Food is an important part of travel for me. Wait. Food is an important part of life for me. This is partly why I will never be a great budget traveler along the likes of Wade and his family from Vagabond Journey. I just love restaurants, pastries, street food, fruit and, well, eating all the time a bit too much. Food is something I love as much as travel.
Luckily for me, I’m living in Mexico now. And while a few things around here are annoyingly expensive compared to Guatemala (bus trips and hostels especially), food is pretty cheap. Good food is pretty cheap. (Unless you are in Condesa or another fancy area of Mexico, which is another story entirely…)
Traveling around Mexico is a treat for food junkies such as myself. In each new region there’s something else to try. And with very few exceptions (like that disgusting gordita last week) it’s all delicious. Seriously delicious. Like “mmm…. mmm….. need to eat more and go into a food coma” delicious.
Some favourites:
Churros. All over Mexico. These deep fried tubes of dough are either sprinkled with sugar or filled with some sort of delicious sauce. People have told me these are unhealthy, but I refuse to believe they aren’t the breakfast of champions. When these things are filled with cream, there ain’t nothing more phallic on earth.
Gazpacho. Morelia. No, this is not that gross cold soup you are thinking about. In Morelia, Gazpacho is something else entirely. It’s a cup full of finely diced mango, papaya, cucumber and other fruit. Chili sauce, salt and other mysterious condiments are sprinkled throughout, and then the whole thing is drenched in orange juice. Refreshing. Delicious. Perfect. And… it’s actually more-or-less good for you!
Tacos al pastor. Everywhere. These delicious tacos are an essential part of any cheapskate’s Mexican diet. In fancier neighborhoods like Condesa, these tacos are mysteriously about a third of the price of other tacos, yet equally delicious. Pork roasted on a shwarma-like spit is sliced off and put in corn tortillas. Then, if you’re doing things right, the thing is topped with pineapple, cilantro and lime juice.
Tortas Ahogadas. Guadalajara. I read about these in the Lonely Planet long before I ever set foot in Guadalajara. Being a ravenous pig, I made sure to put the tortas on my agenda. Tortas Ahogadas” are exactly what their name implies: drowned sandwiches. Nice crisp sourdough-like bread is filled with yummy pork. Then the whole thing is seriously drenched in this red chili sauce. Magically, thing still stays together even as you pick it up and the sauce runs down your arms.
If you’re not going to come to Mexico for the music, the weather or the culture… for the love of tacos, do it for the food.
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