Tule and Barbacoa

Y'all, we had barbeque today. The whole, er um, sheep. Barbacoa in Santa Maria El Tule (yes, another village with three names) is a Sunday tradition, one that we love. So, about mid-day, we caught a bus out to El Tule. There are several barbacoa restaurants in the little town, and we've tried several of them over the years. We're never been disappointed. Today, we sat down in Antonio's restaurant, and he promptly pulled up a chair to talk to the only gringos in town. He was very proud to tell us, in his 25 words of english, that he had lived in Arizona and Minneapolis. We all shuddered with the thought of being there right now, with all the cold and snow! But, he was happy there, made 'good money', and is glad to be home.

Antonio soon brought our plates, piled high with barbacoa and hand-made tortillas. He told me that the sheep is cooked whole, with onions, tomatoes, garlic and mucho hierba buena, a distinctive herb used often when cooking beans here. It's not similar to anything at home, but will grow in SENC. The entire animal is put into a pit, with the hot coals underneath, and it is covered with banana leaves, and burlap and more hot coals. I think it is all covered with a piece of tin, but I'm not sure about that. It cooks for 24 hours, and is delicious! They save the head, and other choice parts for special dishes. It was tender, tasty and memorable.

After lunch, we waddled across the street to see the largest tree in the world. The one with the largest circumference, that is. It was measured in 2005 by some Official People, and was prounced to be 119 feet around. It's age is reported by the locals to be more than 2000 years old, but those same Offical People, after some testing, believe it to be 1400 - 1650 years old. It's a cypress, and there are several others, not as large or as old, on the other side of the church courtyardwhere the Big One lives. School children can be seen, on spring days, giving tours to people, pointing out the animals that really live in the huge tree, and the images that the bark creates.

Believe it or not, we had room for a nieve, this time a Beso de Oaxaquena, Kiss of Oaxaca, and we ate it sitting under one of the pretty ficus trees in the square. Lovely afternoon, as you can see from the intense blue sky in the photo.