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For some reason, I'm fascinated by Mexican street vendors, particularlly those who sell food. As an avid cook and a total fan of Mexican food, I'm always observing and absorbing the culture of Mexico, and in particular, the way food is prepared and eaten. You could say that I'm a "Mexican Food Freak," as I've loved Mexican food all of my life.
Left: Here comes a torta vendor. If I hadn't been in the mood for a fish lunch, I would have purchased a torta from him. Right: A happy couple get a fruit drink prepared for them by one of the numerous beach vendors. Playa Bagdad, also known as Bagdad Beach is located in the Mexican state of Tamulipas and thus sports one of the most common symbols of Mexican culture: The independent, entrepreneurial, food vendor, who conducts business from a push cart. Mexicans are experts at the art of enterprise, and Bagdad Beach is no exception, as on a typical Sunday afternoon, you'll see many food vendors, pushing their carts around the beach in a constant search for business.
Left: This guy uses a tricycle for his shop, and he's selling fried pork rinds. Right: A small-time elotes vendor on the beach. We noticed that the majority of the food vendors sold the following food out of their push-carts: Locally
caught clams and oysters, eaten in their shells, raw We had the opportunity to sample clams and elotes from a couple of different beachside vendors, which was a real treat. Due to the fact that Playa Bagdad is crowded with fish restaurants, we managed to miss the torta vendors, although we came close a couple of times.
Left: These two vendors are strolling along the shore. Bagdad Beach doesn't experience extreme waves, like the west coast, so the vendors venture very close to the water. Right: This guy sells balloons and other souvenirs from his cart. I almost groan while watching these guys in action, as it must be a lot of work pushing a fully-loaded cart through the sand. One thing that you won't see is a fat vendor, as these guys really earn their pesos, as they push their carts through the loose beach sand. Naturally there are many other vendors, who conduct business out of push carts and tricycles, who sell fruit drinks, flesh fruit, toys, tacky souvenirs and just about anything else that you can imagine, and probably a lot more. I admire the vendors, as they're small-time businessmen that are able to eeak out a living on their own, and each of them has a lot of guts to choose to make a living this way. I have never had troubles with overly-aggressive vendors, as most vendors will make it plain that they'd like to sell you something, and display their fine wares, but they will not attempt to "push" a sale on you. I also find the vendors add a lot of local "color" to the scene, which makes the experience all the more enjoyable.
Left: I spotted this oyster vendor and couldn't resist snapping a photo. Right: Ron and Rogelio watch as our vendor cuts up our order of oysters. Jerry, Ron, Rogelio and I were admiring the beautiful beach, when I spotted an oyster vendor coming our way. I snapped the perfect photo, and the oyster vendor noticed me and came our way. We'd just eaten a wonderful lunch at the Perla del Mar restaurant, and I wasn't hungry, but my buddies Ronnie and Rogelio though fresh oysters sounded good. After doing a bit of negotiating with the vendor, which is standard operating procedure with some, but not all of the beach vendors, a price of $20.00 was negotiated for a dozen oysters. Note that's about $1.80 un U.S. dollars which in my mind is a bargain, but Rogelio said the price was a little high.
Left: Our oyster vendor slices oysters in half using the cart as a cutting board. Note the yellow plate containing prepared oysters. Right: Close-up of our guy slicing oysters. Our vendor got to work immediately, as he selected a dozen oysters from the pile that he stacked in the middle of his push cart. First, he washed off the outside of the shell with a bottle containing water from the gulf, just to remove any dirt or sand still clinging to the shell. Using a sharp knife, he split the shells in half, discarding the half of the shell that didn't contain any oyster meat. Then, he'd cut the oyster meat free from the shell, and leave the meat in the shell. He didn't use a cutting board, just his hands and the battered and scarred surface of the cart when a work surface was needed. I asked him why he didn't have the oysters pre-sliced, and he said it was because he didn't have any ice to keep them cold, as they last longer in their shells, and the flies can't get on them. The dozen oysters were piled on a beat-up plastic plate, ready to eat. Sliced key limes and picante sauce were offered as condiments on the side.
