"Wok the Dog" is an ongoing series exploring food markets around the world and our relationship with them as consumers. Recently, I traveled through Central America for the series. What struck me most was the enduring courage and spirit of the women I met; how, despite economic hardships, they continue to do what they must in order to carry on. There are mothers with babies strapped to their backs, juggling the tasks of holding their breast-feeding child with one arm and selling produce with the other in perfect harmony. There are elderly women dressed in traditional garments with children crawling all over them who still manage each and every transaction perfectly. There are worn out faces where the hardships of history have left their marks, yet you can still see tenderness in their eyes and a sustained spirit. In Leon, Nicaragua, all of the butchers were women-big, happy mothers maneuvering and dividing up carcass, performing a role that is typically male dominated skillfully and with joy. Young girls trail their mothers through the markets, as they buy and sell. Their future might be that of a vegetable vendor as well but for now they remain innocent and full of potential, despite the limitations of thei r economic systems and personal financial situations.

"Wok the Dog: Women of the Americas" is a part two in an ongoing series. The first part of the series, "Wok the Dog: We Are What We Eat," was part of Exhibiting You from the International Museum of Women.