[gentle mariachi music plays]
[people cheering]
[lively mariachi music playing]
[people cheering]
[music continues]
[music ends]
[opening theme song plays]
♪ A happy, hungry man's ♪
♪ Traveling all across the sea And the land ♪
♪ He's trying to understand ♪
♪ The art of pasta, pork Chicken, and lamb ♪
♪ He will drive to you ♪
♪ He will fly to you ♪
♪ He will sing for you ♪
♪ And he'll dance for you ♪
♪ He will laugh with you ♪
♪ And he'll cry for you ♪
♪ There's just one thing He asks in return ♪
♪ Somebody please, somebody please ♪
♪ Can somebody ♪
♪ Somebody feed Phil ♪
♪ Somebody feed him now ♪
[Phil] Mexico has a vibrancy that's simply unmistakable.
[dance music playing]
When I visited Mexico City,
people kept telling me that if I really wanted to taste the origin of the cuisine,
I had to venture further into the country,
to a city that seems almost unpronounceable
-when you look at it, Oaxaca. -[insects buzzing]
It's in the southwest part of Mexico. It's the cultural and culinary capital.
We're gonna have a lot of mole and a lot of mescal,
'cause this is where it's from.
But first, you know my favorite way
to familiarize myself with a new city is at the market.
[exciting music plays]
Here in Oaxaca, the big one's called Central de Abastos.
This market is over 800 acres.
It's a city unto itself.
You can buy everything from wedding dresses to,
uh, whatever this is.
My guide to the market is food expert Omar Alonso.
Omar has an Instagram that I recommend if you're coming down here.
It's called Oaxacking.
So rich, right?
[Phil] This is the real stuff, people.
[Omar] Look, anything that you can think of,
you find it here.
This is one of my favorite spots in the market.
It's called Pasillo de Humo.
-De Humo? -The Smoke Aisle.
There's a holy light pouring in.
-Right here. Look, go like this. -[angelically] Ah!
[Omar laughs]
Meet my friend Marie. She's been here four generations.
You come here, you buy the meats.
-Yeah. -It's mainly beef and pork.
-Yes. -And then they all have a grill,
so they let you use it for free.
[Phil] You pick the meat you want. You go just to the side.
There's a grill that's going.
-Grilling right here? -Right here. So…
Look at this. I've never seen this.
Well, what happens when it's very busy, and they say, "Hurry up! Grill your meat"?
No, they don't, because everybody understands.
You come because you want to have a nice moment with your family,
so you're not in a rush.
Yes, I was just thinking of America.
-[laughs] Yeah. -[Phil chuckles]
This is real Oaxacking, what you're showing.
[Omar laughs]
Oh!
[Omar laughs]
-[Phil] Oh! Oh! -[whimsical music plays]
[in Spanish] What's your name? What's your name?
Jesse Mirel Morales Sanchez.
-[Omar] Jesse Mirel Morales Sanchez. -[in English] Hello, Jesse Mirel.
Jesse Mirel?
Ah!
-Bye, Jesse. -We got it.
So we need to move it along.
[Phil's voice] Omar has a plan for our grilled meat.
He's taking us to a special place in the market where we'll eat.
[mellow music playing]
Hidden in this market is a legend,
Doña Vale.
All right, so this is a memela.
[Omar] It's a very thin, uh, tortilla, but when it's cooking,
they pinch it so that is going to hold on to the ingredients you put on it.
-That's lard right there. -[Phil] Yes.
And, uh, just cheese and salsa.
You can add black beans too, if you want,
but hers is very special
because that salsa is the most famous salsa that she makes.
It's a very darkened, smoky chili, called Morita with green tomatillo.
This preparation, it starts the day before,
because she has to roast the chilies and then fry them.
[Phil] Omar orders us tacos with the meat we grilled,
as well as some roast pork and a bowl of the Morita sauce.
Here, we don't use silverware, so you just have to go in with your hands.
[Phil] I'm used to it.
Mm! Mm!
-[in Spanish] No, it's fine. -[in English] Wait a minute. This sauce.
Wait a minute. The sauce.
-It's like barbecue sauce. [chuckles] -It's crazy.
So good.
This Morita sauce is one of the most damn delicious things
I ever put in my stupid face.
[Omar] Right?
She can just, like, come here and sell the salsa to go and that's it.
She doesn't even have to make any more food, but she loves it, so…
Nothing you can do about it.
-But this is a genius who makes that. -Yeah. Mm-hmm.
[Omar chuckles]
[Dona Vale speaks Spanish]
-[Omar] It's from her heart. -From-- from my heart, I love this.
-[Omar translates] -Fantastic.
By the way, she was gonna give me an egg on the side, so I said,
"Just put it on the steak."
-Put a little Morita, dip this. -[Omar] Of course.
I'm doing that.
Great bite. I'm gonna copy that next time that I come.
I'm gonna call it the Phil Special,
and I'm going to tag you every time I do it so you can remember it.
I'm happy that I could "Oaxack" you.
[laughs]
[upbeat music plays]
[Phil] My day with Omar continues. I want him with me!
We're taking a drive outside of town.
We're going down a dusty dirt road.
We're coming up to a gate.
I have no idea what's here, where am I, and the gate opened
to paradise.
[pleasant mariachi music plays]
Wow!
-Come on in, Phil. -Hola.
-This is Jorge. -This is Jorge!
Jorge.
