Our hotel was well-located near several markets, although in a tiny market town like Oaxaca perhaps there are no bad locations. 20 de Noviembre Mercado specialized in food stands and received our business on a daily basis.

We began every morning with a fresh juice. Our favorite stand was right by the entrance nearest our hotel, a favorite both because it was convenient and because the options were clearly described on various signs. One time we tried a different juice stall without a menu, so we had to simply ask the owner what was available and what combinations she thought might be good. For anyone with weak Spanish skills, this might not be a great alternative. I had to play it safe there and got papaya and pineapple, but at our regular stand the pre-planned combos were more interesting. At "our" juice stand, we could get delicious sweet fruit mixed with spinach or other veggies and oatmeal (avena) for extra nutrition, and waited faithfully until the final visit to get a smile from the gruff owner.

Our first meal here was at Comedor los Jarritos, where we got to try an Oaxacan specialty, tlayudas. A very large thin tortilla was piled thickly with cheese, beans, avocado and a topping of our choice, and then grilled open-faced. I've also seen them folded over and grilled in a kind of metal trap in other places.

The tiny stand where we got our first taste of tlayudas, and the resulting "tasajo" version

We got one with just cheese, one with tasajo (grilled beef), and one with "chorizo," but instead of sausage it appeared to be chorizo-flavored pork, more like pork enchilado. They were fabulous: a crispy base, incredibly flavorful meats and generous amounts of Oaxacan string cheese, quesilla. 3 tlayudas and 2 sodas cost just 130 pesos.

Another visit introduced us to the most amazing tamales any of us had ever eaten. Ma. Alejandra's, just a couple stalls down from Comedor los Jarritos, had an extensive menu but we zeroed in on the tamales Oaxacaqueñas. Perfectly, freshly made, the exceptionally flavorful masa contained moist chicken mixed with mole negro. The chocolate taste was subtle compared to the mole I'd had at Los Pacos, and excellent in its own way.

I was most impressed by the masa itself...sometimes tamales seem to rely more on their fillings, but this tamale's masa was so tasty alone that we were hunting through every fold of the banana leaves to make sure none was wasted. Tamales at Ma. Alejandra's are just 25 pesos each and quite substantial.

Of course, everyone can have an off day, and when I ran to the market to squeeze in one more tamale Oaxacaqueña before returning to Mexico City, I wasn't quite as impressed. The masa didn't have that "more-ish" feeling of the first tamale, and the chicken contained bits of gristle. Still, it was better than any tamale I'd had in the States.

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