Mexican food – GringoPotpourri

Although I have returned to the U.S., I am still committed to writing insightful content about my experience living in Mexico. A few months ago I blogged about Mexican food – breaking down that country’s diverse culinary options in several categories – tacos, tamales, etc. You can read about it here. Part Two – today’s entry – picks up where the first one left off.

Menu del Día

Fine dining takes many forms in Mexico. Muy comun in Mexico City – and particularly for lunch – are fondas – restaurants with “Menu of the Day” offerings at affordable fixed prices. The quality varies but the order is almost always the same: your choice of soup or consommé, then your choice of rice or pasta, then a main dish (typically three to choose from, accompanied by frijoles and a small salad), then a postre (dessert), often Jell-O. Bread or tortillas are usually served, and the beverage is “flavored water” such as flor de Jamaica (hibiscus flower). If you are willing to pay extra you can get soda or beer, but the agua de fruta is delicious and the whole meal will seldom set you back more than 70 pesos (about $5 USD). Usually the price is closer to 50 pesos ($3.50 USD).

Interestingly enough, the main dish is usually the least appetizing of the entire meal’s offerings.

Continue reading “The (Long Awaited) Mexican Food Blog – Part Two”

This is a pambazo. You can’t really tell from the photo, but imagine a sandwich piled with grilled chorizo (Mexican sausage), potatoes, cheese, onions, lettuce, sour cream, and your choice or red of green salsa – all topped on warm sandwich bread. Sounds delicious? It is. I had never heard of pambazos before two weeks ago. I was hungry, though, and in a bit of a hurry, so I bought one from a neighborhood street vendor, as it took just moments to prepare…and upon taking my first bite I immediately ordered a second.

After experiencing that tasty goodness, I decided to finally crank out this post. I love Mexican food (who doesn’t?!), and have been intending to blog about comida Mexicana for months, but the cuisine is so varied, that as a subject to be written about, I barely knew where to begin. I have decided to save my observations about the customs related to food (restaurant hours, tipping practices, etc.) for a separate post, and for now will concentrate solely on the different types of food – a few of the many varieties from a few of the many categories. Here goes!

Continue reading “The (Long Awaited) Mexican Food Blog – Part One”