Como Agua Para Chocolate

Mexico
2/14/2010

"¡Nieve, Nieveeee!", you would have heard Chino and me yelling, in between laughs and other jokes, today at the Feria in El Llano, a park in Oaxaca. Casa Hogar had a stand in the middle of the festival and we were selling two types of marmelade, both made by Joff and Joy, as well as small jars of habeñero infused olive oil and cups of nieve (ice cream). Our jokes and shoutings were funny because in México and many other latin american countries there are various street sales people who will walk/ride/drive around the towns and cities shouting out whatever it is they are selling, and often in a rythm or song. For example we were shouting,"¡Nieve, Nieveeee!", and were imitating the local ice cream vendors who ceaselessly walk around town at all hours of the day shouting the same thing we were in the same manner. We were also shouting "¡Pasele, Paseleeee!" (Come, Come) which is very common to hear while strolling around the market, each vendor trying to drag you to their stall. We had a lot of fun and laughs while taking turns shouting out these phrases to the festival crowd, much to the amusement of Doña Coco and the rest of the Casa Hogar family.
Today, "El Dia Del Amor", St. Valentine's day, as we know it, the streets of Oaxaca are filled with balloons, roses, candies and thousands of paper hearts. Last night in the Zocaló, there were thousands of people, most watching the complicated and humorous dances on the stage, others talking , buying flowers, kissing, dressed up nicely on their way to go dance and some just walking sround town. The dancers were on a stage backlit by the towering cathedral. They were wearing very colorful dresses and twiriled around in a flurry of cloth, color and stomping heels. The dances were mostly folkloric with fast guitar and soft flute. Looking around at the crowd you will see many volkswagen beetle sized clumps of red balloons floating about 10-15 feet above the crowd making their way above the crowd, tugging at their strings which are attached to the vendor below, walking through the packed audience.
"¡Niñas!", our Maestra called us at our weekly Cocina Méxicana class, "Corta la cebolla en ruedallas" she orders me and I quickly assemble a cutting board and a knife and slice the onion into thin circles. Today we met an hour early, at 9 am, to prepare breakfast. As I cut the onions, I see at the end of the table, Laina is learning how to dry a one-kilo chunk of mole coloradito of it's grease, and then getting ready to mix it into the already boiling tomato sauce that had just been made minutes before. Our breakfast is going to be "Enchiladas" and Hot chocolate. In México, the word "Enchiladas" is used for a variety of dishes that are covered in different types chili sauces. This meal is will be fried tortillas, covered in this coloradito mole chili tomato sauce. After adding the mole coloradito chunk to the tomato sauce it is mixed until smooth and thick. Meanwhile, on the other burner, one of the other students is frying the folded tortillas in a very healthy portion of very hot oil. Once thouroughly fried, these very shiny tortillas are placed into the coloraditio sauce and set to cook for about 10 minutes. During that time we reheated some very thin grilled steaks on another burner. Soon enough, our breakfast was ready. After giving José a quizical look, our maestra says, "¡Necesitamos auga!" Jose replies, "Aqua? ¿Por qué?", "¡Auga para la chocolate!" she says through laughter, implying "like, duh!". I smile after this conversation, it bringing back some memories of the book, "Como Agua Para Chocolate", or "Like Water for Chocolate", and all of its mouth-watering recipes, as well as romantic stories told from the point of view of a mexican kitchen. In no time, we are all sitting around the table with hot Oaxaqueño chocolate and plates of tortillas bathed in coloradito enchilada sauce covered in queso fresco and parsley, with a piece of grilled steak. What a breakfast! After I finished off my plate, I could barely move. Curiously, as soon as a cheesecake-like dessert came out, I had an appatite again! In the end everyone was very content and impressed by the breakfast. I would like to say that even though I watched the whole preparation, and even spent alot of time helping out, I am always socked at how good the food actually tastes. This coloradito sauce was so delicious and the steak was smoky and rich... "¡Que rico!"