Oaxaca, day one.

Last week my 20 year old daughter, Olive, accompanied me on a “work” trip. I use quotes because visiting Oaxaca is a lot of things. But it is not work. It’s a dream, a luxury, an adventure. It’s a million things not associated with work.

We stayed at an Airbnb in Barrio del Carmen Alto, a quiet little area just two blocks from the cultural and historic center. It is operated by, and above Punto Paz Cafe (pictured above) who supplied our apartment with fresh coffee, along with everything else needed for a great stay: coffee maker, toaster, blender, refrigerator, microwave, fresh drinking water, and a comfortable bed. Even in March the sun blazes at 7:30 in the morn. Thus, we relied on eye masks, ear plugs, and the A/C! For a larger group, this apartment won’t work but it was perfect for the two of us.

Street Food is the best way to get to know a city, especially if you want to know what the working class is fueled by. And in Oaxaca, tlayudas, tacos, and quesadillas abound.

We started our day with tacos from a woman-run stand called Tacos del Carmen (pictured above). You can find this on the corner of Ruta Independencia and Calle de Manuel Garcia Vigil, where the line of folks gives it away. These may be long but they move fast. We chose two: the chorizo with chile relleno, and the chicken tinga, drizzling both a tart green and a rich red salsa over them both. When one thinks of tacos, one doesn’t imagine these. The tortillas are about the size of an American flour tortilla, made from different corn so there are red, blue, yellow, and white flecks interspersed throughout. They are rolled very thin and then toasted on the comal, then loaded with the cheese Oaxaca is famous for (quesillo) and the fillings, then rolled up. Delicious. Finished it all with a generous pump of hand sanitizer. Lunch is messy. It’s needed.

After walking these off, we went for ice cream…

When our kids were young, one of the ways we always got them to do anything hard, like traipse around an unknown city in the heat, was with the promise of ice cream. Now that our daughter is 20, you’d think that would change. But no. And Flor Cacao in the Plaza San Cristobal was the perfect lure. Not only was it a great place to sit to do the NY Times crossword (which I had saved from the Sunday paper, and is an activity we adore) but great to get off our feet and treat ourselves to an ajfajor and a few cones. I’ve had many alfajores. This was the best I’ve ever sampled. I’ve also had ice cream all over the world, and this hit perfectly.

We inquired about the seasonal (temporada) flavor only to learn it was one of my favorite of all time, a delicious blend of passionfruit and mango, two little scoops atop a sugar cone. Olive couldn’t resist the Oaxacan chocolate because who really can when in the land of cacao?

That evening, we sampled three of the seven moles that Oaxaca is famed for: mole negro, mole coloradito, and mole amarillo. We finished our dinner with a digestif, very similar to a grappa but made from Planta Chocholteca, I could eat mole everyday, but I’ll never have the digestif again. It’s way too strong for this palate.

And that was just day one. Do you want to know what else we did, what the “work” was, etc? Want to read more? Let me know!