What a pleasure to meet you.
[in Spanish] Nice to meet you. Omar.
[Phil in English] We're in Jorge León's home,
where he lives with his mom Elvia.
[Omar] Tía Elvia!
In Oaxaca, as a way to respect our elders…
-[Phil] Yes. -…we call them tíos or tías,
which means "aunt" or "uncle."
-Tía Elvia. Hola. -[Elvia in Spanish] Hello. How are you?
Nice to meet you.
[in English] These happen to be brilliant chefs
who've turned their home into a restaurant called Alfonsina.
Their specialty, mole.
He's getting ready to prep the vegetable mole.
Pumpkin seeds, garlic, two types of chilies right now.
-[Phil] Looks like lemons. -Roasted apples.
-Oh, apples! Wow! -Mm-hmm.
That's what he uses instead of sugar.
-[Phil] There's no rules, right? -There's no rules.
Every family has their own recipe, the secret ingredient.
Your mother probably got it from her mother, who got it from her mother.
It's just been part of our culture and our families.
-Feels like part of the land. -Mm-hmm.
[Phil] I didn't know they were gonna put me to work.
This is an important job too, roasting the ingredients on the comal,
which is the smooth flat griddle they use to heat up everything.
It's the centerpiece of every Oaxacan kitchen.
I mean, the best way to learn is by doing, right?
So, today, I'm learning.
-Oh. See what happens? -[Omar chuckles]
You might want to use your hands, 'cause I do want my mole to be tasty.
[both laugh]
-[upbeat mariachi music plays] -[mouths] I don't know what I'm doing.
[Omar] The hardest part is coming, which is the grinding.
Yes, I can do this badly.
All this prep is to make mole rojo, or red mole.
Different moles have different ingredients,
dried chilies, nuts, and spices are common.
Some, but not all, have chocolate. I mean, the variations seem endless.
And then there's black mole, or mole negro.
That's their specialty.
In fact, Jorge worked at Pujol, world-renowned Chef Enrique Olvera's
super-fancy restaurant we visited in the Mexico City episode.
The mole negro was so good there, I had to do this.
[whimsical piano music playing]
You can't have mole without homemade tortillas.
We're not animals. So I'm back on the clock.
[Omar] So you have to start rolling your masa.
-[Phil] All right. -[Omar] Make it into a little ball.
So, making, uh, tortillas is really fun.
I had no idea how beautiful the process was.
Tía Elvia makes it look so easy.
[Omar] You ready?
-[Elvia speaks Spanish] -It's your turn.
[Phil] But she's an expert. Me, on the other hand…
[speaks Spanish]
You have to squeeze it just right, peel the plastic away.
[Phil grunts]
[grunts]
Gently turn it over on your hand, and then just peel it.
Who wants a taco?
[Richard and Omar laugh]
[Phil] Anything I have to do with my hands, please don't count on me.
You're not cooperating.
[chuckles]
Look at-- Now, look at-- Do you see the perfection?
Like a perfect circle.
She's actually getting on my nerves now.
[Omar and Richard laugh]
[mellow guitar music plays]
[Phil] I'm better at eating tortillas than making them,
so after I got out of the way,
Jorge and Elvia graced us with their amazing mole rojo.
Oh, boy.
-Oh… -[Omar] Oh, this looks very fancy.
[Jorge speaks Spanish]
"Pescado" I understand, is fish.
-Mole is the one you just made. -That you just made.
Oh, and I helped a little bit. Tortillas where I ruined a little bit.
[Omar] Fish and mustard.
Mustard greens.
[Omar] Mole in Oaxaca, we don't eat it with a knife and a fork.
-Use the tortillas as the spoon. -It's hot.
Or you can make a taco.
What if I do this, people?
Ha-ha! Look at that.
[giggles]
[pleasant music playing]
[Phil's voice] You see all the ingredients that go into this thing,
and then you taste it,
and everything is so dialed in
that you can almost pick out every single ingredient.
What the hell?
But they're not done. Jorge and his mom bring out the big guns.
I finally get to taste mole negro, the mother of all moles.
So, if you go to, uh, a wedding,
-a baptism, a party, a funeral in Oaxaca… -Yes.
…the way they're going to serve the mole is like this.
[Phil] The chefs added chicken to their mole today.
Look at that. It's soft and beautiful. Oh, man! Come on!
I'm a lucky boy.
Careful, it's hot, okay?
But it's delicious.
And so this is a famous mole.
-This will be-- -[Omar and Richard laughing]
Here you go.
It's hot!
[Omar] Can't say I didn't tell you, okay?
[chuckles]
I'm sorry. I can't hear you anymore.
-[chuckles] -I'm just in the zone, you know?
[Omar] Uh-huh.
[Phil] And since we're in Oaxaca, a little mescal to wash it all down.
[glasses clink]
[in Spanish] My friends.
[Omar chuckles]
[Phil and Omar in English] Life is good.
I don't know what you're gonna do without me tomorrow.
There's a solution. I don't do without you.
[Omar laughs]
[music crescendos, fades]
[birds singing]
[mellow jazz music playing]
[Phil's voice] I'm back in Oaxaca City, and you know what I need?
A little chocolate.
If you know me, that's no surprise at all. But guess what?
Oaxaca is where chocolate was perfected.
The Aztecs, the Mayans, all the way back to the Olmecs,
who first cultivated the region's cacao in 1500 B.C.
