Mighty Zapote : the podcast of Frutas y Verduras Mexico

I don’t use the word badass  to refer to people often, or in fact, ever. It’s just not a word I use. But after talking to Megan Frye for this episode, I can’t think of a better word.

Hailing originally from Michigan, Megan is now based in Mexico City. Her work as a writer and photographer has been featured in The Guardian, BBC, Culinary Backstreets,  Roads & Kingdoms, Thrillist and many more. 

 Megan’s approach to being an extranjero in Mexico is badass. She has thrown herself head first into integrating into the culture, and celebrates, questions and thoroughly explores it in her work.  

In this episode, we talk about her experiences and explorations of Mexican food and culture starting back home In Mexican Town in Detroit, and more recently  in a rural community at the southernmost end of Mexico City called Milpa Alta –  a place that’s accessible from CDMX in a short bus trip, yet worlds away”.  In this context, we also talk about privilege and responsibility, and how we  can participate as foreigners in honouring local food systems, and what benefits can come out of us doing just that.

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Rather than give you all of Megan’s social links, I’m going to send you only to her website to encourage you to read some  of her writing along with how she has captured Mexico through the photographers lens! You'll be glad you did, and can find her other social links from there. 

https://www.meganfrye.com/

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Other links to complement the episode:

Hear the Sounds of the Mexico City Scrap Dealer 

Learn about Cuetzalan, Puebla

More about Milpa Alta

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Michigan born and raised, Alex Wittman, AKA BackpackingBrunette, has been calling the city of Queretaro, Mexico home for more than 3 years.  
In this episode Alex and Margret talk about... 
How and why to adapt to local markets. The many benefits... from language learning to freshness
Some of Alex's favorite produce of the Bajio region;
Prickly sweet treats of the desert;
How to avoid looking like a tourist when choosing your produce. Hint: trust the vendor!
Be sure to check out the show notes at fyvmexico.com/podcast

Perhaps not every podcast name has "depth" of meaning behind it, but we think this one does!  Host Margret Hefner and guest Erin Gomez Danielson have both been exploring foods of their adopted home in Mexico as a means of better understanding and relating to the culture. In this episode they get together to chat about why and how zapote  fascinates, not just as a 'family' of fruits, but as an edible etymological window into history,  culture and attitudes around Colonization. 

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This episode begins with some thoughts from Susi Noh Un, recorded as notes when we were writing her bio for the Frutas y Verduras website. Susi was an integral part of Frutas y Verduras, as a co-teacher of a class we called Corn to Comal, held in the home kitchen of Erin Gomez Danielson in Merida. She was a vibrant woman, whose passion was teaching about the foods of her Mayan culture, and the milpa where she had grown up.  She helped us bring to life the mission we have, as foreigners in Mexico, to inspire others like us learn about and adapt to the regional plant foods as a window into the culture.

We lost Susi on April 4, 2021. Easter Sunday. In this episode,  Margret speaks with Erin about the impact Susi had on her own learning, the connection she made with students who had the privilege of meeting her, and what will happen going forward.  Susie was only in her mid forties and she had only just begun teaching formally. Her daughters knew that she wanted them to continue her legacy and it's Erin's intent to help them keep Susi's passion alive for the next generation. 

Erin is accepting donations on their behalf to help them move forward. You'll find photos of Susi and more information at https://www.fyvmexico.com/podcast/ep-06-remembering-susi-noh-un/

What makes a place feel like home? For Kary Vannice, being connected to her food system is a big piece of it.  Kary grew up in Montana, has lived off-grid in Patagonia, taught English in Veracruz and now calls Huatulco, in Southern Oaxaca state, home. She talks with Margret about her experience helping to get the local “Mercado Organico” up and running, and sharing her passion for the foods of the region with seasonal residents of the community – that breed of wintering Canadians called "Snowbirds". She speaks of the mystique of cacao,  tells us about a local palm nut used in tostadas and extols the sweet joy of finding yourself at home in a place where mangos aplenty fall into your path.

Learn more at fyvmexico.com

Alicia Wilson Rivero will say she is a teacher and food enthusiast more than a chef. And for more than 10 years, in San Miguel de Allende, she has been making her mark as a food business mover and shaker with Pura Vida Cooking School, and now Deli-Q which offers an international menu of prepared foods.
 In this episode she chats with Margret about her journey from her early days in kitchens of Manhattan, to building this life that she loves in San Miguel with food,  connection and nutrition being central to that "pura vida".  As she's honed her craft in this environment, working with local suppliers and using local produce to create dishes with international flavor makes sense especially for a community that is increasing international.
You'll hear about some particular plant foods of this semi-desert location, her love of chiles to transform any basic dish, and some other favorites she likes to teach about, especially to new residents. 

Being a vegetarian in Oaxaca, Mexico can have its challenges, but as we hear from Suzanne Barbezat, author of Frida Kahlo at Home, the region offers an immense variety of options... once you know where to look.  Margret chats with Suzanne about how she learned about local ingredients as she raised her bi-cultural children, about some of the plant foods she recommends to tour guests, and how a green with a rich cultural history landed on a pizza.

Growing up in Ohio, then Idaho, Kyle Piispanen’s food culture was decidedly American. An interest in anthropology took him to Veracruz, Mexico, at the age of 18, and there, with a ranching family, he first experienced real Mexican food. Now in the final leg of a PhD, Kyle chats with Margret about milpa farming, corn tortillas, quelites and more… 

Chef Erin Gomez Danielson is a founding collaborator with Frutas y Verduras Mexico.  In her six years and counting as a resident of Merida, Yucatan, she has learned about local foods from her in-laws, neighbors, market vendors and Susi Noh-Un with whom she exchanges recipes, skills and knowledge, but most of all, perspective.  In this episode,  Margret chats with Erin about the Mayan 'tree spinach' called chaya, how she approached a festive dish to impress the in-laws, and about our 'mascot' the zapote negro and how to transform it from humble to rich.

Making Zapote Negro 'Chocolate Pudding' with Erin:
https://youtu.be/8J5Y8jLxOQA
Casa Misterio on Instagram:
@casamisteriomerida