I accompanyed Rotarian Maricarmen to a luncheon and health workshop in a small pueblo (town) in Toluca, home to may Otomi indigenous people. I learned some key Otomi phrases:
Tonda Pa (Buenas Tardes / Good day)
Tzengua (Hasta Luego / Goodbye)
Mago (Ya me voy / I'm leaving)
The lunch was officially Mexican: we ate chicken with mole (delicious) with rice and beans...and it would not have been complete without an after-lunch drink of tequila! (I had mine with Squirt, a grapefruit flavored soda..commonly served on ice with lime and salt...known as a Paloma).
On our way back, we drove through downtown Toluca and then stopped in La Marquesa, a fun area of rows and rows of little restaurants serving local delicacies of ant eggs and trout..all along the highway. I am told that this is a very popular stop on the weekends. It is very colorful with bright pink and yellow tablecloths and signs in bold green and blue and purple.
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| Local delegation members and Rotarians |
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| A Paloma makes the event truly Mexicana! |
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| town center of little pueblo |
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| Myself with Rotarian Maricarmen in downtown Toluca |
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| Restaurant in La Marquesa |
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| La Marquesa |
