and Hidalgo, Café El Agora has been open a little over two years.  In that time it has gradually increased its menu and is now offering baguettes and breakfast alongside the typical coffee house menu of frappes, lattes and cappuccinos.  Weekends also give you live music in this beautifully designed shop. If an up and coming crowd, live music, coffee and a snack is what you are seeking, this place is for you. Next up is Café Xiguela, located a block away in the shadow of the Church of San Matias.  This is the anti-hip option in Jalatlaco.  It serves up organic coffee and has an extensive tea list.  Small and friendly, Xiguela is only open until the afternoon. The coffee is good, fresh and strong, the way I like it.  Xiguela is quiet and they also offer free Wi Fi, not an option at Café El Agora. With lots of tables, clean restrooms and plenty of snacks to munch on, it’s a great addition to this part of Oaxaca, and if you need to work and connect, it’s perfect. Finally, we take a look at Café Blasón, located kitty corner to Xiguela in Jalatlaco.  This is a small place and it is more like a coffee bar.  In fact with only four tables, their bar is actually filled most nights with people talking to the baristas like they might talk to their local bartender. Now if you’ve been in Mexico for any length of time, you will recognize the Blasón name as one of the more famous Mexican coffee brands.  For years you could only find this brand in local tienditas and supermarkets.  The trouble was, what you found then was not what you would want to drink.  Think dry, bitter and old. But the product that this company store is offering here was remarkably smooth.  I ordered a latte and it was strong, but not overpowering.  Just like I wanted it.  The barista even added a nice little touch of latte art. I went back a few days later and ordered a half kilo of their coffee and it made a great, smooth pot of coffee. So here’s the deal… you just want coffee?  Go to Café Blasón.  Looking for a quiet place to work while getting some great organic Oaxacan coffee? Head over to Café Xiguela.  And if you are on a date or maybe want a late night snack for cena, you can’t go wrong at Café El Agora. All three are within a block of each other in the Barrio Jalatlaco, the oldest corner of Oaxaca City, Oaxaca, Mexico.  And all three are, in their own right, adding a few distinctive touches to the growing reputation of Oaxacan gastronomy and cuisine.

Tlayudas Done Right... San Jacinto Amalpas, Oaxaca

The tlayuda sometimes spelled clayuda, is a handmade traditional Mexican dish consisting of a large, thin, crunchy, partially fried or toasted tortilla covered with a spread of refried beans, asiento, lettuce or cabbage, avocado, meat, Oaxacan cheese and salsa. But the above description from Wikipedia is like saying Willie Mays was just a baseball player, Josh Grobin just a singer or Michael Phelps just a swimmer.  They are all technically true, but woefully miss the mark in explaining true greatness. You see, when it’s done right, the traditional tlayuda is more than just a Mexican dish, it is one of the anchors of the gastronomical galaxy known as Oaxaca. The tlayuda is an all star baseball player, an award winning singer and a multiple Olympic gold medal winner all in one.  And if you ever find yourself in Oaxaca, you need to get a taxi right away and head over to Tlayudas San Jacinto. When you arrive the outside is going to worry you if you don’t typically eat off the beaten track in Mexico.  It’s just an opening in a residential area with blue steel doors and a banner that tells you the place has a good, clean atmosphere.  Yet, as soon as you walk in, you realize you are somewhere special, like an enchanted garden.  Lots of greenery, bamboo like plants, umbrellas and a rich almost tropical feel.  It is as if you could sit there all day, and you can because once you walk in, you are treated like family.  There’s even a playground if you bring the kids. The menu is simple and hangs from the ceiling.  Tlayudas.  Pick your topping.  Beef, pork, ribs, skirt steak or eggs from the grill.  Add your drink, soda or beer, and you’re all set. Once we ordered, it took about 15 minutes for our food to arrive. And here’s what you get.  A gigantic fired roasted quesadilla like creation stuffed with cheese, black beans and finished with your desired topping.  I had the eggs, which came perfectly fried hard.  Now, I’ve had lots of tlayudas around Oaxaca, but this one was different, because the tortilla was cooked to perfection. When I picked it up, there was no sag at all.  This wonderful creation was crispy through and through, the result of just the right amount of time over the coals.  The beans were not over the top and there was just the right amount of that great Oaxaca string like cheese, quesillo. Once I added avocado, chepiche, a Oaxacan herb, and a some roasted chile de aqua, it was off the charts wonderful. Now, I’ve got to tell you, this place can be hard to find.  It’s in the Colonia San Jacinto but it is not along the row of the other locations that sell tlayudas.  Look for the San Jacinto signs that call you to this little slice of heaven in Oaxaca and prepare yourself to fall in love with this all star of Oaxacan cuisine, maybe for the first time, or all over again. Tlayudas San Jacinto Colonia San Jacinto Amilpas Calle Benito Juarez #11 Tlayuda and a soda... $6.00 con una cerveza… $8.00

