Puerto Escondido's Market: How to Shop
(Dove Sussman is the owner of Lotus, the new Asian restaurant on Zicatela opening in February.)
Market entrance
I've had the privilege of having lived within an easy walk of some pretty amazing markets. Given the choice, I'll always prefer to buy my food at a local market – a place to take in the local sights and smells, a place where I can talk to and develop relationships with the wonderful people from whom i buy my food. Sure, I want to know where my produce is coming from, who is catching the fish and raising the meat that I will put in my body — but beyond that, it also makes me happy knowing that I'm supporting the local economy and engaging with people from all over the region. Not all communities have been blessed with such a place. Others have closed down, redeveloped or downsized their traditional markets, succumbing to the lure of the soulless mega-marts with their convenient one-stop shopping & sterile environments. Before I decided to make Puerto my home, I first was trying to determine whether this might be a nice place to come for a few months. Looking back, I have no qualms about telling you that one of the deciding factors was a YouTube video someone had posted of a walking tour around the Market. Sun! Sand! Ocean! AND a Market! I was sold.
Flowers
To the uninitiated, a first visit to a large outdoor market in a hot country with less economic wealth can be quite daunting and perhaps even overwhelming. Even for a seasoned traveler it can be rather perplexing. Those aforementioned local sights and smells will inevitably feel strange, surreal and wonderful all at the same time. There might be fruits and vegetables you've never seen before. Perhaps you're not so keen on heading down the aisle with the hanging meat or the strangely-colored, chicken parts. Another common cause for anxiety is the fact that there are no prices posted anywhere. If you want to know how much something costs, you need to ask. This is not a bad thing. What better way to break the ice than with the most basic of questions.
Let me dispel one myth right now, for I have it on good authority that many expats & tourists are of the belief that there are two sets of prices – there being a higher price for gringos/güeros/extranjeros or whatever or simply that the prices are made up on the spot. While there are some examples of this type of thing in other parts of the world, and while I have certainly experienced this phenomenon first hand when dealing with other trades and in doing business in Mexico generally, when it comes to the market, this couldn't be further from the truth. The price is the price and it's the same for everyone. That's not to say that there aren't bargains to be had. Pay attention to the scale when you are waiting to pay and pretty soon you'll know the best places to get all the various things you regularly buy and have your favorites for this or that.
Butcher
Unrefrigerated hanging meat not your thing? Not to worry, all the good cuts of meat are in the fridge or freezer in the back of the shops or very often ordered from the off site fridge via walkie-talkie. New York or rib eye steaks can be cut as thick as you like, you only need ask — or perhaps insist! Local tastes tend to favour very thin "Bistek". Don't settle for only what's on display!
La Costeña
Juana Martinez at La Costena is the grand dame of the fishmongers at the market. She and her family operate a number of the fish stands, getting fresh fish daily from the fishermen who work the ocean and the lagoon. La Costena supplies most of the better restaurants in town. There's a good chance that the fish you'll buy from her was swimming earlier that day, just a few kms away. They'll prepare it however you want with expert hands. Free of Charge.
Fruits
I, like many others have a few favourite fruit and vegetable vendors getting my herbs in one, and tomatoes in another etc. Whether arbitrary or through some instinct — who can say. Try a few and soon you'll have your favourites too.
TIP: While Wednesday and Saturday are touted as market days, with all the extra local vendors, Tuesdays and Fridays in the late afternoon are a great time to get the freshest produce as they set everything up for the following day.