They knew what they were doing, so that now, centuries later,
I could be in my happy place.
Not a bad morning.
[pensive mariachi music plays]
The main Square in Oaxaca is called the Zócalo.
Exquisite architecture, marvelous handmade goods.
It's all here, right in the center of this historic district.
And then if you have an appetite, which I happen to have,
a short walk east leads you to where all good things begin.
Rodolfo Castellanos has one of the best restaurants in Oaxaca.
It's called Origin.
If you saw our New Orleans episode, you remember my friends Chris and Leanne.
They happen to be in Oaxaca this week.
-How are you, guys? -Rodolfo!
And Chef Rodolfo is joining us for lunch.
We want to honor all the products that we have in Oaxaca.
We're very, like, blessed to have like a fantastic variety on corn,
leaves, chilies.
So we celebrate everything showing it.
-Oh… -[Leanne] My gosh.
This is what we mean with quelites, a variety of greens…
[Leanne] Beautiful.
…and worms, which are also, like, a nice…
-Did you say worms? -Worms, yes.
I'm gonna show you something now called worm salad. Let me finish.
[Richard laughs]
[Chris] Do you eat the worm separate or all together?
[Rodolfo] All together, because, I mean, they--
Because otherwise you realize it's a worm.
The idea of having different layers of flavors, that's what we like to do in…
-[Phil] Everybody show your worm. -[Leanne] Okay, I've got a worm.
-Cheers. -[upbeat music plays]
To worms.
[Chris chuckles]
-[Chris] Mm. -[Richard laughs]
Tastes like chicken.
[all laughing]
-They all say that. -[Chris laughs]
If you didn't know there was a worm in there,
you'd never know there was a worm in there.
[Leanne] It's very delicious.
Oh, Richard… we've been hearing from the audience,
and their favorite thing is when this happens.
There you go.
-[Chris laughs] -You had a lot more salad on your thing.
[Phil] Yes, I did.
[Chris laughs]
-[Phil] Good, right? -It's good.
-[Phil laughs] -[Leanne] Delicious.
-You'd never know. -[Richard] It's good.
[Rodolfo] Thank you.
You know what the specialty of the house is here?
Tongue. Let me finish.
[exciting string music playing]
Beef tongue is one of the best meats in the world. Ask any deli man.
Ask Max Rosenthal.
Well, you can't anymore.
But he loved it.
[Rodolfo] Fresh tortillas.
-[Phil] Love the holster. -[Leanne] I know.
I should wear that around my belt, don't you think?
Always have a tortilla.
-[laughs] -[imitates whooshing]
There you go.
[Chris] I'm almost scared, 'cause I know it's gonna be so good.
-[Phil] You gonna cry? -Yes.
Oh, my God.
[Phil] It's so satisfying
in the most "comfort food" way.
[upbeat mariachi music plays]
There's Mom.
-[chuckles] Wow! Hi. -Oh!
-Hola. -Hola.
-[Mrs. Castellanos speaks Spanish] -[Phil] And what's inside?
-Mole. Mole and chicken, yes. -[Leanne] Mole and chicken.
-Oh, okay. Muchas gracias. -[in Spanish] Thanks, Mommy.
[Phil in English] Our tamales in the United States are dry,
and these are so moist and--
-[Leanne] Delicious. The mole is amazing. -The mole is spectacular.
[Chris] What would you say is the definition of mole?
Like, what is mole?
Mole and salsa, they can mean the same if you want,
but like salsa, it's always a complement,
and the mole, it's a main dish.
Composed with different ingredients,
Oaxaca has like seven, eight different moles.
Traditionally, they are, like, divided into colors and stuff.
We have to try them all at some point, so there's…
[chuckles]
When you met your wife, did you have to taste her mole
before you knew that she was the one?
-That's a very good question. -Yes.
I had to try more than mole.
[all laugh]
[music ends]
-[birds singing] -[insects chirping]
[somber music plays]
[Phil's voice] I'm heading back to the outskirts of Oaxaca City,
exploring the small towns that dot the countryside.
This next stop is very special.
This is the Vida Nueva Collective,
and my tour guide is Bethsaida Lopez Diaz.
-Hola. -Hola.
-[women] Hola. -Hi, chicas. Hola.
-[Phil chuckles] -[in Spanish] Welcome. Welcome.
[Phil in English] This is the founder of the collective, Pastora.
Their story is amazing.
These were women who were widowed, or abused even,
or just left alone in a world where a woman's work outside the home
wasn't valued or wanted even.
And then they decided to pool their knowledge and form this collective.
And what do they do?
They weave the most beautiful rugs you ever saw.
-This is the finished products. -[Bethsaida] Sí.
And each rug takes three months to make?
[in Spanish] Depending on the design, usually some take two weeks to a month.
If they are bigger, two months to three months.
[Phil in English] It's amazing.
[soulful mariachi music plays]
This is from fairy-tale books from when we are children.
We know this as the spinning wheel, right?
This has been one of the oldest techniques brought by the Spanish people.
-Come on. Try it. It's very fun. -[Phil] Okay.
-How's that? -[Richard laughs]
[women laugh]
-[Bethsaida] It was hard. I know. -How do you say, "I'm sorry"?
[in Spanish] I'm sorry.
[in English] It's okay.
You know what I'm good at? I can write a sitcom if you ever need one.
[Richard laughs]
We are going to see the area where they weave.