Dinner with Dave... at Casa Oaxaca

Last night, after a long week of ministry, I had the pleasure of taking my wife to one of the best and most acclaimed restaurants in Oaxaca City... Casa Oaxaca. Chef Alejandro Ruiz has definitely created a magical place to sit, relax, and enjoy the full impact of the rich flavors that make up Oaxacan gastronomy. Situated in view of the historic Cathedral of Santo Domingo, we were seated on the rooftop terraza, perfect to watch the sunset and the sky change colors before us. As the captain seated us, he took our initial drink orders and soon returned to make our salsa for the evening right at the table.  Carefully hand grinding guajillo chiles, garlic and onions in a molcajete, our salsa was made complete when roasted green tomatoes were added.  He then invited us to try our fresh made salsa on a blue corn roasted tortilla sprinkled with asiento [seen above with both chile and herb salt].  It was wonderful, made even more so when paired with a margarita or some Real Minerva Madre Cuishe mezcal.    Soon our salads and appetizers arrived and they were visually stunning.  Chef Alejandro says that a chef is like a painter seeking a balance between colors.  He certainly succeeded here. I had the shrimp stuffed avocado role while my wife had the tropical salad.  Both were wonderful.   The roll, seemingly floating on a sea of cilantro dressing was carefully sliced and stuffed with baby shrimp and cheese and then topped with perfectly cooked chicharrón, or pork skin bits.    The tropical salad which was adorned with passion fruit, mango, avocado, slivered almonds and goat cheese alongside a wonderful jamaica dressing.  If your grandmother ever told you to avoid lettuce when traveling in Mexico, forget it!  Next time you are in Oaxaca, you’ve got to try this salad. Next up were our entrees, vanilla scented shrimp and a traditional tlayuda topped with rib eye steak. The tlayuda was covered with that wonderful Oaxacan cheese, quesillo, and the steak was perfectly done, just as I had ordered.  But I will warn you, unless you are extremely hungry, plan on sharing this one.  Perhaps a slightly smaller tlayuda would make this seem a little less daunting. The shrimp platter was unbelievable.  Who thinks of pairing shrimp, vanilla and an apple puree together?  Only someone daring enough to stretch your ideas about food.  Grilled to perfection, the shrimp, when touched with the puree was simply out of the world. Finally it was time for dessert and we were presented with an extensive dessert menu complete with paired dessert wines.  At the waiters suggestion, I had the flan of the day, a wonderful coconut infused version topped with a dollop of ice cream and a rose petal.  My wife had chocolate rolls, one stuffed with a chocolate ganache and the other a guanabana cream... both were light and wonderful. Served with coffee and Oaxacan chocolate covered espresso beans, the dessert was a wonderful end to a fantastic meal made even better by the sounds of latin jazz wafting up from the courtyard below. If you decide to go, you can walk from almost any place in the city.   Located on Avenida Constitución, between Reforma and 5 de Mayo, make sure you get reservations on the weekend as this award winning restaurant fills up quick. As for cost, dinner for two, including appetizers, drinks, a great view, incredible service and tip will run about $100.00US.  Well worth it in the wonderful city of Oaxaca, or as we say in Spanish, "Vale la pena!"

Wahaka Mezcal... on location with Dave Miller

I am pretty busy with greenhouses, kids camps, and ministry in general here in Oaxaca, but occasionally I get the chance to get away and experience a little of the culture of this amazing area. Mezcal is an important part of the lifeblood of Oaxaca, much like tequila is to Guadalajara. Here is the first of a short series of videos at the Wahaka Mezcal micro distillery I did for a friend who heads up the MultiCultural Cooking Network. What an interesting process. Enjoy

Engaging Mexico... tourism outside the box...

