Eating in San Cristobal

The man we bought garlic from at our front door

The whole idea in renting a house for a month was so we could live here like we would at home, particularly, cook our own meals and not have to eat in restaurants all the time.  So far, this has worked out,  not that there isn't a lot of temptation around with all the great-looking restaurants and cafes in town,  In the first week here we only ate out three times, two of those were within the first 24 hours -  Saturday evening and Sunday lunch.  Other than that, we have eaten at home.

We live just five blocks from the main market, frequented by all the locals, with hundreds of individual stalls selling fresh produce, spices, chiles, meat, live chickens, and most everything else.  Across the street is a grocery store we shop for packaged goods.  We can buy fresh tortillas at twenty US cents for a dozen!

We have set up our kitchen with some staples, such as sugar, rice, jam, butter, milk, mayo, cereal, eggs, cookies, etc.  Even though we also buy fresh fruits and vegetables in quantity, it seems we need to go to the market every day.

The always- packed street to the market and
 grocery store. We walk up this every day, and back
 with bags of groceries and produce.

Our local grocery store

Looking into our grocery store.  The front is open to the
sidewalk.

Except for extremely limited counter space, cooking here has been pretty much like at home.  Our breakfasts are just like at home; Sara has cereal with milk and bananas, and I have bread and jam and juice.  This morning I fixed scrambled eggs a la Mexicana with refried beans, just like Sunday morning at home.  Lunches are usually sandwiches - ham, tuna fish, egg salad - with potato chips and fruit.

Dinners have been just like home, too.  We have had tacos with guacamole and refried beans two nights, steak tacos one night and chicken tacos the other.  We bought a rotisserie chicken from a shop close by.  We had it several nights with potatoes and steamed vegetables.  Last night Sara fixed a pasta dish with a bacon-tomato-garlic-and-cream sauce.  Yummy!  We will have that for leftovers tomorrow night.  She informs me we are going out for dinner tonight.

Our third meal out was lunch on Friday.  We had hamburgers and french fries at Madre Tierra.  It is the bakery and cafe started over twenty years ago by our English landlord, Deborah, and her Mexican husband, Eduardo.  They have split up and she has moved to Turkey; but, Eduardo continues the bakery and cafe, now with his Japanese girl friend.  The whole-grain breads and pastries would fit right in the Portland food scene.  Sara bought a loaf of multi-grain bread to bring back to the casita.

And, just because our intention is to mostly eat at home, it does not mean that we cannot have snacks when we are out walking around!!!

Typical panaderia, inexpensive and good

Has Kelly Nelson been here?

Gelato!!!!!!!!!