Great. Oh, yeah, the loom.
[woman in Spanish] This is very fun.
It's very fun because it's like dancing.
Like dancing on the pedals with my feet.
One, two… One, two…
-[chuckles] -It's like exercise.
Hands.
[in English] Yeah? And feet.
Hands and feet. And your head.
-[in Spanish] All connected for this job. -[in English] Yeah.
[woman in Spanish] In the past, people thought that women
didn't have the strength.
We need to give it a pull.
-With force. -[Phil in English] Ah, yeah.
These women are such sweet and generous hosts,
but they really do need to find a new headhunter.
-Put it through, right? -Yes.
[Bethsaida in Spanish] Pass it.
[in English] You need make a little mountain here.
-[Phil] Make a little mountain. Yeah. -Mm-hmm. [chuckles]
-[Phil] Change feet. -Okay. Muy bien!
-Do it! -[wood clacks]
[women] Bravo!
-Bravo. -Mazel tov!
You know what this means? The clapping?
-"Get him out of here." -[women laugh]
"Three months of work. Look what you've done."
[women laugh]
[pleasant music plays]
[Phil] I'm learning where the dyes come from.
They all come from nature. There's nothing artificial here.
So, I read about this.
-This is a parasitic insect… -Mm-hmm.
…that feeds on the cactus.
[Bethsaida] Cochineal.
So they found when they killed it and mashed it up,
they got that beautiful color.
And, by the way, this is a very hands-on demonstration.
[Bethsaida] Okay, she's showing you, um,
the-- the colors that we can get using the fresh cochineal.
Oh, and a little lime, and I've got another color.
[in Spanish] And now we're going to use a bit of ash…
-[Bethsaida in English] Ash. -[Phil] Purple!
-[Pastora in Spanish] We'll see it change. -[Phil in English] Oh, I like it. Wow.
[Bethsaida chuckles]
[Phil] It's half-science, half-magic to me.
[Bethsaida] Sí.
[intriguing music playing]
[Phil] Everything is so colorful that I see in Oaxaca.
I see it in the painting of the buildings.
-Sí. -I see it in the way people dress.
I see it in your work, in your beautiful art.
Why is color so important to the culture?
[in Spanish] It is our life, it is our environment, it is our nature.
The colors are joy, the colors are happiness,
the colors are love, the colors are life.
The birds, the flowers, our whole environment, the sun,
everything is color.
-[kisses] -[Bethsaida] Gracias.
-Gracias. -[Bethsaida in English] That's right. Mm.
[pleasant trumpet music playing]
[indistinct conversations]
[man 1] Oh! That's the string cheese.
[man 2 chuckles]
[music fades]
[birds chirping]
[dreamy music playing]
[Phil's voice] I meet a lot of fixers doing this in the different countries.
One of my favorites is Alex Roa.
You might remember him from our Mexico City episode.
We had a very early breakfast one morning at La Fonda.
-And he's here with us in Oaxaca too. -Go through the window.
He has a new find for me.
It's a sushi bar in Oaxaca.
A combo of Japanese and Mexican culture.
It's called Crudo.
Chef Ricardo Ariano is our Oaxacan sensei.
-We're going to use Japanese technique. -Yes.
Maybe don't look like traditional Oaxacan food,
but I'm sure with every bite you get the Oaxacan flavor is really present.
[mellow music plays]
-Let's just start with something fresh. -[Phil] Yes.
So, basically, this is a clam.
-Ah! -We marinate the clam in tepache.
-Yeah. -Tepache means pineapple fermented drink
that's really popular in Mexico and Oaxaca.
My recommendation here, looking for the clam with the chopsticks,
and when you finish with it,
-drink the tepache like shot. -Sounds like a very good idea.
[Ricardo] Enjoy, guys.
Oh, I found the big one. You too.
Yeah.
That's the freshest clam ever.
Try the tepache.
Wow. It's so smart to start with this, because it wakes you up.
Mm-hmm.
Here's another wake-me-up, sake actually made here in Mexico.
Thank you, Chef. Now, I feel like I'm in Tokyo in Oaxaca.
[Ricardo] So this is tuna.
The lard paste on the side, that's grasshoppers with chili pasilla.
We have a soy sauce that's black beans.
My recommendation here, guys, eat one of the sliced fish,
and then drink the soy sauce, don't dip the fish in soy sauce.
-Drink the soy sauce? -Exactly.
[whooshing]
-[Ricardo] Mm-hmm. -He's got a flamethrower.
This is crazy.
Food explodes in your mouth.
Yeah. Yeah.
It's like a very subtle soy sauce. That's what it tastes like.
[exciting drum beat playing]
Here comes more trouble.
Wow. Look at that skill.
This is a sea bass, but this is the belly.
[Phil] Look at that. Oh man!
-He's making a roll. -[Alex] It's not a roll, it's a taco.
We marinate the belly in one adobo we normally use
in the pork meat here in Oaxaca, this really popular flavor.
We're going to find purslane, avocado, and cactus.
-[Phil chuckling] -There you go.
It really is a perfect blend of the two cultures.
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
[pleasant traditional music playing]
Oaxacan people don't really like raw food.
-[Phil] Okay. -They are not so used to raw food,
so this is kind of an experiment, but at the same time,
it's a great way to introduce people, Oaxacan people,
by mixing their flavors with the traditional Japanese nigiri.
[Phil] Yes.
