If I want something, I will do anything in my power to get it – particularly when it comes to food.
This past Sunday I woke up with a hankering for a baked potato.
I’m glad I did, because the craving took me on a drive to an obscure place beyond Monterey County, but not too far, that out-flavors any food truck gathering I’ve attended.
It began when I recently learned from a coworker and friend named Raul Jimenez that he packs his van and heads out to the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds in Watsonville once a week to set up a booth and vend hats and sunglasses. He added there is righteous, authentic and diverse Latin American food to be found – and a particularly potent baked potato. And since past garage sales at my house have not been successful, I figured the Watsonville Flea Market would be a place to cleanse clutter.
I drove up and paid my $5 parking fee to an attendant near the entrance and scored a sweet parking spot in the huge dirt lot. I bee-lined to the food court.
The booth I was looking for also sold elote ($2), roasted corn slathered with creamy mayo, doused with grated cotija cheese topped with a generous sprinkle of chilli powder (or the more ubiquitous and Latin equivalent), alongside their loaded baked potato ($6).
The object of my obsession included butter, sour cream, pickled and diced jalapeños, chives, Mexican cheeses and faux bacon bits all meticulously stuffed into a very large potato. The assembly makes for an entertaining production line: One man ensures the potatoes are cooked all the way through, another person fluffs the inside of the tuber so it’s easy to scoop out with a plastic fork. Then a team of three ladies create your potato to order at their own pace, not rushed but not slow.
I trembled with anticipation until I could sit down at a baby blue picnic bench and go to town. During occasional breaks in the furious eating I people-watched – and giggled as kids tried out the sole amusement ride, a reverse bungee joyride in the middle of the food area.
Nothing but smiles all around. This place provides a great place for a family outing – particularly if that family includes treasure-hunting hoarding types.
The market is managed by Patricia Rodriquez, who has spent most of her life in the agricultural industry. Over the years it has outgrown its previous Pajaro Valley High School venue, while evolving a definite Latin character. In fact, it is officially called El Mercado Popular. Little Central America is the title that came to my mind, particularly in the circle of a dozen or so food booths.
The vendors showcase authentic recipes and food from their native lands: tamales, sopes, tacos, menudo, roasted peanuts, ice cream, beer, chicharrones and roasted green chickpeas served in a plastic bag with hot sauce (supposedly the “new edamame”). Seafood, Oaxacan food, Guatemalan cuisine – you name it they pretty much had it.
One Sunday the highlights included a chicharron gordita ($3), an orange-carrot combo juice with a theatrically cut and cayenne-spiced half orange on top ($5) and a caramel-filled churro ($2). But the runaway favorite was glorious birria de res (or beef soup, $9) with electric oily broth and fresh handmade tortillas from the booming Birria Estilo Coalcoman booth, which also dishes menudo and birrias (or long-simmered stews) on plastic trays to overwhelmingly Latino eaters.
Agua’s frescas booths prove popular. One vendor offered a dozen flavors including vanilla and melon. I grabbed a Jamaica hibiscus tea ($2/small, $4/large) and a tamarindo for Raul. They were not overly sweet like many restaurants’, which made me think they, too, had their art down, designed on same-day repeat business.
On the non-food side of things, it would be easier to list what isn’t for sale. There are tortilla presses and commercial mobile grills, hair accessories, knock-off sunglasses, shoes, kid’s clothing, toys, furniture, chili pepper plants, DVDs, stereos, produce, flowers, sounds systems, disco balls, batteries, toothpaste, Hecho in Watsonville hoodies and snack booths peddling fresh-fried potato chips and huge mounds of roasted peanuts. There are endless bandanas, quinceañera dresses, iPhone cases, LED finger beams, soccer jerseys, and some of the ugliest Jesus bedspreads I’ve ever seen. If you like to bargain, this is your place. I saw one man pay $7 in quarters and dimes for two balsa wood airplanes and four iPhone wires.
While there is little debate this is a swap meet paradise, there is conflicting and outdated scheduling information online. The truth: The Watsonville Flea Market happens 9am-4pm Sundays at the Santa Cruz Fairgrounds. Becoming a vendor is easy; just come between 6:30am and 9am with your stuff. Selling produce or food requires filling out papers and showing proof of credentials. Sunblock, sunglasses, cash, friends and family all help. I may not lug my outdated clothes and unused housewares to the market next time – or leave with as much junk – but I will make sure to embark on another food journey through Watsonville, Central America.
WATSONVILLE FLEA MARKET – EL MERCADO POPULAR 2601 East Lake Ave. Watsonville, elmercadopopular.com