Food in Mexico/ Comida de Mexico (English & Spanish)

Besides the art, landscapes, and the Spanish language, gastronomy is a significant part of Mexico's culture. In this blog post, I don't plan to talk about the expensive food that you can find in restaurants that are mainly meant for tourists and not for the people who live there (but that's another topic that I might discuss in another post), but rather the "informal" gastronomy, a.k.a. street food and home-made food! There is always something delicious to eat in the streets or houses—if you have Mexican relatives—in Mexico. Note: I will not write about EVERY single thing I ate because it will take up my whole blog, I will only talk about food that I tasted and remembered to take a picture of. I mean, living in the moment is essential when you're on vacation, forget about taking pictures of everything—although it is hard to resist.

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Además del arte, los paisajes, y el Español, la gastronomía es una parte esencial de la cultura de México. En esta entrada de blog, no planeo hablar sobre la comida cara que se venden en los restaurantes de lujo para los turistas y no para los habitantes locales (bueno, eso es otro tema que quiero discutir en otra entrada), pero la comida de la calle (o chatarra— como dice mi madre) y la comida casera. Nota: No voy a platicar de CADA comida que comí en mi viaje, pero sí, de la comida que tuve oportunidad de tomar foto. Digo, cuando estas en vacaciones es mejor vivir en el momento, no? Pero a veces si quieres tomar fotos de todo lo que ves.

1) Acapulco, Guerrero: 

Acapulco is famous for their beaches and tourism, but for me, it is famous for its hardworking people and their delicious seafood and drinks. When you arrive at Acapulco, you have the urge to listen to Cumbia or I don't know maybe Thalia's Piel Morena, but you also want to go eat seafood despite the fact that it is 10 p.m. (who cares, you're on vacation, right?). Well, that's actually what my parents and I did! You bet I ordered a shrimp cocktail and a michelada (even though I don't drink beer..), and to make the scene even more perfect, Elvis Crespo's Suavemente was playing in the background. My vacation had officially begun.

Micheladas were basically all I drank when I ate out. My favorite michelada was one that I drank at a Canta-bar. The drink was called the "Go-michelada" which is a michelada mixture of beer and tomato juice with tajin and gummy worms and gummy bears at the top of the drink. There is a picture of the drink above. The truth is that I did not finish drinking it, I only drank half and ate the gummy bears and gummy worms of course.

Note: I recommend drinking a michelada (or beer) with every food you eat since the alcohol will kill the bacteria of any street food that may make you sick. Save a Pepto tablet and drink a Michelada. 

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Acapulco es famoso por sus playas y turismo, pero para mi, es famosa por su gente trabajadora y sus deliciosos mariscos y bebidas/refrescos. Cuando llegas a Acapulco, te da ganas de escuchar Cumbia o a la cancion de Thalia "Piel Morena" y a fuerza quieres ir a comer mariscos a las 10 de la noche (bueno eso es lo que hice, ademas estoy en vacaciones, verdad?). Mi familia y yo fuimos a comer, ordene un coctel de camarones y una michelada (aunque la verdad es que yo no tomo cerveza) y para crear la escena más perfecta, estaban poniendo la canción Suavemente de Elvis Crespo. Si chicos, mis vacaciones empezaron.

Cuando comía en la calle, casi todo lo que tomaba eran micheladas. Mi favorita michelada fue una que tomé en un Canta-Bar. Se llamaba "Go-michelada," que es una mezcla de cerveza y jugo de tomate con tajín y gomitas de gusanos y osos encima. Hay una foto de la bebida arriba. La verdad es que estuvo tan grande que solo me tome la mitad, y claro me comi las gomitas.

Nota: Recomiendo tomar una michelada (o cerveza) si comes en la calle porque el alcohol mata la bacteria que se encuentra en la comida (a veces si hay y aveces no, pero es mejor estar seguro) que te puede hacer mal. En vez de tomar una tableta Pepto, toma una michelada (debería ser un anuncio).

I lied! Not only did I drink micheladas, I also love drinking Yoli's! Yoli is a lemon-flavored soda that is only sold in the state of Guerrero. Yoli is my favorite drink from Acapulco (at least, non-alcoholic drink). 

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Mentira! No solo tome micheladas, me encantan también las Yoli's! La Yoli es una refresco de sabor limón que venden solo en el estado de Guerrero. Es mi bebida preferida de Acapulco (bueno, bebida sin alcohol). 