I always say, if you can open a mouth, you can open a mind.
[laughs] Exactly.
Mm!
Mm. Mm-hmm.
[grunting]
-[grunts] -[chuckles]
[mellow music playing]
[crowd chants]
[Phil] One of my dear friends from home, Jimmi Simpson,
you know him from Westworld,
you know him from It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.
I love this guy. He's also in Oaxaca this week.
I'm taking him to Sabina Sabe.
[Jimmi] Marcelino!
I'm Phil. This is my friend Jimmi.
[in Spanish] Jimmi! Nice to meet you. Marcelino.
[in English] Marcelino, we're so happy to be here.
-Thanks for coming, actually. -This is very exciting.
-[giggles] -Welcome to Sabina Sabe, okay?
I guess you guys, maybe you want a-- a drink, maybe?
[Phil] Yes.
Jimmi, while we're waiting for Marcelino to make his drink,
could you please tell me, uh, what Westworld is about?
-Yeah. -'Cause I couldn't figure it out.
I tried watching a lot of it, and you're phenomenal in it.
-Go on. Continue. -I…
I swear I didn't understand what was going on.
Um, I-- Do you know what was going on?
-I have no clue. -[laughs]
-They gave me words to say… -I was hoping you'd say that.
…and so I just said them.
[grandiose salsa music plays]
[Phil] Marcelino, on the other hand, knows exactly what he's doing.
Presenting the Gavilán Reyes, a refreshing grapefruit cocktail
mixed with a dried poblano chili liqueur.
[Marcelino] Salud.
Oh, yes.
-Come on. Marcelino! -[Marcelino] Bueno.
-Goodness gracious. -[laughs]
That's good.
-It's like a little spicy Paloma, right? -Oh…
-Yes. -Wow, that's beautiful.
I mean, Paloma and Gavilán, they are like little cousins.
-Little cousins? -Oh, yeah. There's layering.
Jimmi, here we go.
-These are Oaxacan treats, yes? -Yes.
Gracias. All right, you know what that is?
They're dried crickets. I'll do it if you do it.
[Jimmi] Of course I'll do it.
Here you go.
Are you ready?
-'Cause I don't know if I am! -[chuckles] You're gonna do it.
Some of mine fell off, but I'm being fair and I'm putting them back on.
And it's delicious.
-It is delicious. Right? -Mm-hmm.
So, this is something I have never done before, have you?
-No. I was sure this was old hat for you. -I've done, like, the-- the crushed ants.
-What is that? -All right.
-Chicatanas. -Chicatanas.
And that's-- Look, he's doubling up on it. I do it too.
-I'm stacking it. -[Marcelino chuckles]
It is crickets? It's not full-blown grasshoppers?
Yeah, more or less. I mean, there is a… different size, right?
-Do you have the big grasshoppers? -Uh, let me see. Let me ask.
-No, I don't want them, I'm just asking. -Shh.
-Calm down, Phil. -[Marcelino laughs]
[crunches]
So you've been here 24 hours, right? What do you think so far?
I'm stunned.
It's one of my favorite cities I've ever been to.
It's perfect. It's beautiful. Everyone's so kind.
[Phil] How long have you been here?
-For six years. -[Jimmi] Oh, look at the color.
It's almost like blood.
And where did you study bartending?
-Just in the life. [laughing] -The school of life, Phil.
The school of life.
-Wait. I want to shake a little, okay? -Yeah, shake a little.
-[Jimmi] I'm doing this. -I'll do it too.
[ice rattling]
[festive music playing]
[Richard laughs]
[Phil] Oh.
[Marcelino laughs]
[mariachi music plays]
[Phil] Let's not get killed.
[Jimmi] I want to thank you so much. You saved my life.
[both chuckle]
[Phil] Those cocktails were delicious. Those cocktails were beautiful.
Those cocktails made us hungry.
[upbeat music playing over stereo]
Wow! We're gonna taco it up.
[Phil] Lechoncito de Oro. The specialty is the roast suckling pig.
[oinks]
-Oh, that's fun. -[chuckles]
[Jimmi] That's the noise I make when I eat something delicious.
-[server in Spanish] Nice to meet you. -[in Spanish] Nice to meet you.
Uh, two.
[reading Spanish]
[speaking Spanish]
[in English] You know I was a model for the poster?
How dare you talk about yourself in such a way.
[slow salsa music playing]
Here you go. Chicharron.
-[Jimmi] Oh, this is hot and fresh. -Oh, it's super hot.
[Jimmi] Mm.
Mm!
-[Phil] What do you think? -Delicious.
-There's heat, but lots of flavor in that. -Yeah.
And the chicharron, it really kind of adds a fourth dimension.
-A little crispy. -Mm-hmm.
-I love it. -Wow!
[Phil] What is 15 pesos? What does that cost?
-Like 75 cents. -Seventy-five cents.
-The best 75 cents I ever spent. -[chuckles] Yeah. Amen.
Mm. It's just porky goodness.
You.
[dramatic western music playing]
Tequila's one of my favorite drinks, but the more time I spend in Mexico,
the more I learn about mescal,
the original favorite drink here.
And since we're in the land of mescal,
we're gonna go to a distillery today called Montelobos.
How old is mescal production?
In pre-Hispanic cultures,
they have been consuming alcoholic beverages since long time ago.
-There's always been a need for alcohol. -Yeah. [chuckles]
[Phil] Guiding me through the mescal production process
is my new friend Diego.
