Blancmange blowout

[cheerypeabrain]

What a vibrant, beautiful place. Unfortunately I think that if we had such a glorious graveyard here it would probably be vandalised...

[bixaorellana]

Oh, that is sad, Cheery. Of course this is a small town, so more neighborly eyes watching out. But I don't think I've ever heard of a graveyard being vandalized in Mexico, possibly because of the whole belief system about the dead.

I need to think about getting back to Xoxo & the birthday lunch. Let's go back for a last turn through the festival.

This is a lovely detail to see while still in a contemplative mood from the cemetery ~

Plunging back into the hot red of the tents. People are still milling and eating and drinking ~


More tejate is being stirred up ~




This man had just taken his first bite when a friend came to join him ~


[/center]

A last look at the festivities from a newscast on the event. Also, I didn't report on the nicuatoles. I tried three: coconut, pineapple, and chocolate, all from different vendors. The chocolate was by far the best, from the most popular stand. I'd had a little sample of the pineapple under the arches -- very nice --, so I bought some from the lady in at :54.

And home in time to enjoy snacks, beer, & a great chicken pozole with friends and neighbors ~

[lola]

Too wonderful, Bixa. What an eye you have.

Shoot. Waited too late to comment, and now there are so many. My computer is messing up this thread, so I can't easily return to page 1 .

I love the peek into the kitchen, and really love all of the ones with your tejate woman. I think the hand gesture means "I am cool similar to a gansta rap star."
Mater Dolorosa, I think? Though I don't remember one with a sword. Are those slits of light in the church windows up high, or light fixtures?

I want some of that posole right now. Thank you so much, bixa. Maybe if your friend had been along you'd have been chatting instead of concentrating on reporting back to us.

[Don Cuevas]

Only Bixa has the skills and enthusiasm to magically change a geriatric drink (nicuatole) festival into a colorful and interesting photo essay.

But that tejate vendor She's stirring it with her arm! ¡Gúacala!

I have never tasted tejate because I just can't get my mind past that ugly foam. I did try some chocolateatole frío once, which is somewhat similar, and it wasn't at all bad. I didn't seek seconds, though.

[bjd]

Glad to see you are enjoying your new camera, Bixa!

I just went back and looked at the whole thread again. The two guys pulling the tarp up onto the church roof in #16 look exactly like the carvings on the temples in the Yucatan peninsula when they are in profile.

Great colours everywhere and the countryside around there is beautiful with the mountains in the background.

[mossie]

Aug 29, 2012 10:04:44 GMT Don Cuevas said:

But that tejate vendor She's stirring it with her arm! ¡Gúacala!

I wondered when someone would pick that up.

Reminds me of when my mother made cakes etc., we kids always got to lick the spoon and scrape out the bowl ;D ;D

[bixaorellana]

Aug 29, 2012 0:45:16 GMT lola said:

... I think the hand gesture means "I am cool similar to a gansta rap star."
Mater Dolorosa, I think? Though I don't remember one with a sword. Are those slits of light in the church windows up high, or light fixtures?...

Thanks for the kind words, Lola & for the interpretation of the mysterious ways of the young ones.
Yeah, I did a double-take on the sword, too. It looks grafted on, as though it fell off of a Saint Barbara or Michael the Archangel statue & someone said, "Where does this go?"
Those are glary fluorescent fixtures you see, not God's light.

Aug 29, 2012 10:04:44 GMT Don Cuevas said:

Only Bixa has the skills and enthusiasm to magically change a geriatric drink (nicuatole) festival into a colorful and interesting photo essay.

But that tejate vendor She's stirring it with her arm! ¡Gúacala!

I have never tasted tejate because I just can't get my mind past that ugly foam. I did try some chocolateatole frío once, which is somewhat similar, and it wasn't at all bad. I didn't seek seconds, though.

Not a drink, more of a nice Victorian invalid's food. But hey ~~ thank you.
And now I know I've lived here too long. It never occurred to me to mention or even note the strong-arming of the tejate mixture!
You really need to try the stuff. The foam is actually more like whipped cocoa butter. You can ask for it without foam. It's lovely stuff, not anywhere near as thick as atole -- more on the order of pre-columbian Chocolate Soldier.

Aug 29, 2012 10:29:50 GMT bjd said:

Glad to see you are enjoying your new camera, Bixa!

I just went back and looked at the whole thread again. The two guys pulling the tarp up onto the church roof in #16 look exactly like the carvings on the temples in the Yucatan peninsula when they are in profile.

Great colours everywhere and the countryside around there is beautiful with the mountains in the background.

Thank you, Bjd. And great call on the guys' profiles.
I love the landscape here & never get tired of looking at the mountains.

Aug 29, 2012 14:08:01 GMT mossie said:

doncuevas said:

But that tejate vendor She's stirring it with her arm! ¡Gúacala!

I wondered when someone would pick that up.