 

The markets in Acapulco are full of people that sell a variety of fish, fruit, clothes, shoes, etc. (I sound like a tv ad). In the picture above is one of the stands where they sell fruit, it was one of the most aesthetically pleasing stands in the market. My favorite thing to buy at the market besides fruit is natural coconut water. The vendors prepare the coconut water in front of you as they cut open the coconut and pour the water into a bag along with its bits. Later on, you can enjoy those coconut bits with lemon and hot sauce.

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Los mercados de Acapulco están llenos de gente que venden mucha variedad de pescado, frutas, ropa, zapatos, etc. (sueno como anuncio de tele). En la foto de arriba, hay unos de los postes más organizados del mercado que he visto, era muy estéticamente agradable. Además de fruta, mi favorita cosa que compre era el agua de coco que preparan enfrente de ti. Los vendedores abren el coco y ponen el agua en una bolsa con los trocitos de coco. Puedes disfrutar después los trocitos de coco que sobran con salsa y limón.

2) Jalisco (El rancho y Guadalajara): 

At Jalisco, if you don’t hear Mariachis or someone singing in the street, you will most likely hear Vicente Fernandez or rancheras on the radio. It is in Jalisco where I had the pleasure of visiting my family and meet family friends. I went to a lot of parties, including two weddings. The most popular dish at parties is birria with rice and beans. It’s delicious to eat birria especially in Mexico, but since I am semi-vegetarian, I don’t enjoy eating meat every single day. When my aunt decided to make enchiladas one day, I offered to help her and that is how I learned how to make hand-made tortillas. The first tortillas I made fell apart easily but when I got to the fifth tortilla, I started to get the hang of making well-done tortillas. When we finished, my aunt told me that I was now ready to marry a ranchero of Jalisco. Oh dear. 

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En Jalisco, si no escuchas Mariachis, o alguien cantando en la calle, escuchas a Vicente Fernández o otras canciones rancheras en el radio. En Jalisco, tuve el placer de ver a mi familia y conocer a nuevos amigos de familia. Fui a muchas fiestas, incluyendo dos bodas. En las fiestas, el platillo más popular era la birria con arroz y frijoles. Si es rico comer birria en México pero como yo soy semi-vegetariana, no me gusta comer mucho la carne. Entonces cuando mi tía me dijo que íbamos a hacer enchiladas, me ofrecí a ayudarla y así es como aprendí a hacer tortillas hechas a mano. Aunque al principio, fallaba porque las tortillas se destrozaban fácilmente. Me tomo cinco tortillas hasta que finalmente hice unas bien hechas. Cuando acabamos me dijo mi tía, “Mija, ahora ya te puedes casar con un ranchero.” Ay tía. 

When I arrived in Guadalajara, I was very lucky to have the chance to go on one of the Tequila tours. I got to go on the short Tequila tour, which only lasted five hours. This tour was about 300 pesos (15.80 dollars). The longer tour, which lasted eight hours, cost about 500 pesos (26.33 dollars). As you see, the tours are at a good price, and it included a tour of a tequila factory (or three factories for the long tour) and transportation to and from the place. I purchased my tickets with my aunt and mother by the cathedral in the center of Guadalajara. If anyone is interested, you can find any tour-related information right by the cathedral.

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Cuando llegué a Guadalajara, tenía mucha suerte porque tuve la oportunidad de ir en unos de los tours a Tequila. Yo fui en el tour de un recorrido corto de cinco horas. El precio de este tour era un estimado de 300 pesos (15.80 dólares). El tour largo duró ocho horas y su precio era 500 pesos (26.33 dólares). Como pueden ver, los tours tienen buen precio, y eso incluye un tour de una fábrica de Tequila (o tres fábricas si tomas el tour largo) y la transportación al lugar y de regreso. Yo compre mis boletos con mi tia y mi mama en frente de la catedral en el centro de Guadalajara. Es en el centro donde dan toda la información de turismo, a lado de la catedral.

In the Tequila tour, I received a tour of the factory, Las Tres Mujeres. The people on the tour were a total of twelve, including me. I’m not going to get very specific since I would like to dedicate a post on my experience to Tequila later on. I am going to tell you guys that I did drink 4 types of Tequila. We started from the strongest tequilas to the ones that didn't have as much alcohol This was the order: “blanco,” “reposado,” “añejo” and “extra añejo.” I had the opportunity to buy Tequila candy which I finished that same day since I shared it with my family. If you go to Tequila, I recommend you buy Tequila there since it is cheaper in comparison to the Tequila being sold in the U.S. and in other places in Mexico, I imagine After the tour, we went to the actual town of Tequila, where I enjoyed the enchiladas of “mole dulce” with chicken. I’m even starting to crave them as I write this. As you see, I highly recommend the enchiladas of Mexico.

