Gorditas in Rioverde, Mexico.

The idea of not cooking when you expect more guests during your getaway is very attractive. Yes, we had a kitchenette available in the cabin, but who wants to cook when you are on vacation? Well, this last weekend Bob and I were expecting family members to join us, so we went to the market to buy some gorditas to surprise them. Gorditas are like tortillas but smaller and thicker and they are filled with different  stews. We ate there and we asked Araceli, the cook, to cook 40 mixed gorditas to go. I sketched her while she cooked them and told us the story of her life. She is a widow with two young kids, her husband lost the battle of cancer 6 years ago and came to Rioverde from a small community to find a better way of living. She is renting a room for about $35 USD per month. I asked her if this business in the market was hers. She told me she is an employee, and have no intentions to marry again. I thought she was beautiful, although my sketch doesn't show it. She knows for sure how make gorditas. I asked what was the trick to make them so moist because I've tried to make them at home and they are always dry or burnt!. She explained to me how to do it, I'll try next time, but I believe you have to have the talent to do it and I don't have it. Anyway the gorditas were filled with such a variety of dishes, I could try to mention some: zuchinni, red eggs, green eggs, chicharron, moronga, barbecue, chicken, tender cactus, mole with rice, the flower of pear pickle, cheese, potatoes with chorizo, beans, chorizo,  rajas and I could go on. Needless to say that my family loved the surprise, I just heated and served them a delicious homemade Mexican meal at the table. It sounds like it was fast food, but it's a fact that there are hours of labor behind the service that Araceli offers every day at the market in Rioverde.