Mercado Medellín and Weekend Wanderings

| Mercado Medellín, photo by C. Enns |

Late morning, after birthday pastries, coffee, and chocolate for C, we strolled through La Roma to Mercado Medellín, a traditional Central American market brimming with fruits like chirimoya, prickly pear, guanabana, mamey, and vegetables like native corn, chayote, and nopales. There are scoops of cooking pastes in fan-like displays behind glass cases, nuts, traditional Mexican candies like cocadas, pelon pelo rico, jamoncillo, and palanquetas. Through the meats section then, and cases featuring pig and chicken feet, among other cuts. Large sheets of fried pork skin hang from hooks above counters.

We crossfaded languages, talking Spanish to stall owners who wanted to talk in English. I bought a new straw Panama hat from a fellow who wanted to charge me twice as much before he realized he had a price tag on the brim. We both smiled.

| Butcher, Mercado Medellín, photo by C. Enns |

Lunched at a ramen place in Mercado Roma, a gentrified bit of the neighborhood, before a paseo through the center of Parque Mexico to see the pond and sound garden. Stopped in at La Michoacana for some ice cream.

Later, we taxied to La Pitahaya for exotic vegan tacos in pink corn tortillas and plates like enfrijoladas, a creamy black bean sauce over tortillas filled with sweet plantain, crunchy almonds, and chickpea chorizo.

Stopped in at Churreria la Mora for dessert. The line was long but moved quick enough. We sat at a window bench and dipped our churros into the hot Mexican chocolate.

Taxied home for the night.