[Sca-cooks] cooking holiday choke that Muse!

[ranvaig at columbus.rr.com]

>Look in
>the produce section where the more unusual items are displayed -- things like
>cinnamon sticks, ginger roots and those objects that look like pieces of a
>cactus (what ARE those things? Ah, another article perhaps?).

They are pieces of cactus, called Nopales.

http://eat.epicurious.com/dictionary/food/index.ssf?DEF_ID=2914
nopales
[noh-PAH-lays]
Long popular in Mexico, these fleshy oval leaves 
(also called pads or paddles) of the nopal ( 
PRICKLY PEAR ) cactus are gaining popularity in 
the United States. They range in color from pale 
to dark green and have a delicate, slightly tart 
green-bean flavor. Though fresh nopales   (also 
called cactus leaves  ) are available year-round 
in Mexican markets and some supermarkets, they're 
at their most tender and juicy best in the 
spring. Look for small, firm, pale-green nopales 
with no sign of wrinkling. Refrigerate tightly 
wrapped for up to a week. Before use, the thorns 
must be removed; a VEGETABLE PEELER will shave 
them off quickly. The flesh is generally cut into 
small pieces or strips, simmered in water until 
tender and used in a variety of dishes from 
scrambled eggs to salads. Nopalitos (nopales that 
are diced or cut into strips) are available 
canned (pickled or packed in water). Acitrónes 
are candied nopales, packed in sugar syrup and 
available in cans or jars.