He's telling me that it all starts here,
the agave plant.
You gotta let them grow six years so they get big and, I guess, juicy,
and then they hack them with machetes.
They hack the leaves off. They gotta dig 'em up.
I mean, this is labor-intensive.
Want to see the opposite of labor-intensive?
Here I am posing for my Instagram.
[music fades]
Okay, where were we?
I'm no expert, Diego, but I'd say this is the beginning of the roasting process.
Yes, we are, let's say, preheating the oven, right?
-Yeah. -So we're just setting it warm enough
for it to-- to roast the agave.
You see this pile of the hearts of agave,
called the piña, because they kind of look like pineapples.
You're heating the rocks, so that when you pile in all the piñas…
[Diego] Mm-hmm.
…and then cover it with dirt, they will slow roast.
Yeah. What we want to achieve here is convert the-- the sugars
that will be able to be fermented.
[dramatic mariachi music plays]
[Phil] They asked me to help throw these piñas into the fire pit,
and so, you know, I'm-- I'm-- I'm very, uh, muscular,
and so I could do this.
[grunts]
Oh, the other thing is you have to, ideally, get the white part facedown.
So, you-- you-- It takes some skill, which…
I don't have.
[man chuckles]
This is like throwing, uh, bowling balls…
[chuckling] …into a pit.
[man] Oh!
-[Diego chuckles] -[man laughs]
[dramatic western music continues]
I need a do-over.
[music building]
[upbeat music playing]
[Diego] There you go.
So that's the way the agave gets roasted.
-[Phil] On to the next step. -Perfect.
[Phil] The next part, after about five or six days of roasting,
is the mashing.
Diego's colleague Juan shows me how it's done.
There's a lot of cutting-edge technology involved here.
-[Juan] We have here the cooked agave… -[Phil] Yes.
[Juan] …and then, uh, Rambo mashing the produce.
-[Phil] Rambo. -[Juan] Yeah.
-[Phil] He's in charge… of the mashing. -[Juan] Rambo la mula is in charge. Yeah.
If he needs a break, I could-- I could spin the wheel.
[Juan chuckles]
He only works two hours per day, actually, and the rest of the day,
he's eating cooked agave and relax here out on the palenque.
[Juan clicking tongue]
After mashing, we put all that flavors and that juice in the fermentation here.
[Phil] Ah.
-Yeah. -So that means it's fermenting
when you see the bubbles.
Yeah. It's working right now, actually.
-[Phil] It's working. It's alive. -[Juan] It's live. It's alive, yeah.
[gentle guitar music playing]
Okay, first distillation.
-You want to taste it? -Yes.
[Phil's voice] The first distillation yields something they call Ordinario,
which is not extraordinary-o.
What we can say?
I can say it's not ready yet.
-Yeah, you're right. -[laughs] Am I right?
So they distill the liquid again.
All this gargantuan effort into…
[chuckling] …drip, drip, drip, drip.
"How'd it go today, honey?" "Good. We got this much."
[chuckles]
-Powerful. -Okay. Yeah.
-That's a lot of alcohol. -Yeah.
[Phil] At this point, they blend the various portions of its distillation
to yield the desired taste.
[dramatic western music playing]
Here we go. By the way…
-Cheers. -Salud.
-…thanks for having me. -You're welcome.
I learned so much today. This couldn't be a more beautiful setting.
I mean, look at this.
Kind of heaven. You like being here.
Yeah. It's my favorite place in the Earth.
Yeah. It's before heaven, 'cause heaven will be here.
[all chuckling]
Pre-heaven.
And how's the finished product? It's very nice.
I love that.
-I'll be taking this. -For you.
-I'll take it with me. -[Juan] Let's go.
[Phil] Let's walk, shall we?
And enjoy the beauty of the agave.
Ow.
-I've been stabbed. -[Diego] You okay?
[Phil] Yeah.
[jaunty guitar music playing]
[Phil] My evening is off to a wonderful start
as I head back into Oaxaca City.
This next place is one I'm really curious about.
This is Levadura De Olla.
It's a regular restaurant,
but there's a special room called the Smoke Kitchen.
Come with me.
[music intensifies]
My dining companion tonight is Ana Quintero.
She's actually a cultural gastronomist.
She's also a food tour guide.
And this is the brilliant chef, Thalia Barrios.
She's replicating the experience of her kitchen from her small pueblo.
[Ana] When you're in this kitchen, in their town, it's everything, fast.
-[Phil] Good. -We have the tamales here
that we're gonna start eating, they're gonna start cooking,
and they're gonna start doing the salsa.
[Phil] And are you from Oaxaca?
I'm not. I'm from Mexico City, but Oaxaca is just amazing. It's…
Like, you as a Mexican, are really proud of Mexican culture,
and you come to Oaxaca, and you realize that everything that you're proud of
comes from here. [chuckles]
[gentle music playing]
[Phil] First up… Oh! Beautiful tamales.
This one's wrapped in fresh banana leaves.
-Tamales are gifts, right? -[chuckles]
-They are, no? -They even come wrapped.
[Ana] They're wrapped.
So, you're gonna see different tamales each season.
Yeah, and every person makes it different, right?
-[Ana] This is a tamale from pumpkin. -[Phil] Oh… Really?
And it also has shrimps on it.
-Shrimps inside, too? Wow. -Yeah.
