Sweet dreams, classic sights in Oaxaca

Patricia Dreyfus

There is a legend in Oaxaca that if you eat the chapulines you will

return, but I am going back for the chocolate. Chapulines are fried

grasshoppers, so it’s an easy choice.

The state of Oaxaca in southern Mexico is known for its cuisine

and for chocolate. Mole, usually made from chocolate, chiles and

spices, is the specialty.

My friend Elana Donovan and I researched and booked our trip

through the Internet at https://www.mexonline.com. Our goal was to

brush up on our Spanish, learn about the indigenous cultures and

sample the food -- all in eight days.

We left Orange County mid-morning on a Tuesday, flew to Dallas,

changed planes in Mexico City and arrived in the state of Oaxaca at

nine in the evening. A driver, also booked by Internet, was waiting.

Our destination was La Casa de los Sabores, a bed and breakfast in

Oaxaca City.

As we drove in the darkness, the tree-lined streets changed to

what appeared to be an industrial area. We were a bit nervous when we

passed a noisy crowd around an all-night taco stand, and our driver

stopped in front of a building that looked abandoned. We rang the

bell next to the tall wooden door and a smiling young man, Audel,

welcomed us by name.

We entered the central courtyard of an old home, the patio filled

with plants, candles glowing on each windowsill. A wooden overhang

sheltered the outdoor kitchen and dining area to the right. Brightly

painted Puebla pottery and a chart of 22 different types of chiles

adorned the wall above the table. Bright blue and white tiles lined

the kitchen counter and walls. Audel presented our rooms right off

the patio and asked if we would like some hot chocolate.

La Casa de los Sabores accommodates 12 guests and is also a

cooking school. This evening, only four others were staying here --

two from Holland and two from Madrid. All were out, so we sat at the

chrome, yellow-painted counter and watched as our host wielded the

molina -- a carved wooden pestle with wooden rings near the bottom.

He held it upright with both hands open on the handle, rolled it

between his palms, then poured the frothy, delicately flavored

cinnamon chocolate into green pottery cups, smiling as we sighed and

sipped.

Pilar Cabrera, the owner of the bed and breakfast, runs La Olla

Restaurant in town and teaches the cooking classes at Los Sabores.

She was on hand the next morning to oversee breakfast. Fresh Mexican

papaya and mango juice preceded a luscious chicken mole, presented on

fluted toast rounds followed by full-bodied Mexican coffee. Each day,

the breakfast table was set with different colorful cloths woven in

the region. She uses the famous deep green pottery ware of Oaxaca to

cook and serve. We signed up for the Thursday afternoon cooking

class.

Right next door to our bed and breakfast is the International

Language School. Our first day in Oaxaca, Elana and I signed up for a

five-day Spanish refresher course. The language school is run by two

patient young women who have created bright-colored patio classrooms

in a garden. They interviewed us briefly, gave us a written test and

structured the course to our needs.

Each day, we ate a leisurely breakfast, arrived at school at 9

a.m. and attended class until 12:30 p.m. In the afternoon, we headed

downtown to sit on the tree-lined zocolo, to have lunch or a coffee

and listen to the marimba players or explore the town and surrounding

area.

Oaxaca sits east of Acapulco in a high valley where the Sierra

Madre del Sur and the Sierra Madre Occidental come together. It has

the largest indigenous population in Mexico, and the handcrafts of

the area reflect it. The square is alive with vendors selling wool

rugs and blankets woven on treadle or back-strap looms in the towns

of Santa Ana and Teotitlan del Valle. Jewelry makers, using

traditional techniques, sell their creations in the square, too.

Everyone is friendly and enjoyed helping us with Spanish when our

lessons faded.

Oaxaca City is a walking town, distinguished by its colonial

architecture with iron balconies, walls painted the vivid colors of

the south. The majority of its large buildings are made of green

limestone and many call it the Ciudad de Jade, or City of Jade. In

1987, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural

Organization declared the historic Center of the City of Oaxaca and

Monte Alban, the archeological site of the ancient Zapotec culture

just outside of town, the “Cultural Heritage of Humanity.” We also

visited nearby Mitla, another unique, well-preserved pre-Hispanic

archeological site.

The Templo Santo Domingo, a 16th century monastery, is now a

historical museum with a fine botanical garden. In the gift shop, we

met the famous Mexican author, Carlos Fuentes, who was holding a book

signing.

The former 15th century Convento de Santa Catarina is now the

Hotel Camino Real. One evening, we strolled the gardens and listened

to the guitars in the main bar. On Friday evening, we attended a

production of the Guelaguetza in the old chapel. The Guelaguetza is

an ancient festival that takes place in Oaxaca every July. The native

people of the region gather to dance and celebrate their cultural

heritage.

On Thursday afternoon, we began our cooking adventure with a trip

to the local mercado. Our menu included agua del Jamaica, a drink

made of dried hibiscus and cinnamon; an appetizer of tortitas de

platano, panela cheese (a regional Oaxacan variety) and black beans

stuffed in a banana and deep fried; arroz con negro, rice with black

beans; pescado a la Veracruzana, red snapper with tomato sauce; and

flan de cafe, coffee-flavored custard. We were disappointed that we

were not going to make anything with chocolate.

Pilar had her favorite vendors for each ingredient and pointed out

other specialties like the ladies sitting with large burlap sacks

filled with chile-dusted fried grasshoppers, the celebrated

chapulines. I purchased some to bring home for my grandkids to try.

One area of the market had mounds and mounds of chocolate suited

to every taste. Some types had no sugar, some were very sweet, some

with cinnamon, some almond or vanilla flavored. I bought a bit of

each but not for the kids.

Back at Los Sabores, we chopped, mixed and learned that some moles

are yellow, some red and some made with as many as 30 different

ingredients. We ate and pronounced our dinner muy rico, or very rich.

We tried a different restaurant each evening. We sampled an

amazing red mole at “El Naranjo.” This restaurant and cooking school

is run by internationally known chefs Iliana de la Vega and Ernesto

Torrealba. The sophisticated architecture and the food at Los

Danzantes and a new restaurant, Casa Oaxaca, are both worth the trip.

Yes, we are returning to Oaxaca. Maybe Elana can try the

chapulines.

* PATRICIA DREYFUS is a resident of Corona del Mar.