Left: Rogelio shows us how to eat an oyster, as I take photos in the background. Right: This oyster has been covered with squeezed lime juice, and covered with picante sauce. I'm holding it in my hand and I'm ready to eat it. Gee, I'm really brave! Considering the rustic nature of the surroundings and the dubious sanitation condition and the fact that this is raw seafood, how do you eat this thing? If you want to be authentic, you first squeeze a half key lime on the oyster meat, being careful to pick out the seeds, if they're not to your taste. Then you add the desired amount of picante sauce, and its ready to eat. Simply pick it up, elevate it to the proper angle, and let the whole thing slide into your mouth, as Rogelio is doing in the above photo. Simple, eh? Only you must be sure that you don't get any of the seawater in your mouth...
Left: While the elote vendor starts fixing our corn, his son finishes a Coke. Right: Jerry choice an elote not on the cob, so the vendor is getting pre-sliced corn from a pot. Elotes probably would garnish the most-favored snack food award in the state of Tamulipas, as they're found everywhere, and Bagdad Beach is no exception. I'm not a big fan of elotes, but no visit to Bagdad Beach is complete without them, so after deciding that "I can do it," Jerry and I flagged the next elote vendor that came our way, and he was happy to help us out. What is an elote you ask? Basically, its grilled corn, sprinkled with sugar and chili powder. It is served either on the cob with the sugar and chili powder spooned on, or the kernels can be removed and served in a disposable cup, with the sugar and chili powder mixed with the corn. I prefer my elote on the cob, and Jerry likes his in a cup. Either way you look at it, the price at Bagdad Beach is $15.00, which is higher than the more common price of $10.00 found elsewhere. The main difference between elote served on the cob, or in a cup, is ease of eating and, lacking any better description, messiness. Eating an elote on the cob is messy, and it's guaranteed to get your hands and your mouth sticky. If you sport a beard or a goatee like I do, that makes the endeavor even messier. The elote-in-a-cup diminishes much of the messiness, as you can eat your snack with a plastic spoon, and only use a napkin to clean up the residue.
Left: I prefer my elote on the cob, so my vendor is coating the corn with a mixture of sugar and chili. Right: A close-up photo of our elote vendor at work. We chose our elote guy, a small-time operator, at random, as he was pushing his cart towards us just at the moment we decided to enjoy an elote. This guy was typical of the mobile, elote vendors found at Bagdad Beach, as his corn on the cob was pre-grilled, and the kernels-only corn was pre-cooked, and stored in a pot. By the way, the less-mobile vendors usually have some sort of a grill set up, and you can observe them cooking the elotes on the spot, but if you're operating from a human-propelled push-cart, a hot grill isn't really an option. Our vendor had all of the ingredients on hand, and he simply mixed Jerry's corn, sugar and chili powder into a paper cup and gave him a plastic spoon, and sent Jerry on a trip to elote heaven. I prefer my elote on the cob, so the above photos shot him spooning sugar and chili powder on my elote. If you prefer, you can get your elote coated with picante sauce and mayonnaise, but I decided to opt out on that option. I'm not a huge fan of elotes, so I really can't judge how good of an elote this guy made, but besides burning it, how can you destroy a corn on the cob? I still prefer corn in the Baja California style, grilled, and covered with cilantro, butter and mayonnaise, but I had to keep telling myself that I was in Tamulipas, not Baja. Jerry, who is a fan of elotes, said this was a good elote, so I'm taking his word for it.
Photo: Classic photo, taken October 1, 2006, of a small-time elote vendor at work at Playa Bagdad. Note that this vendor knows how to work in style, as he has a beer at his side. We had a very enjoyable time during our visit to Bagdad Beach, not only admiring the breathtaking, natural scenery, but we also enjoyed watching the beach vendors peddling their wares to the tourists, and sampling beach vendor cuisine. I'll do it again as soon as I get the chance...
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