Reminds me of when my mother made cakes etc., we kids always got to lick the spoon and scrape out the bowl

Think about this: when you eat homemade bread, someone fingers, knuckles, and palms have rubbed and pushed into it repeatedly. I direct you & the Don to go to google images & type in tejate oaxaca for many many pictures of vigorous arm stirring.

[Don Cuevas]

"Think about this: when you eat homemade bread, someone fingers, knuckles, and palms have rubbed and pushed into it repeatedly. I direct you & the Don to go to google images & type in tejate oaxaca for many many pictures of vigorous arm stirring."

Many images do not make it a hygienic practice.

Bread is cooked, ¿verdad? But really, I was jest funnin'. Of course, she shaves her arms before going out to make tejate. DOESN'T SHE??

(I could tell some bakery stories, but I don't want to sour you on dough.)

[bixaorellana]

I knew we knead not get crusty over a different way of seeing things & that your humor would rise to the occasion.

It's so beautifully arranged on the plate -- you know someone's fingers have been all over it. Julia Child

You should be here on the days we make the doughnuts, Mrs. Roosevelt!

[imec]

Outstanding bixa! My favorite bit is the 4 kids drinking pop. I've never been good at photographing people and I really appreciate the skill/art.

(sorry, but the theme couldn't not remind me of this)

[Don Cuevas]

"You should be here on the days we make the doughnuts, Mrs. Roosevelt!"

SIGH...I knew that was going to come up.

[bixaorellana]

Aug 30, 2012 21:27:00 GMT Don Cuevas said:

going to come up

¡¡¡ HIJOLE !!!

[Deleted]

All of that manipulation is to help strenghten everybody's immune systems. I thought everybody knew that.

[Don Cuevas]

Now I'm thinking that a big bowl of tejate would make a wonderful bath for sore, tired feet.

[Deleted]

You could stir it with your feet and that woman would thank you for it.

[htmb]

;D Too funny!

[komsomol]

I see a lot of happy people.

[Deleted]

I find it hard to imagine exactly how long one spends at an event like this and how much you eat. Do you eat 3 things, 5 things, 10 things?

You arrive at what time and leave at what time? Yes, I am nosy.

[bixaorellana]

I think everyone is happy, Komsomol. It's a straightforward thing I really like about this country -- "Let's do this, it will be fun!"

Please, be nosy, Kerouac. Expanding threads with questions makes them more interesting, don't you think?

It pretty much depends on if you're with other people, if you came with the idea of eating, etc. I had that lunch to attend, so I had to make sure I wasn't going to pick at my food at the birthday party. (yeah, like that ever happens!) I had the tamal noonish, and didn't eat all of it, sharing the outer portions with street dogs. I would have liked to have tried more of the nicuatoles, but didn't want to eat one sweet thing after another, and of course didn't want to fill up.

When I left @2:30, the folk dancing & band was due to start. Everyone taking that in probably hit the food tables again afterward.

Let's say a group of anyporters attended that event. We could arrive elevenish, have some food, then go out and about around the town, cameras snapping. Then we could return, and try a nicuatole or two, and perhaps return to some point of interest for more shutterbugging, then decide on more food, watching the dancing or whatever.

My suggest for that particular event at that particular town would be to arrive around 12:30, sample some nicuatole and look around. Then around 2:30 we could adjourn to the nearby food mecca that I love so much, La Escondida. It's buffet style with so many traditional dishes you can't try them all at one meal. The buffet features meat you can grill yourself, and a massive salad bar so that even vegetarians are satisfied. On Sundays the dessert table also includes homemade ice creams. Tables full of extended families might stay for hours, as could we. www.flickr.com/photos/yaxchibonam/402418487/lightbox/

[6lucky]

What a great photo essay! Some of my best memories of trips to Mexico revolve around the street/festival food and the lovely people who prepared it.

Do you have any more photos of the metal hand door knocker thing? It is quite intriguing. Is it on the outside of a tomb?

And a question about these guys



Is the nicuatole encapsulated in a semi globe of gelatin? I have never seen anything like this at the local mercados.

[bixaorellana]

Thanks, 6Lucky ~~ you obviously get the spirit of this sort of thing. DO look me up the next time you're in this area.

I'm kicking myself for not asking about those snow globe thingies. The person running the stand was occupied when I took the pic, & I meant to go back & ask but forgot. They are a first for me, too. I assumed that the flowers are nicuatole, but now I'm thinking it might be carved vegetables & fruits. Maybe marzipan? That green color in the leaves does not occur in nature.

The door knocker was on a weathered wooden door on a house. I got three photos of it, here at #31: anyportinastorm.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=photo&thread=2286&page=2#142376

[nycgirl]

What a delightful festival! Nicuatole sounds tasty, I'd be willing to try a few flavors.

I really enjoyed vicariously attending this festival with you. The town and the people look so warm and welcoming, and those vistas of blue skies and rolling mountains are absolutely beautiful.

The woman stirring the tejate reminded me of photos I've seen of macaron batter being stirred by hand. So she has something in common with high-fallutin Parisian pastry chefs.