Shopping in Puebla

Puebla is filled with both tourist and local oriented mercados.

Talavera pottery is the prime reason to shop.  Puebla is the home of Talavera.  The best Talavera is stamped with the number 4 in a circle.  Stamped pottery was made to the highest standards following the traditional methods.  The best known talavera is from the house of Uriarte.

Uriarte employs the traditional methods.

Their talavera uses only the approved natural pigments.

The process involves shaping, kiln drying, stenciling the pattern, hand painting, and kiln drying again.  The highest quality pieces are sometimes painted freehand.

When visiting, be sure to check out the half off table.  These are first quality pieces, but discontinued styles.  We bought a large plate and bowl, as well as 3 cups and saucers from the discount table.

Churches of Puebla

Puebla is a city of churches.  To avoid ecclesiastical ennui, I have only included a few of my favorites.

Museo Amparo in Puebla

The Museo Amparo is the premier museum in Puebla.  The exhibit is well curated and staffed.  Docents will guide you on your way and even open the door for each new room.  The highlight is the private pre-columbian collection of philanthropist Manuel Espinoza Yglesias.

Señor Inglesias' collection also featured colonial art such as the kitchen below.

The museum also has contemporary art including temporary exhibits.

Do not leave without having coffee or a drink at the rooftop cafe with its prime view of the city.

Restaurants of Puebla

Puebla is a diner's delight.  The city is famous for mole poblano.  Moles are among the most complex sauces.  A mole negro can have more than one hundred ingredients.  The slightly simpler mole poblano can be made with a trifle over 20 ingredients.  For an authentic recipe see:  http://www.patismexicantable.com/2010/03/mole_poblano_de_los_angeles/

We had a nearly perfect mole poblano at El Mural de los Poblanos, named after its famous mural of the people of the town.  The mole was complex with a sliver of sweetness and a hint of heat.  Service was excellent.  A full breakfast with juice, coffee, entree, fruit, and rolls was about ten dollars.

This dramatic version of cafe con leche was extra.

Set off by the mural, the restaurant is stunning.

A prime contender for our best meal in Mexico is CasaReyna. http://www.casareyna.com/en/restaurant  Service was attentive and informative, including advice on which mescals to order form their full carte.  For those unfamiliar with mezcal, it tends to be smokier and rougher than tequila.  Tequila is only made from blue agave.  Mezcal is made from other agaves. Some mescals made from low yield, and sometimes wild agaves, can be as intense for your wallet as for your pallet.  Fortunately, Roslyn and I preferred moderately priced mezcals.

The food was so good that I was to focused on gluttony to focus much on photography.  Our favorite dish was fried parsley.  It was half gone when I took this picture.

The shrimp dish below was also exceptional.

The rest of the meal is a blissful blur that I will leave to your imagination.  CasaReyna is must if you visit Puebla.

Although the squash blossom salad below was quite good, the rest of the food at Meson Sacristia de la Compania did not live up to the prices (higher than the moderate CasaReyna) or the beautiful setting.

The stew, and the mole sampler below were average at best.

But the beauty of the setting below is undeniable.  The courtyard with a cross in the prior blog entry is also from this restaurant.

Las Ranas is a far less formal, and thoroughly local establishment.  An al pastor taco carved off the vertical spit is the most popular entree.  Budget friendly, the taco is 8 pesos  (about sixty cents).

But my favorite was the chorizo with cheese.

Traditional cantinas were surprisingly rare in the old part of town.  One wonderful exception is the tiny La Pasita, known for the drink of the same name made from dried raisins.

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Colonial Buildings of Puebla

Although Puebla is a bustling city of more than two million, the central core surrounding the Zocolo is charmingly colonial.  Puebla is a mere 75 miles from Mexico City.  Buses leave from the northern bus station, but a better option is to board a luxury bus from the airport.  Our flight arrived a little before 6AM allowing us plenty of time to clear customs and board our 7:30 bus.

Puebla is on the mole trail, justifiably famous for its cuisine.  For shoppers, Puebla is the home of colorful talavera pottery.  Churches are a tourist staple.  But our first set of pictures focus on the colorful colonial architecture.

Sex and the Single Jihadist

Sex is the missing ingredient in combating Islamic extremism.  Conservatives and Liberals agree, although with different emphasis, that radical Islamic ideology and the lack of economic opportunity breed terrorism.  But by leaving out sex, both are blind to a fundamental drive behind Jihad, and possible solutions.

Woman rarely participate in premarital sex in the Arab world because of the spectre of post coital public stoning.  Upending a sexist saying, men must buy the cow because the milk is never free.  Place strong emphasis on buy.  Throughout the region heavy dowries are mandatory.  Most single men must wait years, if not their entire lifetime, to raise the bridal bounty.

Sometimes members of the community help raise the dowry, often through the local mosque.   But a large pool of men have sperm swimming vigorously with no where to go.  Many extremist groups including Boca Haram and ISIS promise relief for recruits.

Boca Haram kidnaps women.  ISIS conquest includes rape and sexual slavey for the conquered.  It is easy to believe you are on the right hand of Allah if you no longer need your left hand.  On the subject of masturbation, that is also prohibited under most interpretations of the Koran.

The solution in many countries such as Iraq would be a dowery subsidy, probably conditioned on military service.  Perhaps it would take the form of an interest free long term loan commencing after basic training and some short period of service.  Small deductions could be made from military pay.  Perhaps after a certain period of  military service the debt is waived.

This approach has multiple advantages.  It limits a recruiting tool for extremists, and  provides recruitment for the Iraqi army.  Further, proper basic training builds loyalty through esprit de corps.