Theme II: It's All in the Presentation

This is the blog posting you've been waiting for all fall--the food porn. Yes, I couldn't leave Oaxaca without giving you one more big dose of food, as that is what Oaxaca does best! For that reason, I promise to be short on words and long on pictures in this one. (And yes, those are fried grasshoppers with guacamole on a tortilla in this first shot--to die for!)

And when we talk about food in Mexico in general and Oaxaca in particular, what really stands out is street food. First on our list, of course, are the tacos. Not only are everywhere, but there is such aesthetic finesse invested in their preparation.
And next, there's the ubiquitous corn. Try cooked corn, straight from the steaming pot, or roasted corn, or esquites, corn off the cob mixed with your selection of condiments. The smell follows you everywhere at night, as that is when the corn vendors are out.
Really, it's this mundane, everyday food that Oaxaca does so well. One of my all-time favorites are the chile rellenos from the 20 de noviembre market--so fluffy, light, spicy, and delicious, they just melt in your mouth!
And speaking of market foods and folk foods, I have to admit that even fair food--i.e., as in going to the fair--is also amazing. I couldn't believe how eye-catching each stand would make their fare. Color, texture, variety--you can clearly make fried food go a long way!
Another festive favorite is the tamale. Tamales, like moles, come in a million varieties here, including the banana leaf-wrapped black mole tamales, or the simple corn-husk wrapped herb (chepil) tamale, or even the sweet pineapple tamale. This batch of several hundred tamales was part of a birthday party we helped to prepare--each of the 60 guests were given 4 tamales just to start...you do the math!
Once you come in from the sun and want a little more refined meal, there are of course moles galore--black, red, yellow, green, almond, etc. You can get an incredible mole in the market, but the high-end restaurants really do it up in style. One of these chicken mole coloraditos for lunch, and you're about done for the day.
Another dressed-up peasant standard that I love is a nice herby, brothy soup called sopa de guias. It has these lovely greens, chochoyotes, dripping in a luscious broth with other greens like watercress, and then embellished by small little balls of masa dough. This is exactly what I'm craving on many of those cold, wet Northwest winter eves.
Alright, but lest you think that Oaxacan food is all street fair or traditional cuisine, feast your eyes on some of the nouveau delights. These lovely dishes from Pitiona, a new, fantastic small place here in Oaxaca included succulent octopus...
...and then "carrot" tacos (the "tortilla" is actually made from a carrot gelee) with shrimp ceviche inside. Yum! We had Priti's visit to thank for this outing.
In the end, I could have probably kept this particular blog posting going for quite a while. So many aesthetically-beautiful as well as palate-pleasing foods to talk about. But, I figured I'd leave you with just some of the highlights, so that I have time to run out and EAT a few more of these meals before I head out! Buen Provecho!