Sra. Margarita's Floating Pozole Stand

I went yesterday  morning into Pátzcuaro centro by combi van. When I alighted at la Plaza Chica, I saw this compact cart with pozole for sale.

Young pozole attendant

The pozole was boiling hot in its large pot; a good sign.

I was already in the mood for menudo or birria, but my favorite menudo place is 6 or more blocks away, and we'd had birria on Thursday. I usually think of pozole as evening food, but in Pátzcuaro, they eat it in the morning as well. Could it be the cooler, upland climate?

I asked the price of the pozole, and the friendly Sra. Margarita told me "$12 pesos". At that price, I couldn't pass it up. I ordered a bowl, and Margarita's daughter daintily garnished my pozole with only what I wanted. If you like, you can add more yourself.

Here's what I got for my money (Just over $1 USD.) I had my choice of fatty or lean meat. The maíz was the red, criollo (non-transgenic) corn, with more resistance to the bite. I was grateful that it wasn't the cloudy, starchy "pozole batido) type. The large grains of corn were intact. There was a strong tomato component in the broth. In itself, it was barely picante.

Soup, beautiful soup

It not only tasted good, but was attractive as well. Really, it was the most beautiful bowl of pozole I'd ever seen. I could have also had shredded cabbage or lettuce on it, but I decided not to push my luck. Here's a serving for another customer, unfortunately slightly blurry.

Fully garnished pozole

I was offered a free refill on the caldo, or broth, which I accepted.

How can such good stuff be sold so cheaply? Could be that the overhead is very low. You can stand and eat there, from a china bowl with a metal spoon, or take it to go in a polyfoam container. There's nothing else sold. If you want something to drink, you can get it elsewhere nearby.

There's only one, part time employee, Margarita's daughter. The garnishes are limited to the classics: shredded cabbage or lettuce, finely diced radishes, lime halves, chile manzano, orégano, and chile en polvo. No aguacate, chicharrón, or tostadas.

Margarita's  Floating Pozole Stand changes location, depending on the day and other circumstances. But it's to be found Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays, somewhere in or around the west side of the Plaza Chica in Pátzcuaro. Or possibly around the corner by Oxxo, on Calle Ramos.

Now, it's possible that you or I have had better pozole elsewhere, but this one scores pretty high on the charts.

Ratings (if that is possible)
• Food: ****
• Service: *****
• Ambience: from zero to five, depending on your    perspective.
• Hygiene: I would stay away from the lettuce and cabbage, just to be sure. The money/food handling interface is somewhat lax, but I survived unscathed.