Happy Day of the Dead! Feliz DĂa de Los Muertos 2024!
This is an important holiday for me and my fellow Mexicans. This is a day (spills over into the weekend) we use to celebrate and reconnect with our loved ones. This is the time of year where we are closer to our loved ones. I think about my grandparents, my aunts and uncles, my cousins and, other loved ones.
I hope to see you soon.
This post was written in my apartment in San Francisco.
Going on a hike in Oaxaca - 2015
This is some writing I wrote in French while visiting my grandparents in 2015
Je suis arrivé en Mexique.
Le second jour de mes vacances Ă©tait ennuyeux. Je me lĂšve tĂŽt. Je me suis levĂ© en retard. Je prends une douche. Le jour commence. La derniĂšre fois que je suis venu c'Ă©tait il y a cinq jours avec ma mĂšre et mes deux sĆurs. Nous Ă©tions ici partout en Ă©tĂ©. Je n'ai vraiment pas fait beaucoup, juste aider ma grand-mĂšre Ă cause de sa santĂ©. Elle est trĂšs malade.
Je crois que j'ai une nouvelle routine quand je me lÚve. Ceci est à cause du fait que je suis dans un nouvel endroit géographique. Je dois recommencer le forme d'habitude que les gens font tous les jours. Pour le petit-déjeuner, je mange beaucoup de pain. A cÎté de ça je bois du café. C' est un repas traditionnel. Il est vite mangé. AprÚs ça nous avons tué une dinde pour manger un autre plat traditionnel. J'ai un nouvel ami. Il s'appelle Bryan. Ouais c'est un nom américain. Il va à l'école. Il est maintenant en vacances. C' est un garçon aimable. Les parents de Bryan sont vendeurs de glaces délicieuses. Ils vendent aussi du bois de beaucoup parfums. Je passe du temps avec lui. Je vais à sa maison. Nous regardons la télévision. Chez mes grands-parents n'ont pas de télé. Nous regardons les programmes américain en espagnol. J'aime aussi le programme mexicaine aussi. C' est un cool type!
Je me suis encore levĂ©. La mĂȘme routine comme toujours. Ma routine ici est presque la mĂȘme comme celle- lĂ , aux Ătats-Unis. J'ai fait la cuisine pour le dĂ©jeuner. J'ai prĂ©parĂ© un repas italien. C'Ă©tait "chicken Alfredo" avec pasta. J'ai enseignĂ© mes tantes Ă faire. C'Ă©tait dĂ©licieux. Mon grand-pĂšre et mes tantes l'aiment. Mais ma grand-mĂšre ne l'aime pas. Elle est plus traditionnelle. Elle n'aime pas le change. Oh la la! Elle est compliquĂ©e. Vous n'avez pas idĂ©e. :'( . AprĂšs ça je suis sorti au centre du village. Je fais du shopping. Je rachĂšte dĂšs nourriture. Oh la la il faisait chaud. Je transpire beaucoup. Les tortas sont la version mexicaine d'un sandwich en comparaison entre les amĂ©ricain. Ils sont dĂ©licieux. Comme j'aime la nourriture mexicaine.
On my most recent trip to Oaxaca I brought back lots of delicious foods with me. One food item that always comes back with me is tlayudas.
A tlayuda is a big tortilla tortilla that is a staple food in Oaxaca made out of corn and water. They are huge and twice the size of my head. These are no regular tortillas. This has been a food I've been eating since I was a young kid with my parents, grandparents, other relatives, and many friends. Even in moments of low funds, I have always been able to rely on these to meet my needs.
Often times the tlayuda itself is the plate which you eat on. What I mean by this that often times you don't use an actual plate on the table to hold your tlayuda but the tlayuda is your plate.
There are many ways on how you eat one but here are the ways I eat them:
This one is a simple Tlayuda. For the toppings, I used:
I brought back plenty of these ingredients with me from Oaxaca since I don't get to have these often or it's hard to find around here. Even when i do find them here, it doesn't have the same taste or the ingredients are old. I'm trying to eat as much of them as fast as I can.
I love quesillo. Even though my body I don't agree with dairy much but quesillo is something that I never have a problem with. It probably the way it's cultured.
I also haven't had much of an appetite the last few days and I haven't been craving much meat either. The chapulines provide me a substantial amount of protein and nutrients. It's common in Oaxaca to go multiple meals without eating meat. There are times where I don't eat meat for weeks at a time
As a first generation Mexican-American and Oaxacan, food is important to me to help me stay connected with my culture.
Tonight, will be my last full day in Oaxaca. I will return to the United States tomorrow. So many emotions are running through my head. I am sad that I have to return to my life back home. I enjoyed so many great moments with people by rekindling old relationships. I became a version of myself I usually don't see often in the States. I learned so many lessons I took at heart.
I you Oaxaca,
Pablo
I'm trying audio blog posts. Enjoy!
Transcript I'm currently in rural Oaxaca in a small village. I'm currently at the weekly farmers market located in "La Plaza" or the town square. Every week there is so many good foods, fresh foods from many vendors.