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En el Tequila tour, nos dieron un tour de la fábrica, La tres mujeres. Eran doce de nosotros en el tour. No voy a platicar mucho porque quiero hacer otra entrada más extensiva de mi experiencia en Tequila. Pero si les voy a decir que probe 4 tipos de Tequila. Empezamos probando la Tequila más fuerte. Primero probé el Tequila “blanco,” y después el “reposado” que no estuvo tan fuerte como el “blanco” y después el añejo y extra anejo. Tuve la oportunidad también de comprar dulces de Tequila, que me acabe en un dia porque compartí con mi familia. Y si vas a Tequila, aproveche y compre Tequila allí porque no esta tan cara la tequila en comparación si estas en los Estados Unidos, y creo que tambien en Mexico. Después del tour, fuimos a el pueblo actual de Tequila, y disfrute unas enchiladas de mole dulce con pollo. Hasta se me antojan cuando escribo su nombre. Deberas que si recomiendo las enchiladas de México.

Before leaving to Mexico, one of the drinks that my friends recommended me was tejuino. I tried it for the first time in Tlaquepaque. I loved the ice cream but after it melted, the drink was a little too acid to drink. I also tasted the famous “tortas ahogadas.” They are tortas full of meat in which you put in tomato soup, hence the name “ahogadas.” You can fill them with lettuce and tomato or hot sauce. You can easily find these tortas in locals nearby. I tasted the ice cream of “garrafa” in Chapala. The bottom of the cone was full of lemon ice cream and the top part was of strawberry. The ice cream was not too sweet but it certainly was fresh. To be honest, I did like the cone more than the ice cream though.

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Antes de ir a México, unas de las cosas que me recomendaron de Guadalajara fue el tejuino. Si lo probe cuando fui a Tlaquepaque. Me encanto con la nieve pero después que se derrito, estaba un poco ácido para continuar tomándolo. Tambien probe las tortas ahogadas. Son tortas con carne y las pones en jugo de tomate. Le puedes poner salsa picante o lechuga con tomate. Puedes encontrar las tortas ahogadas en varios locales alrededor de Guadalajara. Probé la nieve de garrafa en Chapala. La que probé era de limón y la parte de arriba era de fresa. No estuvo tan dulce, pero si estuvo fresca. La verdad es que me gusto mas el cono que la nieve.

One famous snack in Guadalajara is the "Tostilocos" which are bags of Jalapeño flavored Tostitos full of many toppings such as clamato juice, pork-skins, Japanese peanuts, fruit, and hot sauce. You can basically put whatever you want as a topping on those. My bag is the one to the left (it only contained pork-skins and lemon, I was afraid of adding so many things), and my aunt's is the one on the right that has basically everything (fun fact/irony: she's a nutritionist).

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Un famoso antojito de Guadalajara son los “Tostilocos,” que son bolsas de Tostitos de sabor Jalapeño que vienen llenos de cueritos, nueces Japoneses, fruta, jugo clamato, y salsa Valentina (bueno, si estas en Jalisco). Tu puedes poner lo que se te antoja. Mi bolsa es la de la izquierda (solo le puse cueritos y limón porque me daba miedo poner muchas cosas), y la bolsa de la derecha que tiene todo es la de mi tia (Dato interesante/irónico: Ella es nutriologa).

I had the opportunity to go to the Basilica of Zapopan. The Basilica is very beautiful, and outside the Basilica are many vendors of candy, corn, jewelry, and various food stands. Before leaving, we stopped by the cafe, “Flor de Cordoba.” My aunt bought me a fruit tart and I drank a Chai frappuccino, which is similar to the Starbucks Green Tea Frappuccino. So this is where my (very long) blog post ends and I hope to talk about my experience in Tequila soon.

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Tuve la oportunidad de ir a la Basílica de Zapopan. La basílica es muy hermosa, y está llena alrededor de vendedores de dulces, elote, joyería, y varios puestos de comida. Antes de irnos, pasamos a el Cafe, "Flor de Cordoba." Mi tia me compro un "pay de frutas" y tome un un Chai frappuccino, ya que mi favorito de Starbucks es el Green Tea Creme Frappuccino. Y aquí es donde acabó esta larga entrada de blog, espero continuar platicando de Tequila en mi próxima entrada.

