Sunset at the historic Templo de Santo Domingo, Oaxaca.
The Empanada Ordeal
Greetings from Oaxaca!
I’m currently sitting at a restaurant, typing this on my phone as I wait for the server to bring a sample platter of 7 different types of mole to help me narrow down which one to order for my entree. Spoiler alert: I couldn’t settle on just one (or even two) so I picked three. You only live once.
So far this city has made a very positive impression on me. It’s clean, safe, extremely walkable and full of vibrant buildings, art and people. I'm greeted with a welcoming smile and a “buen día” from almost everyone I make eye contact with on the street. And the food. Oh, the food!
Speaking of food, I had a bit of a mishap the first day of the trip. It all started when I ordered an empanada from a street vendor. As I picked up the empanada with my hands I could tell that it was warm (as it should be) but it wasn't warm enough to raise any red flags. What I didn’t know is that, while the outside was warm, the inside was melt-your-face-off hot. So as my teeth sank into my first-ever bite of Oaxacan food, expecting an explosion of delicious flavor and unimaginable happiness, instead I got molten hot lava in my mouth. To make matters worse, while I was doing that awkward "mouth open breathing while making monkey noises" thing to try and cool off the food in my mouth, some of the molten hot cheese, or sauce, or whatever, somehow ended up on my bottom lip. And it burned! It felt like the type of burn that sticks around.
When I got back to my apartment to assess the damage, I looked in the mirror and was pleased to see that my lip was only slightly red, making me think I dodged the worst of it. Nope. Before long it blistered and eventually turned into a nice, big, brown scab. Yay! So for the first few days of my trip I’ve been walking around looking like I either got punched in the mouth, or am having a severe herpes outbreak. Neither of which is quite the look I was going for. And, frustratingly enough, no one seems to believe that the culprit was an empanada. "An empanada would never do something like that," they say with their eyes. But I know the truth—empanadas can't be trusted.
To add insult to injury, when ordering the empanada I forgot to ask for no cilantro (I have that weird genetic thing where cilantro tastes like soap), so I not only enjoyed the lovely flavor of soapy empanada, I also got a second degree burn to go along with it. But, when life gives you empanadas… as they say.
I’ll be sure to give you more updates and stories about this trip as I get to know the city and surrounding areas better. But so far it has been a lovely visit and I’m looking forward to more even adventures (and less empanadas).
P.S. For those interested, below you will find a photo of my delicious mole meal (which, conveniently, didn’t disfigure me!).
My mole selection. My 3 favorites from the sample platter were Colorado, Almendrado (almond) and I'm ashamed to admit that I forget the name of the 3rd one, although it had green olives in it, surprisingly. All were delicious!
