Estadio Azteca, Land of the Tie, Home of the Wave

Before leaving Mexico, seeing the national team play in Estadio Azteca was always on my list and the timing this time was perfect. Jump into packed metro. Follow the see of green jerseys to the platform of the light rail. Doors open, you get lifted and pushed in to the light rail in a flash more so than you walk into the light rail. About an hour after our trip started from the Zocalo, we were in the stadium. A see of smells and activities greeted fans. Tacos, tortas, games, promotions, loud music, lots of loud music. It was louder than any US tailgate. We entered the stadium and it was already roaring 30 minutes before the game as fans entertained themselves with doing the wave and eating and drinking. (The wave gained worldwide attention as a result of its appearance in the 1986 World Cup in Mexico.)

When the US headed down to play in Mexico City's foreboding Estadio Azteca for a 2014 World Cup Qualifying game, they had never won a point in Mexico. Mexico's record at Estadio Azteca was 68-1-6. In 75 games, they had only lost once. And tied 6 times. 

Fast forward to June 2013. The US left with a tie earlier this year. And earlier this week, Costa Rica wandered in and left with a tie as well. This is the first time that Mexico has tied three games in a row in World Cup Qualifiers in Azteca. Fans alternated between a string of language too foul to print and "Vamos Mexico" in a schizophrenic manner throughout the game. Cue anger in the stadium. 

While bottles and cups rained down on the field, I had to put on my rain jacket. Not because it was raining in the upper deck of the stadium which is covered but the frustration began to spread. Beer and soda cups started to rain down on fans as well. It didn't smell like pee at least. And for that, I was grateful. Pee is known to be part of the flying liquids in the stadium. The logic of throwing things at your own fans...not quite sure. As one tweet noted, maybe the fans should have directed their anger at their team's inability to score instead of throwing debris at the other team.

Azteca is an intense and worthwhile experience but it's far from a family friendly venue.

Market Chain

Even after two years, the organized chaos of the markets over the weekend still attracts me. The reality is, in a city like Querétaro, you can have a grocery store experience like the US. It could be a peaceful walk up and down the aisles filled with thousands of choices. I prefer the calls of the vendors, the waft of meat, the smells of fruits and vegetables, and invariably smelling my way to a taco stand. 

To no one's surprise, as you work your way down the chain, the price increases  and the selection decreases. The degree the price increases was a surprise though. At the Central de Abastos or wholesale market, which is where stores and local markets buy their produce, a kilo of avocado on a recent Saturday was $17 pesos. At the city market, that same kilo costs $27 pesos. 

Let's put this in perspective. A 15 minute bus ride from the center of the city to the Central de Abastos is $6.50 pesos. If you have time and are close enough, you would literally start saving money by just buying potentially one to two items at the Central de Abastos vs the city and local markets. 

Many stalls at the city markets don't have marked prices. They also seem to change based on the customer. After going to the Central de Abastos, I went to my regular stall in my neighborhood. "Why are you buying so little this week," they asked. 

"Well....I went to the Central de Abastos to take picture and then....I bought a few things there." Awkward silence followed my response. "But I came back to get more items from you guys. Look, you know I'm a loyal customer when I come back to you even after knowing the mark up."

A smile came up on the owners face. "So, you come for the friendship. I like that." As I wrapped up, all seem to be forgotten as a few extra pears were thrown in as a gift.

Each week, I keep going back to the same family for their friendly smiles and weekly banter at the city market but I can't help wondering how much premium I pay for the friendly service instead of taking a quick trip to the wholesale market. Yet, somehow, I feel like I'm cheating if I go to the wholesale market. Besides, if everyone went to the wholesale market, my convenient market around the corner would be gone.  This is quite a pickle.

New Expectations

Fast food doesn't have to be junk food. One of my favorite lines from Mark Bitman's pragmatic piece in the NY Times is "Good Fast Food doesn't need to be vegan or even vegetarian; it just ought be real, whole food."

Read more at Yes, Healthful Fast Food is Possible. But Edible?

Oaxaca in Queretaro

She's not in the Jardin de Arte every week.

So get your fix of products from Oaxaca 

while she is there. On this day, I picked up 

some mole negro and sal de gusano, 

or crushed worm. The sal de guisano will 

add some nice flavor to the salsa. Fried

fish, fried grasshopper, mezcal, and more

are available at this stall. Worth a visit.

On the Road

A rural highway in central Mexico. Mexico's road network, ranked 17th, is comparable to that of UK and South Africa in terms of length of road network. Mexico's road network ranges from highways to dirt roads. 

As of 2008, they system had a far higher percentage of unpaved roads than paved roads. United States, China, and India lead the way in terms of length of road network.

According to WHO, Mexico is among the countries with the dubious distinction of having one of the highest number of transport accident deaths with an average of 17,000 per year.  Only the United States and the Russian Federation have higher numbers of transport related accident deaths each year.

Ron Finley, Rockstar Gardener, Leader, Mentor, Thinker, Doer

Ron Finley has been at it for more than a few months but his rockstar status started after his talk at TED. His passion and energy is not easy to match but his message is incredibly accessible. We can do a lot of good by turning lawns into spaces to grow food. Use these spaces to meet people and share stories. Help others do the same. And let's focus on areas where fresh fruits and vegetables aren't available. Through this, we not only grow food but also strengthen the community through by increasing communication among neighbors. Read more at Urban Gardening: An Appleseed with Attitude.

Batman

Walking down the street on my way home,
I went back to take a quick picture of this on
the sidewalk. Not what I would expect to find.
Is he the most popular superhero in Mexico?
I think Spiderman would win out in terms of
popularity. In Mexico, he's known as
el hombre araña or Spiderman, often
pronounced as Espiderman.