OXXO

There is a joke here in Mexico.
What color does the moon reflect in the USA?
Green, because there are so many Starbucks.

Translation: "Make all your stops at just one place and enjoy your day!"
This is an ad with all of Oxxo's services. 

What color does the moon reflect in Mexico?
Red, because there are so many Oxxos.

I remember the first time I saw Oxxo. I was on my outreach in Guadalajara. I called it O-X-X-O, spelling each letter. (It is pronounced oh-x-oh) To me it was just like any other convenience store, a Mexican 7/11 of sorts. But little did I know the true importance of those little red and yellow signs dotting the dusty Mexican hills.

According to Wikipedia, there are over 13,000 Oxxo stores in Mexico. (Just if you are curious there are over 11,000 Starbucks all over the U.S.) There are literally hundreds of Oxxos all over this area and every area I have been to in Mexico. Here in Mexico the gasoline is privatized by the government so pretty much the only gas stations you see are called Pemex. I thought the convenience stores might have been privatized too, given there so many Oxxos.
Now, walking into Oxxo you notice it is just like any other convenience store, of course there are big ones and small ones, there even Super Oxxos that sell more grocery type items (they are rare). They have the hot dogs rotating on a spit, dripping in grease. A whole wall of refrigeration for beverages. Cookies, chips, toilet paper, dish soap, cheese, milk, eggs, a small area with tomatoes, avocados, onions, chilis....remember we are in Mexico, the produce differs a bit in comparison to the U.S.
However, here in Mexico Oxxo serves you in a different way than any other convenience store. I didn't realize this till I signed rental papers with my roommates and began having water, electricity, and gas bills. We learned you can take your water and electricity bill to Oxxo! How helpful is that? We love it. I also refill my phone with minutes at Oxxo whenever I run out.
It gets better! At Oxxo you can buy bus tickets, send money to a far away relative in Mexico City, you can even get a Oxxo debit card! Around here, Oxxo has pretty much all you need. Most are open 24 hours 7 days a week too.
In the future, Oxxo wants to begin to offer even more services. We aren't sure if it will happen but they want to begin to provide marriage certification, divorce papers, funeral services, etc. Around here it is a bit of a joke because we already know how many services our Oxxos provide and providing government issued paperwork seems extreme. But hey if you want to get married, pay your electricity and eat a roll of yummy Emperador lime cookies, go ahead be my guest.

Andatti coffee is a well known coffee here in Mexico and can only be found in our beloved Oxxo.
Whether you want regular blend or a concoction of sugar, cream and flavor Andatti cafe has what you want!  

Translation: "You could lack love in your life but you will never lack an Oxxo on the corner."

Chambeando en Mexico:

I watched my mom for the past years try and attempt to make Ethiopian food for my brothers Sammy and Zem. She probably made injera (a sourdough type of flat bread that is floppy and a staple food for all Ethiopians) at least 20+ times since we adopted Zem in 2011. Needless to say, she did not master it. There is something about being an Ethiopian woman who was born and bred to make injera, it's in her blood.

I have learned, much to my dismay, that Mexican food is the same way. One does not learn to make tortillas in one try. Salsa making is more like chemistry than cooking. And I just happen to have a (future) mother in law who might be the best cook in all of Mexico.
So what is a guera (a nice name for white girl in Mexico) to do?
I keep moving forward. Practice makes perfect right? 

I have had a constant uphill battle with a popular breakfast dish called chilaquiles. In basic English, tortilla chips cooked in salsa till they are soft. You top the dish off with shredded chicken, a fried egg, avocado, lettuce, cilantro, queso fresco (a crumbly dried cheese) lime, and Mexican cream.
There are two kinds, chilaquiles verdes (green) or chilaquiles rojas (red). When making chilaquiles you must know your ratio of tomatoes, garlic, and peppers. There are also many different kinds of peppers one can use, depending on the flavor and spice you are looking for.
Most recipes I have seen and tried to duplicate use the common jalapeno, or chipotle chiles.
If one is making chilaquiles verdes, you use jalepenos obviously because they are green and tomatillos (a green tomato). The other day I was feeling so confident in my chilaquiles. The night before I had a long talk with a good friend who is Mexican and has "chilaquil" making in her blood. I told her my problems...it was pitiful. But she encouraged me. "Well, how many people are you making it for?" "Oh maybe 4 or 5." I say. "Do you want to make them green or red?" "Lets go with green." (There really isn't too big of a difference I have found, but my taste buds aren't Mexican.) "Okay green. You will need 8 tomatillos and 4 jalapeno chilies." I had it! It was easy, how could it not? She just said how many to get, tomorrow was going to be the long awaited day, the day I beat chilaquiles, the day I truly became Mexican! (Not really but it my head this was going to happen.)
I arrive at our local Oxxo to buy the necessary ingredients with all my friend's advice in mind. I walk up to the produce and see one small tomatillo all alone among the bright red tomatoes. My world was shattered. How was I to figure this out. Red tomatoes are a little bigger than tomatillos, the ratio would for sure be off. So I gulped and grabbed 5 red tomatoes and 3 jalepenos. I guessed. That's right I guessed. My white girl, American brain guessed at how many tomatoes to jalepenos just like I had been the countless times before.
The next morning I fried my tortillas in the pan, roasted the tomatoes, garlic, and jalepenos and then blended them. I shredded the chicken. Fried the egg, cut the lettuce and prayed. I really did pray, I prayed this meal would bless my fiance whether or not they were good. I pray a lot about that these days as I struggle towards my goal of expert cook.
Well, my chilaquiles got an 8 out of 10 that day. Not bad! Next time we will aim for a 10. Next time I will beat chilaquiles. And once I master these soggy tortilla chips I will move on to another dish, and then another and another until my finger tip nerves are burned off from flipping tortillas and I don't have to look at a recipe book.  

Chilaquiles Verdes 

Chilaquiles Rojos