You just never know
what you are going to find at the Tuesday market
Which is also known as “the Placita”
Formerly known as the ‘Tianguis”
And still called that by some.
Today I had a real nostalgia moment
When I heard a sound
That was quite familiar 12 years ago
In the Jardin and at fiestas
A chicken, but not quite
But one of the best chicken toys around
But First – a closeup photo:
I want to know who thinks these things up?
This simple little toy
Is made of:
A small plastic cup
A colored foam cutout chicken
Complete with feathers
Glued to the top of the cup
A string attached to the cup
With half a toothpick
A piece of foam to hold in your fingers
Hold it up in the air
String hanging down
And pull tightly down the string
Jerking it as you go
Voila! a cockle doodle dooo
And the video demonstration
of how to use the chicken:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEYsn0R4ne4]
We tried to get there early enough
To video the making of the enpapelado fish dish
But arrived as they were already cooking the very last one
(for someone else)
So instead, I had the filete
All fried and something you probably should eat
Only once a year, if that
But excellent
John ate the caldo de pescado
With everything, including 8 whole shrimp
including the antennae
Not bad, but not great, he says.
Afterwards, we wandered around looking at things
And found these great cheese balls
Queso fresco, on top with Habanero peppers
On bottom, with Jalapenos
I love the shape and the way the mold leaves it’s shape
All over the outside.
Papayas cut into swirling stars
They are masters of cutting fruits and vegetables
Into beautiful shapes.
We bought a liter of honey for 50 pesos
About $3.75
Poured from the drippings of the honeycomb
And ladeled into a liter jar
Then, one of the best, most colorful underwear booths I’ve ever seen
Between the glow of the orange and blue tarps
And the colors in the underwear
It was blinding to look at.
Around the corner,
We ran into our next door neighbor Aron
His son Ariel, and friend Oscar
I wish I had taken a photo of the log that this wood came from
It was being shaved into pieces that are used medicinally
We’re not sure what for,
But the design in the wood is amazing.
Next week, we’ll find out what it is used for
And a found object in the parking lot – a large tin can
with hand made handle of wire
That had a utilitarian use at one time
Now run over by a car.
Last but not least – what you can buy for 45 pesos
($3.30 at today’s exchange rate)
One Pineapple
6 Zucchini
1 Chayote
One large batch of mini bananas
5 Large bananas
Two heads of broccoli
Two large heads of garlic
One Cucumber
9 roma tomatoes
It doesn’t get better than that
