My Walk to Mega

By Beverly Landfair

It took me about 1.55 miles to walk to Mega this afternoon.  I captured some favorite restaurants and some haunts along the way to give you a sense of the scene on The Ancha.  It was a little dusty in some spots but not bad.  I was armed with my shopping bags and pesos.  I wish I would have remembered my water.

Hecho En Mexico (Made in Mexico) is a favorite eatery of many who live here.  It is consistent and tasty and has excellent taco chips and live music on Saturday nights. I am a sucker for their Blackened Fish.  Michael and I have had many a great time here. 

The Instituto is a very long stone affair with restaurants, shops and The Organic Market open Saturdays early morning until 2 PM.  I will be going there this Saturday to pick up some homemade Pesto, some of Derek's yummy dips to bring to our friend Sheila's party this Saturday evening and maybe even an orange donut still warm and worth every calorie!  My picture shows the locked door with just a tempting sliver of a look see.  This Saturday market deserves to have it's own separate post.

Luna De Queso (Moon of Cheese) is a favorite place to buy cheese and other delights.  As I am approaching Luna De Queso, the nicest guy is selling wonderful fruits, etc. just outside the cheese shop.  Every week I buy a quart of the best baby cherry tomatoes for 20 Pesos = $1.33 or less. That's a steal!

Look, a new restaurant is opening next week, Longhorn's!  I checked out the interior and it looks welcoming and new and old.  They will be serving Ribs, etc. Hope it does well.  Can you tell I am hungry and can't wait for Michael to fire up our bar-b-q tonight?

Mega, Super Bonanza and "No Name" Grocery Stores

By Beverly Landfair

Mega Comercial Mexicana San Miguel de Allende

Going to the above stores for a couple spices and whipping cream for a recipe is no small task.  All of the above stores probably have what I need, but they are disguised with Mexican subtitles.  I needed ground Cumin today.  Little did I know that it is called "Comino" here.  It is an adventure!

Mega is a modern, commercial Mexican grocery store and more, a one shop center.  I am slowly figuring out how to navigate the aisles.  Some items are easy to find like cereals, just find your box on the shelf.  Popcorn kernels are kept with the packaged raw beans nicely hidden on a third shelf.  Every time I find what I am looking for I say, "Yay! and start acting like I own the place.  I do love the challenge.  The assortment is wonderful and it is bright and accessible.

Super Bonanza

Super Bonanza

Super Bonanza is sandwiched on Mesones Street and is another original experience.  Here they do a lot of catering to Canadians and Americans but you still need to be vigilant.  Eggs in San Miguel are sold loosely and are not refrigerated.  We are still among the living and buy them often.  I see some Americans here walking around glassy eyed, mouths open, searching for foods that look familiar.  Anyone who is learning Spanish is definitely ahead of the game.

No Name Tienda

I love "No Name" which we affectionately call this tienda (store) because it is a family run operation, but has no name on the front of the store.  They have some great taco chips for parties for only 14 pesos. (.99)  All stores are clean and really try to be helpful.

No Name tienda with 14 peso chips on bottom shelf

Learning Curve

By Beverly Landfair

Who knew that you could not buy all your fruits and vegetables in one place?  I go to about 3-4 different and wonderful stores for different fruits or vegetables. In most cases, all is fresh as in just picked.  Another learning curve was figuring out what a "kilo" actually is?  Answer: About two pounds, 2 Lbs, so when I see veggie prices per kilo it is usually an unbelievably great price. 

Limes, huge avocados, grapefruit, watermelon, melons, etc. are sweeter and juicier here.  This is the broccoli capital of Mexico, so I say, "get steaming."  We are saving about 50% of what we paid in Portland for our fruits and vegetables.
For instance, I bought about one pound of Brussel Sprouts from Alex this morning, that's Alex at the top, and he charged me 15 Pesos = $1.00.

I do not pop grapes, berries, cherry tomatoes in my mouth in the above stores because when I get home I wash them in a disinfectant solution for about 10 minutes to rinse all the bad nasties away.  I have not been sick yet.  Some people have gotten deathly ill from eating the above without proper procedures.

Mega, the biggest store in town (think Fred Meyer) has decent fruits and vegetablesm, but I prefer to support the little guy.  I am hooked on jicama and am getting into papaya also.  This is all a colorful new adventure that tastes great!

NEXT UP:  SHOPPING FOR OTHER FOOD ITEMS