What's your poison, what's your medicine?
Jambi Mascari is Kichwa and means “foraging medicine” or "getting medicine", and it's my favorite market in town. Probably my favorite market anywhere. I like it even more than our own market, the Farmer's Market. Most expats don't know about this market, so it's still a bit of a hidden gem. For some reason it was re-named to "La Pachamama nos alimenta", Mother earth feeds us. I liked the former name better because food really is medicine, and the metaphor of putting "going to the market" as "fetching medicine" strikes me as even more important as so many people have forgotten about that. Anyway, welcome to the market!
Jambi Mascari es Kichwa y significa “medicina recolectada” o "conseguir medicina", y es mi mercado favorito en la ciudad. Probablemente mi mercado favorito en cualquier lugar. Lo quiero incluso más que nuestro propio mercado, el Mercado de Agricultores. La mayoría de los expatriados no conocen este mercado, así que sigue siendo un tesoro escondido. Por alguna razón, le cambiaron el nombre a "La Pachamama nos alimenta", que significa la Madre Tierra nos nutre. Me gustaba más el nombre anterior porque la comida realmente es medicina, y la metáfora de considerar "ir al mercado" como "buscar medicina" me parece aún más importante, ya que muchas personas han olvidado eso. De todos modos, ¡bienvenidxs al mercado!
It's run by a local Indigenous organization, UNOCARC. The market is focused on producers from the county Cotacachi, so you mostly see local products, a lot is produced in the gardens of families, and it’s mostly organic as the people selling here don’t have money for pesticides (most of them, some have grown).
Es gestionado por una organización indígena local, UNOCARC. El mercado se centra en productores del cantón Cotacachi, por lo que principalmente se encuentran productos locales, muchos de ellos cultivados en los huertos familiares, y en su mayoría son orgánicos, ya que las personas que venden aquí no tienen dinero para pesticidas (la mayoría, aunque algunos han crecido).
It's a market full of Kichwa-culture and if you say “Alli punlla” (good morning), “yupaychani” (thank you), “Kayakaman” (until next time) and other small Kichwa-words, you’ll surely make people smile even harder than they already are. It also rises your probability of getting a "yapa", which is a token of appreciation towards the customer, like a tip. Unfortunately, there are some clients that actually demand the yapa. I don’t like those. It takes away the feeling of consideration, becoming an obligation. The good thing is that vendors are usually smarter than their customers – they know who is who, and the entitled ones receive less to start with, so in the end they get just the same. Mostly without the yapa.
Es un mercado lleno de cultura kichwa y si dices “Alli punlla”, “yupaychani”, “Kayakaman” y otras pequeñas palabras en kichwa, seguramente harás que la gente sonría aún más de lo que ya lo hace. También aumenta tus posibilidades de recibir una "yapa", que es una muestra de aprecio hacia el cliente, como una propina. Desafortunadamente, hay algunos clientes que exigen la yapa. No me gustan esos. Eso le quita la sensación de consideración, convirtiéndolo en una obligación. Lo bueno es que los vendedores suelen ser más astutos que sus clientes: saben quién es quién, y a los que actúan con actitud de merecimiento les dan menos de entrada, así que al final reciben lo mismo. Casi siempre sin la yapa.
I go there every Sunday. The market starts around 5am, and between 5am and 6.30am is the best time to go – everything is available, and not many humans are around, besides the sellers. Since Lily is living with me, I go around 7.30-8am. More humans, and less products, but usually all I need.
Plus, at 8/8.30am Evelyn arrives, and Evelyn sells “Papas con Berro” – that’s potato with watercress, a vegan local dish that is not only very nutritious, but also incredibly delicious. Looks a bit weird, but that's mostly the case with good food here.
Voy todos los domingos. El mercado comienza alrededor de las 5 de la mañana, y entre las 5 y las 6:30 de la mañana es el mejor momento para ir: todo está disponible y no hay mucha gente, solo los vendedores. Desde que Lily vive conmigo, voy entre las 7:30 y las 8 de la mañana. Hay más gente y menos productos, pero normalmente encuentro todo lo que necesito.
Además, a las 8 o 8:30 llega Evelyn, y Evelyn vende “Papas con Berro”, un plato local vegano que no solo es muy nutritivo, sino también increíblemente delicioso. Se ve un poco extraño, pero eso suele pasar con la buena comida aquí.
Lily loves to get a “Colada” (juice thickened with corn flour) and “tortillas de tiesto” (wheat + corn tortillas baked on a clay-pan over open fire). 2$ of papas con berro is enough for two people to eat very well, and Lily is usually very full with 1$ of tortillas and colada.
