Papusa Quest: Alemany Farmer's Market

Pupusas & Tamale... all gone! 

Today is the most beautiful sunny day of the year so far, right?! When I woke up at 8 o'clock there was already sun shining on my room through the curtains. Weather prediction: 83º degrees.

Edher and I had a breakfast date— destination unknown. We went through Glen Park first and window shopped... everyone was out w/ their shorts, summer dresses, and sunglasses. I wanted to find somewhere in the Mission to eat, but on the way there we saw a sign for the Alemany Farmer's Market and decided to take a detour. 

Edher was starving and we were both thirsty so we headed straight for the back of the market where all the hot food tents were. Empanadas, huaraches, tacos, pizza, pupusas— so hard to choose! We decided to go with Estrellita's Snacks, which served tamales and pupusas. There was a short line and lots of people waiting for their orders on the side. Looked like a good bet. I ordered a pupusa revuelta and a chicken & cheese pupusa, Edher got a chicken tamale. We waited a long time and baked in the sun. We wandered over to a food stand selling spreads and afghan breads/naans. The samples were amazing! My favorite was the naan stuffed w/ potato in pesto dip. 

Back at Estrellita's, there was a little girl and her mom waiting for their pupusas, squeezed into the small patch of shade that everyone was sharing. It made me so nostalgic to see them— I remember being that age and coming to the Farmer's Market with my godmother, Honey. I don't remember the food so much as I remember being face-to-face w/ lots of knees, and watching the street performance shows. I could tell this little girl was getting impatient waiting for the food, so I amused her by making faces when Edher tried to put sunscreen on my face. 

Ok, now for the food judgement: The drinks we got were good— the piña juice I got was super refreshing and just the right amount of sweetness. The pupusas sucked! The cheese was not up to par— tasted watery, not enough of it, mediocre taste. The other ingredients tasted bland, and the flavors were just not right. Edher ended up eating the rest of my chicken pupusa because I didn't want to finish it. That is a first-time for me! 

Flower from Farmer's Market

The good news: The tamale was excellent. Chicken, potato, no bones, great masa. Next time I'll get two of those. YUM. 

We walked up and down the hills in Bernal Heights till we got to Mission St, and then we did errands. While we were walking, we passed by a house that had a white teddy bear that was sitting on top of their brown bin trash can! The bear looked a little dirty, but definitely not worth throwing away. The trash bins were in a gated enclosure, it might as well have been this teddy's death row cell. We broke him out! Dusted him off, and brought him home. He will get a bath later today. I've decided to call him 'Nieve' (Snow) for the time being. He is very soft, and has a nice face. He got a few compliments on the bus. 

Edher & Nieve waiting for the bus, outside 'El Gran Taco Loco'

I have so many teddies and babies already, I can't really keep this one, but I will be a foster parent in the short term. Does anyone want a nice bear? Let me know! He needs a permanent home. 

Nieve on the 49 Mission Bus