Tres Carne Mole Meatloaf: Workout and work all at once, gumball machines, classes

Sheila was craving meat! She mentioned meat loaf, then we realized we had the opportunity to make a mole meatloaf….Maybe the first ever! We walked across the street to the Mercado and bought ground pork, ground beef and ground chorizo. We already had a bag of dark savory mole in the fridge. We added sliced almonds, chopped green bell pepper and red onion to the meat and mole.  See the result below.

The result was delicious, and hearty! Especially good when drizzled with the excess fat drippings from the pan. Avocado was a perfect complement. The moral, when in Oaxaca eat Mole.

The man in the featured image is a great example of multitasking. He is a knife sharpener. There are several in the city. They carry their stationary bike to restaurants, go inside and get the restaurant’s knives. then go to work and get their exercise at the same time. It is a little difficult to see in the pictures, but their is a grinding stone at handle bar level that moves round and round at a speed that is commensurate to the speed he pedals. You can also see the knives on the ground next to the building waiting to be sharpened. When one of these craftsmen shows up at the mercado across the street from us he is kept busy for half a day or more. I am wondering if he carries multiple shirts so that he can always color coordinate with the wall next to him.

I kept walking past an icon from my past, the gumball machine. I lost one of the pictures as there were two machines. One contained gumballs and it costs a peso to try your luck, the other is pictured. You can see Sheila had extremely good luck and is now the owner of a very miniature dog, and it only cost 5 pesos.

It is now Tuesday night. I am back in Spanish class this week. I have been trying to work with teachers for a week and then take time off to let my brain catch up. It has been difficult assimilating all I am taught. Daily classes tend to overwhelm the capacity between my ears. Next week will be a catch up week and our plan is to go to a few Oaxacan beach towns.

Finally I leave you with two pictures of a quiet little square I often pass. It is just a peaceful slice of life. And because water is always a concern in Oaxaca the picture is an anomaly. It is not often I see a fountain spouting water.