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LIVING & TRAVEL by andrew dean nystrom Fourth in a Series Index 7 STEPS TO AVOIDING TOURISTS 1. Borrow a guide book from a library, or browse in a bookstore for your destination. 2. Identify main goals or destinations in text. 3. Reserve plane flight and first night's hotel accommodation. 4. Ask locals, cabbies, hotel people, newspaper vendors and business people where to eat, or simply go to busy spots with lots of locals. 5. Eat on the street wherever available. If you worry about getting sick, you probably will. Drink bottled water and use your judgment. Bear in mind that Mexicans often get sick from food and drink when they visit the United States! 6. Photocopy maps or look in local phone books, tourist offices, newspapers. 7. Leave book at home or buy one in Spanish once in Mexico. Trust your intuition.

Entry 4: Wednesday, April 3, 1996: Eating is Culture If you want to experience southern Mexico as the Mexicans do, try eating your way through this culinary paradise. To some, Mexican food is Taco Bell and the nasty Tex-Mex served as an excuse to drink Margaritas. To other poor budget travelers, or those sticking to a vegetarian diet, the comida  too often consists of little more than tortillas, beans and rice. To live like a pauper (on the cheap) in Mexico, you don't need to subject yourself to such banal fare. In fact, the most economical and best value meals -- the ones Mexican families gather for every afternoon -- are the comida corridas, or plates of the day. A blue-plate special if you will; always filling and never more than a couple of bucks. The rub is, to eat cheap, eat with the locals. And in most parts of coastal and southern Mexico, this means pozole. How can I faithfully describe pozole  to the uninitiated? Let's say it is the Mexican equivalent of Matzo Ball or hearty chicken soup -- touted as a cure-all and certainly an entire meal in one bowl. Served in three sumptuous regional variations (Jalisco, Michoacan  and Guerrero) -- its three respective colors (white, red and green) represent the tri-color national flag. Each flavor epitomizes its region. Traditionally served for special occasions, such as holidays, birthdays or other festive gatherings in the originating regions, it is now common to find pozelerias  nationwide serving up the hearty soup seven days a week. Yes, indeed, due to the migration of locals to different regions in search of work, it is now possible to eat your way around the country on pozole, tamales, mole, and other unique dishes. Finally, lest you think that my stomach is my guide book, here are some opportunities to volunteer or learn while you are in southern Mexico. All best experienced on a full stomach. The Casa de Huerfamos  receives volunteers who work with orphaned and otherwise needy children, including those who have recently lost parents during the conflicts in Chiapas. Call (951) 31930 for more information, or write to: Las Rosas #723, Colonia Reforma, Oaxaca, Oax., CP 68000, Mexico. Oaxaca is an ideal place to study Spanish, or take classes in Spanish about Mexican culture. The Instituto Cultural de Oaxaca  offers intensive Spanish language programs and private tutoring, as well as classes in Mexican cooking, crafts, traditional arts, history and archaeology. The Institute arranges homestays with local families for students. Write to: Apartado Postal 340, Oaxaca, Oax., CP 68000, Mexico, email [email protected], or contact the National Center for Study Abroad in the US at: 823 North 2nd St., Box 1393, Milwaukee, WI 53201; tel: (414) 278-0631. The Institute of Communicacion y Cultura  offers all levels of Spanish classes, as well as Zapotec and other indigenous languages. Write to: M. Alcala #307-12, Oaxaca, Oax., CP 68000, Mexico, or email [email protected] for registration information. The Centro de Idiomas  at the University of Benito Juarez offers students the opportunity to study Spanish with Mexican students and teach English as a cultural interchange. Classes are $80 per week or $280 per month. Write to: Centro de Idiomas, UABJO, Apartado Postal #523, Oaxaca, Oax., CP 68000, Mexico, or call (951) 65922 for more information. The Alianza Francesa  (Morelos 306, tel: (951) 63934) offers French classes year-round. For more general information about Oaxaca, visit http://antequera.antequera.com/. If you are worried about losing contact with the global village when visiting Mexico, don't despair. You can now send and receive email, surf the net, and set up temporary accounts on a monthly basis in Oaxaca and other major tourist hubs like Antigua, Guatemala and San Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas, Mexico. Email [email protected] for more information about internet services in Oaxaca. I am headed south to Chiapas pacific coast, and hope to be in San Cristobel for the week following Easter Sunday, for the Fiesta de la Primavera, the festival to celebrate the coming of spring. I will include a list of regional fiestas you should try to attend. Andrew Nystrom is a 21 year-old Geography-Linguistics student at the University of California at Berkeley. Currently on sabbatical, he has been working as a freelance editor/travel correspondent. Previous travels have taken him to Indonesia, Scandinavia, Ireland, and Guatemala. He was most recently the editor of the Berkeley Guide to Central America for 1996.