i wanted to get my puerco pibil into the oven at around four.

to say the least, i didn’t meet that deadline.

i spent the better part of an hour and a half tooling around phoenix hunting for banana leaves (hojas del plátano).

i started at the phoenix ranch market on 16th street and roosevelt. this place was the ultimate culture shock. its a huge mexican supermarket, and they have pretty much everything you could want… if you spoke spanish and knew what you were looking for. unforunately, nobody could understand “hojas del plátano.” i picked up a few spices and white vinegar and made my way out.

i headed to the safeway at seventh street and osborne. they didn’t have the banana leaves either, but i did pick up the achiote seeds, that the ranch market didn’t, and the tequilla. one of the guys recommended aj’s.

i weaved through the light rail construction and made my way to aj’s at central and camelback. i did a quick pass-through, but had no luck. i finally asked one of the kids that worked about banana leaves and he looked at me like i was speaking a foreign language. “what are banana leaves?” “uh… leaves from a banana tree. usually used in mexican dishes, namely puerco pibil.” blank stare. i just politely turned around and walked out.

on a last ditch effort, i decided to hit up albertson’s at sixteenth street and camelback. a quick pass through the produce section produced no results. on my way out, i walked through the frozen food section, looked down, and to my surprise… HOJAS DEL PLÁTANO! woohoo! it was a double bonus because the girl who checked me out was really hot and we chatted it up for a moment. if i would of had some business cards on me, i would have written my cell on it for her to call me.

my pibil is finally in the oven, complete with banana leaves and is slowly cooking. it should be ready by about nine-forty-five. let the feast begin.