Page 82 - WINE DINE AND TRAVEL WINTER SPRING 2022

Spanish language learn- as I write this. It’s 14 degrees and snow-
ing spiced with Zapotec ing. But each time I take a bite from my
food and culture disappearing stock of chapulines at din-
ner, preferably with a shot of mezcal (a
close relative of tequila), I’m taken back
utside the “20 de Noviem-
to Oaxaca City - a UNESCO World Her-
bre” market in Oaxaca City,
itage Site - its warmth, bright flowers,
Mexico, a diminutive abuela
narrow streets, friendly people and col-
O (grand-
orful plazas.
mother) pointed to a
The Midwestern
mound of deep red
landscape had al-
arachnids at her
ready turned gray
small stand, smiled
and brown when I
teasingly at me and
made my trek to
said “pruébalos,”
which translate Oaxaca in south-
western Mexico for
roughly as “try
a week-long, inten-
some.”
sive Fluenz (fluenz
Never having
.com) language pro-
eaten an insect - on
gram that also in-
purpose, anyway - I
cluded time to
screwed up my
explore the city and
courage, selected a
its surroundings.
fried “chapuline”
The course fea-
(grasshopper in the
tured 120-minute
Nahuatl language),
dropped it onto my sessions, twice daily,
with one-on-one
tongue and bit
and two-to-one student-teacher ratios.
down.
My Spanish was middling at the start,
There was a crackle as my teeth
but thanks to outstanding Fluenz teach-
crushed its wings, head, thorax and legs.
ers and interactions with Oaxacans I
Then a cascade of spice, including lime, made a significant jump when the pro-
garlic and chiles, exploded in my mouth.
gram ended. Still, it also made me real-
I dug some pesos out of my pocket, ize I have much to learn, so I may be
bought a small bag of chapulines and back. Or perhaps do a similar Fluenz of-
pondered what foods might go well with fering in Barcelona, Spain.
the crunchy and spicy grasshoppers. My classmates (nine of us in total)
(More on that later.)
were based in the lovely Pug Seal Oax-
I’m back home in Madison, Wisconsin aca Hotel (pugseal.com) on Calle Por-

82 WINE DINE & TRAVEL MAGAZINE WINTER/SPRING 2022