[Ana] Mm-hmm. Mm!
Wow.
[Phil] Wow!
-Oh, and it's spicy too. -Yeah?
Yeah, this is fantastic.
Oh, my God, this gorgeous tamale, which was kind of loose
with-- with these crunchy, delicious, spicy shrimp heads in it.
-[Thalia speaks Spanish] -Oh, come on! That's beautiful.
This dish is the dish that I always
-ask for whenever I come here. -When tomatoes are in season,
a festival of tomatoes.
[Ana] Yeah, you can see, like, all the different types of tomato.
Each one tastes different.
-[Phil] So we gotta have one of each. -Yeah.
Mm!
Ooh-hoo!
That one, it looks like and almost tastes like a apricot.
-Yeah. [chuckles] -Right?
It does. Mm-hmm.
[Phil] There's one here, one here.
-And then here. -One here. Ooh-hoo!
Did you have that one?
-It's ama-- You can have it. -I want you to-- No, I had two.
I-- I live here, so…
[laughing] I think you should have it.
[chuckles]
[Richard chuckles]
-Chef. Magnífico. -[chuckles]
[Ana] Now, the soup.
[in Spanish] The mushroom soup commands a lot of respect.
Because if you have a lot of faith in it, if you have an upset stomach,
if you have depression, if you're feeling down,
then this soup is very healing, it has poleo and mushrooms.
[in English] Can I get a giant size for home?
[laughs]
[Phil] I'll take a little every morning.
Wow, look at that.
Oh, boy.
-Mm! That broth! -And this-- It has this herb
we call poleo, and that's the flavor also that it has.
[Phil] This is also a little minty, this one.
Never had anything like that. It's like I'm going to school.
[chuckles softly]
Shouldn't every history class
feature the food of the place that you're studying?
[Ana] They should.
Food tells us a lot about people, more than we can imagine.
Like all the beliefs that we have, all the-- the traditions that you have,
-the heritage, your identity… -Yeah.
…is-- is made out of food.
[Phil] I loved every bite of food from this brilliant chef,
and then there was one more thing she thought I'd like to try.
[intriguing music playing]
Before I came, my brother said, "They're going to give you iguana."
Think I should try it, or you don't think I should?
I actually haven't tried it.
-Never? -Never.
I figured, you know,
I should try stuff, right?
That's what I'm always saying to you. So, I have to, you know, walk the walk.
-You want to try it? -It's there, actually.
-What do you mean? -You can see it.
Then, uh, I saw it.
Oh… yes, now I see it.
[Ana laughs]
And I--
My brain, I'm sorry to say, started for-- looking for ways out.
Does it need to be prepared more than…
-[in Spanish] It could take a while. -How long?
Like half an hour.
[in English] Okay. Oh, a half hour.
I'm sorry, we can't, because we have to-- it would take a half hour.
[Richard] Sorry.
"Oh, oh, look at the time. I'm so sorry."
[chuckling] "I don't have…" And that was my way out of it.
So, I-- I chickened out of the iguana, which probably tasted like chicken.
But then she says, "Oh, if you're in a rush, how about this?"
And she hands me a bowl of moving
beetles in a bowl.
Now, the last thing I want to do is offend any culture.
I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings.
The last thing I want to do is insult anybody.
And what flew out of my mouth
when she handed me this bowl of living beetles was,
"Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no."
[Richard laughs]
[chuckles, speaks Spanish]
[Phil] She understood.
She took pity on me, "the poor gringo."
[Thalia] Sí, gracias.
-[chuckles] -Gracias.
-Thank you. -Gracias.
[Thalia chuckles]
Beautiful.
-Ah! -[chuckles]
[jaunty music playing]
[Phil] Hey, Google.
Video call Ben.
[video call ringing]
-[gasps] Oh! -[Ben] Hey.
My boy! My boy!
[Ben chuckles]
-Hey, Pa. How you doing? -[chuckles] Good. Happy to see you.
-You're in your old room. -I am.
And you've got Mom's Pilates machine in there.
-You were replaced by that. -Yeah, so now it's--
Yeah. There's no bed in here anymore. Just the Pilates machine.
It's a terrible thing.
Look what I have. I'm happy.
I have some of the most delicious, uh, hot chocolate in the world.
-Ooh. -Look, they told me
the proper way is to drink it like this, to cup it in your hands like this,
as if you're giving thanks to the earth for the chocolate.
How's Oaxaca been? Have you been having a good time?
Yeah, it's the most beautiful place. I can't wait to bring you guys here.
I love the…
[smacks lips] …the Oaxacan cheese.
-It's great. -The… Like, the string cheese.
It's fantastic.
I think we have a shot of it pulling out for like a mile from my mouth.
Yeah.
[both chuckle]
-Mr. Ben, you know what it's time for? -Yes.
Do you want a joke?
It's a joke for your grandpa.
-Okay. -All right.
-I only got one. -You honor your grandpa. Go ahead.
There's a-- a guy named David,
and he's in a little bit of a financial pickle,
and he doesn't know what to do.
So, he goes to the temple, and he prays, and he says,
"God, please, if I could just win the lottery,
that would fix everything."
And so he goes home, and he turns on the TV to see the winning numbers,
and it goes and he doesn't win.
And he doesn't know what happened.
He goes back to the temple and he says, "God, I told you I really needed this."
"This would've fixed everything. What did I do wrong?"
