al mercado

One of my favorite things to do when I visit other countries is check out the grocery store. This may seem weird, but I have a theory that you can learn a lot about a culture from their grocery store.
The second best thing (or maybe even better, haven't decided yet) is to visit a local market. I have had the chance to do this with my host mom on 2 different Saturdays and it has been a good adventure.

First, there is a big market on the other side of the river, in Comayaguela, where you can find pretty much anything cheap...from bike helmets and car parts to underwear, nail polish and fresh baked goods, it's the place to go. The downside is, its a pretty long bus ride and also it's not very safe. I was excited to go and check it out a few weeks ago with my host mom--it was just the 2 of us! She took good care of me, always grabbing my arm before we crossed the street and making sure I was following her quick pace. We were on a mission to find a scarf as a present for my coworker and we walked through the entire market, without success. However, it was fun for me to see the whole thing, and we did find some other treasures along the way.

The other big market in Teguc is known as the Mayorero (I think that's how you spell it). This market is mainly just for produce and basic household staples. We took our big canvas shopping bags and headed down there last Saturday. Of course, the 3 year old wanted to come along, so that added a new dimension. Now we had to make sure he didn't run off, and half the time he wanted to be carried too. I have minimal patience for this...
Anyway. First stop was the line up for bean, rice, sugar and other kitchen supplies. Apparently the price of beans has gone way up, but we were able to get them much cheaper here in the central market. The line was about 15 people long, and we waited for about 25 minutes. We bought 5lbs of bean, 10 lbs. of rice and 5 lbs. of sugar...plus cooking oil, coffee, seasonings, soap, and fruit juice. Ok, so, I thought at this point my bag was pretty heavy...

Then we head to the street of meat. How neat! Actually, it was pretty gross. I think I would rather not know how unsanitary the meat I consume really is...the butcher has it all laying out in the window, so you can size it up...then he cuts it up for you (without any kind of gloves)...puts it in a plastic bag...then takes your money (with the same hands that cut the meat) and sometimes will give you another bag (with some remnants still hanging on the outside). You then put this meat bag in your shopping bag to await refrigeration for about 2-3 hours. Nice!
Ok...now the bag is heavier, but we're probably on our way home, right?

Well next we went to buy cheese or queso. Honduran cheese is really different from what we typically eat in the states, but I really like it. We bought queso seco (dry cheese), quesillo (a milder, soft cheese) and mantequilla (kinda like sour cream...cheaper here in the market than in our neighborhood).
This is good. We have most of what we need, the 3 year old is screaming his head off...so we can go!

But not too fast...we still need veggies (since the gringa--me--said she loves vegetables!) All the vegetable stands offer pretty much the same variety, but you can't just stop at the first place you see. You have to touch all the produce first, ask how much it costs, mumble about how expensive it is, and then go to the next table where it will probably be the same price. We sized up some carrots, onions, pepino (cucumbers), patasta (still have not figured out what this vegetable is) and some cabbage. So...we add all this to the bags. They are pretty full at this point.

1 more stop, for some fresh fruit. My host mom makes really good fresh juice about 2 times a week. She usually buys tamarind, maracuya (passion fruit, i think) or nance. I enjoy all of the above, which most foreigners do not, so this makes her very happy. We add a few pounds of maracuya to the shopping bags.
Oh man...I think my bag is heavy, but Lucia is carrying her half of the take plus her grandson! I don't know how she does it!

We make one last stop to buy a beverage. I don't have any idea what this is, but its sweet and cold, so I take it willingly. Also...drinks on the go are served in plastic bags...like a sandwich bag with a straw, and then tied up at the top. Or sometimes, just tied, no straw, so you bite of the corner and drink it that way. Its rather fun, but takes some skill.

Thankfully, we are near the exit of the market and we have a jalon (free ride!) from my host brother. We are glad to get to the car and dump the heavy bags. The interesting thing is, Lucia usually comes by herself on Saturdays...I have no idea how she manages all the groceries by herself, but it's impressive. I think she wants me to go again, because she enjoys having the help :)