A Lily le encanta pedir una “Colada” (jugo espesado con harina de maíz) y “tortillas de tiesto” (tortillas de trigo y maíz cocidas en una sartén de barro sobre fuego abierto). Con 2 dólares de papas con berro, dos personas comen muy bien, y Lily suele quedar muy satisfecha con 1 dólar de tortillas y colada.
Things I buy here: Veggies! All of them! Local fruits like berries, apples, granadillas and such.
Prices: You will feel bad when you buy here. Even cheaper than the main market. Buying our luxury fruits (raspberry for Lily, cherry tomatoes for me), I spend around 10$ here and have more than enough for a whole week.
Cosas que compro aquí: ¡Verduras! ¡Todas! Frutas locales como bayas, manzanas, granadillas y demás.
Precios: Te sentirás mal cuando compres aquí. Es incluso más barato que el mercado principal. Comprando nuestras frutas de lujo (frambuesas para Lily, tomates cherry para mí), gasto alrededor de 10 dólares y tengo más que suficiente para toda la semana.
Selection and variety: Since it’s all local, there aren’t any imported fruits and such. But as it is indigenous, you can actually get a lot of produce that you won’t get in any other markets. The UNOCARC also tries to preserve old varieties, and hence there is a lot more of those available. Especially going early, you’ll find the most marvelous things – and everybody will be very pleased to tell you how to prepare them. You don’t even have to ask, they notice your flabbergasted look. “Hampi Maskari” is not only a name here, you can also find a lot of medicinal herbs.
Selección y variedad: Como todo es local, no hay frutas importadas ni cosas por el estilo. Pero al ser indígena, puedes encontrar muchos productos que no verás en otros mercados. La UNOCARC también trabaja en preservar variedades antiguas, por lo que hay muchas más de estas disponibles. Especialmente si vas temprano, encontrarás cosas maravillosas, y todos estarán encantados de explicarte cómo prepararlas. Ni siquiera tienes que preguntar, notan tu mirada de asombro. “Hampi Maskari” no es solo un nombre aquí, también puedes encontrar muchas hierbas medicinales.
Extras: Well, the culture! This market is a window to the Kichwa culture, some of the mamas and taitas don’t even speak Spanish, but their daughters and grandchildren translate. It’s a great spot for tourists, as people are very friendly and patient.
They do have a food court as well, with different kinds of food. Mostly meaty-stuff, but sometimes also papas con berro. It’s not as visited as the one on the main market, that’s a bonus, too, if you’re not too much into seeing many humans all the time.
Extras: ¡Bueno, la cultura! Este mercado es una ventana a la cultura kichwa, algunas de las mamas y taitas ni siquiera hablan español, pero sus hijas y nietos traducen. Es un lugar genial para los turistas, ya que la gente es muy amable y paciente.
También tienen un patio de comidas con diferentes tipos de comida. Principalmente cosas con carne, pero a veces también papas con berro. No es tan concurrido como el del mercado principal, lo cual es una ventaja si no te gusta ver a mucha gente todo el tiempo.
Thank you very much for taking this little journey with me within my beautiful city, to one of my favorite places. I hope I was able to transmit my excitement and marvel about it. I'm very grateful for this market, as I am for so many places in this town I call my home.
Muchas gracias por acompañarme en este pequeño viaje por mi hermosa ciudad, a uno de mis lugares favoritos. Espero haber transmitido mi emoción y maravilla por él. Estoy muy agradecido por este mercado, como lo estoy por tantos lugares en esta ciudad que llamo mi hogar.
Questions / Preguntas
What does your favorite market look like, if you have one?
Qué tal es tú mercado favorito, es que si tienes uno?
Do you enjoy walking around on markets in foreign countries?
Disfrutas pasear en los mercados de países extranjos?
Do you consider markets as a window into the culture?
Considers que los mercados son ventanas a la cultura?
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Thank you @uwelang , for reposting! I have to check out that hiveposh thing, I had seen it before, but don't know anything yet. Seems to have something to do with reddit :-D
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Oh okay, I was under the impression that highlighting places that are well worth a visit was covered. As I wrote in the post, I think it's a great place to visit for tourists as well, do get a little of a deeper dive into the local culture. I'll re-read the rules, I really thought I got them right.
Thank you, too! I definitely don't want to cause any turmoil nor be disrespectful, so thank you for pointing that out so I can improve 😊
You are welcome. Yeah we know that, thats why we give warnings when it happens and don´t mute right away. Just be careful from now on please :)
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@beelzael, I paid out 0.065 HIVE and 0.012 HBD to reward 4 comments in this discussion thread.