I was reading a Rick Steves, pictured here, article earlier today. For those of who don’t know, Rick Steves is the guru of European travel.  If you want good travel advice about Europe, Steves is your go to guy. Here’s one of his points about having a great experience in Europe... “A fundamental aim in my travels is to have meaningful contact with local people.  When an opportunity presents itself, I jump on it. Driving by a random cheese festival in Sicily? Stop the car, get out, and eat cheese. Hiking through England's Lakes District and popping into a pub for a drink?” What great advice... When you are visiting another country, don’t stick to the tried and true, venture out, explore and experiment! I wish people who visit Mexico from the United States had more of that spirit. One of the great pleasures in Mexico is eating in the markets, on the streets, and some of the off the beaten tracks hole in the wall restaurants.  Sadly, far too often people miss out on a chance to experience some of the heart of Mexico out of fear, timidity, or worry about what might happen. Last year I had a friend join me on mission in Oaxaca for a week of ministry.  Before we got started I led a small group over to the market for lunch where I ordered meat by the kilo for all of us to eat.   Now if you’ve never been to a food market in Oaxaca, it is an experience not to be missed.  The sights, sounds and smells are at once incredible and sometimes overwhelming.  Sadly, most people who are visiting Oaxaca will never experience this. My friend was one of those people until I took her into the market, made her sit in the smoke filled room where they were grilling tons of fresh meat, eat sauteed grasshoppers and have one the most memorable meals of her life. I made her break every rule she had ever heard about eating in another country in general and Mexico in particular.  And yet, there she was, eating and laughing with us as we enjoyed a wonderful lunch together surrounded not by the typical tourists you’d expect to find in Oaxaca.  The folks surrounding us were locals, amazed that a small group of gringos would venture into their local market not just for some cool photos, but a great meal as well. Next time you travel, do what Rick Steves and I do when we travel, get off the beaten track, follow the locals, and leave the cookie cutter tourism behind.  Not only will you get to know the country you are visiting much better, you’ll have way better stories to tell when you arrive home. Next up... the Guelaguetza!

The Mexican Elections... a step to the left, or two steps back?

***UPDATE BELOW*** As I write, Mexico is making final preparations for the presidential elections to be held tomorrow, July 1st.. The country seems as divided as the United States politically as roughly the same percentage of voters favor left leaning candidate Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador of the PRD and Enrique Peña Nieto of the PRI. The third major candidate, Josefina Vazquez Mota of the PAN Party, has virtually no chance as polls show her trailing the top two candidates badly. Whoever wins, the election is going to have major consequences for the United States. Both Peña Nieto and Lopez Obrador are advocating policies in the drug war, which has claimed over 50,000 victims over the last 6 years, that would basically allow the free flow of drugs to the United States. Mexico is asking whether it is worth the cost in money and lives to fight a war over a product that is essentially passing through the country on the way to the wealthy drug users. Let me put it another way. Why should Mexican citizens die in a futile attempt to curtail an insatiable addiction of another country?  After all, Mexico is not a major player when it comes to drug use, rather, it is more of a transit route. Peña Nieto has said his administration will focus on crimes that directly affect the Mexican people.  That includes things like extortion, kidnapping and murder.  Lopez Obrador, in classic leftist rhetoric is saying he will take the military off the streets in six months and put his focus jobs for the millions of underemployed young people in the country. Notice that neither candidate is saying he will continue the war on drugs that was undertaken six years ago by current President, Felipe Calderone. As I listen to everyday people on the street, here is what I am sensing. It is time to return to the days of the PRI, the party that ruled Mexico for 70 years before finally losing in 2000 to PAN candidate Vicente Fox. I was in Mexico on the night he was elected and all I can say is that the country was ecstatic.  They had finally done it, had finally declawed the dinosaur.  And now, just 12 years later, they are ready to give that dinosaur life again. That is the view of the establishment.   Young people, the type that were partly responsible for the Arab Spring across the Middle East, are all in for Lopez Obrador.  But I do not think they have the numbers to make the difference. I believe Lopez Obrador dashed his own hopes to win the presidency by acting like a spoiled brat after he narrowly lost to Felipe Calderone in 2006.  If, after that election he had accepted defeat gracefully, rather than crying fraud and trying to set up a shadow government in exile, the people would have backed him heavily this time around. I will be in Oaxaca City all morning and the rural areas in the afternoon trying to get a sense of what is happening.  We are being told that a winner will be announced by midnight. Soon we will have a new President-Elect in Mexico and a new policy towards the United States.  Who can say where this will lead, except that it seems certain that whoever wins will be looking for a way to curtail the violence that has led to more deaths in Mexico in 6 years than we saw in the entire Vietnam War that so consumed our country. Want to read more? From the Washington Post From John Ackerman in The Nation AmericasMexico Blog Update As expected, Enrique Peña Nieto was elected the new president of Mexico.  His margin of victory however was much less than the polls showed.  In pre-election polling, he was leading Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador [AMLO] by over 10%.  His margin of victory will end up about 5%. AMLO has, like he did when he lost in 2006, cried fraud, although his supporters have turned up nothing that could even remotely change the final tally, even if everything he alleges were true. Mexico has worked hard to reform their system and for a majority of the country, there is a feeling that AMLO just cannot, or will not accept that he lost. I am sure this will lead to some protests around the country starting tomorrow when the official tallies are released.   Now we will wait for the upcoming changes in the war on drugs that has claimed so many lives...