BlackBean Inspiration Meals!

I have started to notice the changes in my life now that I am a college graduate. Most of those changes have fortunately been good ones. I think my most favorite change is seeing those who I graduated with get a good job, get engaged/married, or continue their studies. For this blog post, I will talk (and review) the blog/ delivery service of my nutrition graduate friend, Abby. Her blog is called BlackBean Inspiration!

The first food or rather a drink, that I tried is called the "Superfood Smoothie Bowl." The smoothie is made with mixed green vegetables. On top of it are chia seeds, flax seeds, almonds, bee pollen, and (surprise!) peanut butter. I was amazed at how delicious peanut butter tastes mixed with a green vegetable smoothie. The chia seeds were an exquisite addition to this smoothie as well. In the past, I had only tried Chia seeds with an "agua fresca" of cucumber and lemon.

The next meal was the "BlackBean Inspiration Chicken." This meal consisted of shredded chicken mixed with bits of tomato and with cauliflower and zucchini on the side. This meal is perfect for a lunch break at work (where I ate this meal). You can eat the chicken with tortilla chips as well. On the right is one of the snacks called "Energy bites" (which I called granola balls). The bites consist of dried fruits and nuts. I was able to taste mainly the dried fruit and coconut. They reminded me of cake pops but much healthier!

This upcoming meal was one that I kept craving for more. It is a baked sweet potato with blackberries, and peanut butter hidden in between. Next to it was a hard-boiled egg, which one can eat without microwaving (but if you like to eat things hot, be my guest). The yellow and orange bell pepper slices did not come with the meal. I'm obsessed with bell peppers, although the red ones are my favorite. I literally eat bell peppers every day, whenever I go to the store I always buy at least four for the week.

Abby's delivery service is one that you can count on when it comes to purchasing affordable and healthy food that can help you get started on a fitness journey or a healthier diet. The main impression that I personally received from her food was that peanut butter tastes so good on the most unexpected foods.

In addition this review, I was also able to interview her.

Angie: How did this idea originate, was it in a class, or did you always want to create a blog/ delivery service?

Abby: I started my blog to offer my meal prep services for individuals who would want to change their eating habits and try affordable nutritious foods. I wanted to call my business "BlackBean Inspiration" because "Blackbeans" refers to my Guatemalan background. Black beans are a staple food in Guatemala and it was important that my business reflected my background. "Blackbeans" also refers to the Latin American community in Chicago that I hope to teach about nutrition. "Inspiration" reflects my desire to inspire the Latin American community to eat wholesome foods and help them with their health journey.

Angie: How did the idea of the Energy Balls (or bites) originate?

Abby: The idea of my Energy Balls came from Pinterest. I am always looking for new, healthy recipes to recreate at home and when I saw this similar recipe on Pinterest, I realized I had most of the ingredients at home and would be able to recreate it using what I did have.

Angie: What do you hope people get out of your blog/food?

 Abby: I make my food with love because food is what I love. I know it sounds cliche but, it's super important that it shows and people also love my food/blog. Secondly, I hope my customers will achieve their ultimate weight goal through my nutritious foods. Some of my customers will achieve their ultimate weight goal through my nutritious foods. Some of my customers are into fitness and their goal is to tone their bodies through nutritious foods. Similarly, I also have customers who want to lose weight and don't have time to cook which is why they rely on me for nutritious foods.

Angie: What is your favorite food and why?

Abby: My favorite foods would have to be anything with yogurt, black beans, or tofu. I am obsessed with yogurt, black beans, and tofu. I am obsessed with yogurt because of its texture and its beneficial component for out bodies. Yogurt is full of probiotics, living bacteria, I think that's pretty cool! I love black beans because they are a Guatemalan staple food that I have grown up with and that reminds me of Guatemala, my happy place. Lastly, I love tofu because it's so versatile, you can make it taste like anything and it will still be so delicious!

Angie: What is one nutrition tip that you would give to everyone?

Abby: One nutrition tip that I would give to everyone would be, to pick a day out of the week that you will not eat out; instead, you recreate an unhealthy dish into a healthier dish.

UPDATE: Abby wrote about the Macaron Raccoon! Thank you so much! Check out the rest of her blog posts here.