-And then the skies open. -[chuckles]
God comes down and speaks to David,
and he says, "David, please, meet me halfway."
"You gotta buy a lottery ticket."
[Phil and Richard laughing]
Yes!
[Richard laughs]
Yes. A good one.
The spirit of Max is-- is deep within you, my son.
[Ben chuckles]
Oh, here's the puppy.
Murray's there?
-[Lily] Hey, Dad. -[Monica] Dad's here!
Hi, Lily.
-[Ben] I gotta figure this out. -Hi, Monica.
-Look at the puppy! -See him?
Look at the boy!
He's beside himself. He needs you.
Aw. Look at this.
Who doesn't like this picture of wholesomeness?
All right, family.
-That was very sweet. -[Lily] How are you doing?
-Love you. See you soon. -Where's Richard?
-Why do you care? -[Monica] Can Richard say hello?
Why does everybody care about-- Why is that--
-There he is! -Hi, Richard!
-There he is. -[Monica] Oh, you look so good.
-Uncle Richard… -[Monica] You look nice too, Philip.
-She says, "You look nice too, Philip." -[Monica and Richard laugh]
Now, my mother is here as well, in spirit.
[all laughing]
[upbeat music playing]
One more thing to do. I'd like a reunion dinner, please.
-Guacamole for the table? Yes? -[Chris] Hey!
[all chuckling]
[Phil giggling] Yeah!
Always enter with food. It makes everyone happy to see you.
[all chuckle]
[Phil] Joining me are my friends Jorge and his mother Elvia,
Ana, Bethsaida, Jimmi,
Chris and Leanne, and my favorite "Oaxacker," Omar.
We're on the rooftop of Casa Oaxaca,
situated right by the church of Santo Domingo
during a beautiful sunset.
What am I drinking?
It's called Mescalini, because it's like a martini,
but they make it with mescal.
I think you're gonna hate it.
[Jimmi laughs]
A little toast to my new friends.
-[Bethsaida and Omar] Salud. -And my old friends.
[Omar and Ana] Salud.
Mm! So you got a new shirt today too.
I sure did.
I'm celebrating my Oaxacans.
Ah, chef! [chuckles]
This is Chef Alejandro Ruiz.
The food looks unbelievable. I can't wait. You want to tell us what everything is?
Yes, of course. To me, this is the most representative.
As you know, we've been eating chapulines, chicatanas and agave worms all our lives.
I am not afraid.
[Ruiz] Blue corn crispy tostada with the guacamole,
then some avocado and some herbs.
I think if you're going insect…
-Yes. -…that's how to go.
This one, it is a chile relleno with fish.
-Ah. -This one has mahi mahi.
And I won't say my mole is the best,
because there are some other amazing cooks…
-[Phil] There's royalty here. -…that make traditional mole,
but, uh, I think we have a decent, uh, recipe of black mole.
-Black mole with turkey and the fish. -[Phil] Yeah, I love it.
-Please enjoy. -Chef, everybody. Chef!
-[Leanne] Yay. -[Bethsaida] Bravo.
[upbeat music plays]
You don't get insects every day.
Here we go.
[Phil] A tostada filled with bugs,
which, a few years ago,
I might have been a little reticent to, uh, go near.
It is delicious.
Yes, yes. I'm growing up, people.
Thank you, Phil.
[Phil] My favorite line in a Preston Sturges movie…
[chuckling] …is when, uh, Henry Fonda comes late to a dinner party,
and he sits next to an old lady, and he says, uh, "Did I miss anything?"
And she says, "The fish was a poem."
That's how I felt about this fish at Casa Oaxaca.
[Phil] Mm.
-[Omar] There's more mole here. -Really?
Hey, Chris, what are you doing with the guacamole there?
I'm eating it.
[both laughing]
I'm happy that you got to share a little bit of what-- what's in Oaxaca,
and I hope that you can make it back to keep on exploring it.
Are you kidding? Try to keep me away. To coming back.
-[Omar] To stay in love! -Yes. To stay in love. Oh, that's sweet.
[dreamy music playing]
Oaxaca seems to celebrate life every chance it gets.
I want to sum up Oaxaca for you,
but I don't think I can do it as well as my friend Bethsaida.
Oaxaca itself is lively.
That's why we say you need to come to Oaxaca…
Yeah.
…because you need to live it.
Oaxaca, it's not just a state.
It's real, it's alive, and it's shown in the dancing,
in the colors, in people,
in the languages, in the food, in the music,
in the holy days, in the customs, traditions, everything.
[Omar] I think that if Mexico was the body,
Oaxaca is the heart.
-Oh. -[chuckles]
If you haven't been to Oaxaca, you don't know what you're missing.
And I would tell all my neighbors in the United States,
we're pretty damn lucky to have this country so close to us.
[music ends]
[theme song plays]
♪ So come sit at his table ♪
♪ If you're happy, hungry Willing and able ♪
♪ To see how breaking bread ♪
♪ Can turn a stranger Right into a friend ♪
♪ He will drive to you ♪
♪ He will fly to you ♪
♪ He will sing for you ♪
♪ And he'll dance for you ♪
♪ He will laugh with you ♪
♪ And he'll cry for you ♪
♪ There's just one thing He asks in return ♪
♪ Somebody feed, somebody feed ♪
♪ Can somebody ♪
♪ Somebody feed Phil ♪
♪ Somebody feed him now ♪