By: John Shaw Feild

John Shaw Feild — Sun, 14 Jan 2024 17:13:40 +0000

Raised by Mexicans on a small farm in Brownsville,Texas, I learned Spanish along with English. Family traveled all over Mexico in an Army surplus Jeep. Our first stop in every village was to the MERCADO where we would purchase indigenous foods such as Papas del Monte ,wild potatoes about the size of marbles. Many of these unusual foods we would take to a local restaurant where the cook would prepare them in the traditional way. Street vendors with BRACEROS, Hibaches, would would often prepair and sell native foods not seen in restaurants. I was not familiar with this fair, but I am familiar with Oaxaca, the first place in mexico where I had dificulty conversing with Natives as they spoke various indian dialects, as opposed to Spanish. From Tapotes, a type of tortilla. to fried Plantain and Barbacoa de Cabeza, Cows head cooked in a hole with hot coals, I would try anything that I saw cooked. I am now a 76 year old Disabeled Veteran and unable to return to Oaxaca, but I would recomend it to anyone with an open mind who is interested in indigenous foods as one of the top 10 places to learn .

Comments on: In Oaxaca, a State Fair That Celebrates Native Crops’ Rich Legacy

By: John Shaw Feild