The Mystery of the Yellow Chickens: A concert and a Oaxacan success story

Going to the markets in Oaxaca I am always struck by how yellow the chickens are. Another puzzling chicken item to me is how and why the chickens in the market sit out on uncooled counters all day waiting to be the lucky ones chosen by some family to be taken home.  I am guessing these chickens are incapable of growing bacteria (maybe that’s why they are yellow). Below is a picture of one chicken stall at the end of the day when dozens of chickens have already been sold. You will notice that you definitely get your money’s worth since you get the feet. And, the vendors selling the chickens will gladly cleave them, expertly, into pieces before you leave… No extra charge.

The two factors I refer to have almost prevented me from buying uncooked chicken meat. We did break down one time and buy a whole chicken from the Mercado Sanchez. It did not make us sick so I guess sitting out on a counter all day is okay. Unfortunately, the meat was very tough, causing me to get creative with the prep and cooking. Since, I have stuck to buying already roasted chickens which are delicious.

Yellow chickens however? Curiosity got the best of me finally and I referred to Google. Google did a great job of not taking a definitive position. I found answers ranging from breeding, to yellow dye for cultural reasons that make the chicken look more tasty and help with gutting the chicken. In between, diets of grass, carrots, calendula, “special bird feed” and marigolds, were assessed blame. Another alleged way of making the chicken yellow was to dip the chicken in hot water then remove it quickly. Some say chickens that are yellow are fattier. My experience with the tough chicken would seem to refute that claim.

Perhaps supporting  the notion that yellow dye makes them look more tasty is this entry from one internet information source: “and some (probably most) are dyed yellow because everyone knows that yellow chickens are better.” It is interesting to me that in San Miguel de Allende the chickens were neither yellow nor left exposed to the air all day. We bought and ate chicken there regularly.

Much like San Miquel de Allende there are many remarkable wooden doors in Oaxaca. I was taking a picture of the door below when a nice lady from New York asked if she should take a picture in front of the door of Sheila and me. Much to my surprise, Sheila, who rarely agrees to be photographed said yes. I have not grown. I just happened to be standing on a step when the lady asked.

Went to a concert tonight. Four acoustic guitarists, classical and steel string playing a variety of music. A lot of Italian Mediterranean, style movie soundtrack songs, some tv sounding entries, classical Spanish guitar, some sounded like early 70’s folk type themes – Jethro Tull, I could’ve sworn one was a take on Hotel California, and some delicate ethereal acoustics that somehow mimicked keyboards; all very beautiful and restrained. The group calls themselves, Cuarteto de Guitarras de la Ciudad de Oaxaca. The group is the middle picture. The other two pictures are sculptures at the back of the stage.

It took place in the Centro Cultural San Pablo, a wonderful high ceilinged space that is a combination of an old colonial building that has been updated with ultra modern class rooms behind glass on one side. Like many Centro Cultural events tonight’s event was free to attend. It was also great walking home at 8:30 in the evening in 70 degree weather.

I previously wrote about Once in Oaxaca, the coffee shop we like to visit just to hang out and to meet people. Yesterday we were there and I saw a man who I had pegged as the owner. Turns out I was correct. Jaime, pronounce it Jamie if you speak English and Hymie if you speak Spanish, is the owner. I believe he is in the 30 -35 year old range. I asked if he was the owner and we ended up in an extended conversation about him and the coffee shop. Turns out he has been in Oaxaca for 6 years, moving from his home in Australia. His background is architecture and coffee. He supported himself working in the coffee business since, I believe he said, 15 years old.

After a year in Oaxaca he opened the shop that is Once in Oaxaca. When first opened, the shop served as an outlet for Jaime’s artistic endeavors. He loved to draw the life he saw in Oaxaca. Those drawings have multiplied into, what is likely, hundreds of postcard and larger cards that are available for sale in the shop. 2 years later he opened the coffee shop. He is fluent in English and Spanish and he has a staff of young Oaxacans, all of which speak acceptable to very good English. They work both in the coffee part of the shop and in the card production part of the shop. His greatest gift appears to be making people feel comfortable. When he is at the shop he is greeting and hugging people much of the time.

I write about Jaime because I am hugely impressed at his ability to integrate so well into a culture that is very remote from the culture of Australia. I can only hope I do as well as him if I end up out of Spokane.

Happy Valentine’s Day! Only 2 hours and 15 minutes away here.