HOW TO COOK AN ARMADILLO

I came across this young butcher preparing an armadillo at Mexico City's Mercado San Juan, the market that caters to professional chefs, discerning home cooks, and French people.
Aside from armadillo you'll also find live gusanos (worms from the maguey cactus), fried chapulines (grasshoppers), and escamoles (ant eggs), when they're in season. There are excellent cheese vendors, exotic fruit merchants, wild mushroom sellers and much more--plus all the regular stuff you need like string beans, bananas, and chicken.
For those of you tired of the usual turkey on Thanksgiving, here's
a recipe for Armadillo in Cream Sauce that's guaranteed to leave your dinner guests talking: click here (Serve it with a chilled German Riesling).
The Mercado San Juan is located in the centro on Calle Ernesto Pugibet near Calle BuenTono (metro stop Salto de Agua).

AN ARTIST IN MEXICO CITY

Please click here to read my article about sculptor Javier Marín published in 'The News' today.

GO SHOPPING, PLEASE

I'm writing from Yangon, Myanmar, where the shocks and surprises keep coming--it's amazing! Thinking that I might not have a calm moment to blog, I prepared this one in advance:

One of the great things about Mexico is the daily presence in our lives of hand-made objects: baskets, pottery, weaving are found in shops, markets and street stalls all over the country. Recently I had an article published in 'The News' about Mexican artesanias. In the course of my research I learned from informed sources that many artesanos (craftspeople) are suffering greatly from the poor economy. So I'm suggesting that you consider buying Mexican artesanias for holiday gift-giving this year. You will be getting something beautiful and soulful, as well as helping to maintain the tradition of craft production in Mexico.
In my article (click here to read) I suggest several places to shop. I also recommend the Mercado Ciudadela in Mexico City (near metro Balderas) and the Museo de Arte Popular in the Centro (Revillagigedo 11, behind the high-rise Sheraton Alameda)