Does it get any better than food in Mexico?

Time sure does fly when you aren't drifting aimlessly offshore.  It's been 2+ weeks since we "arrived" here in Huatulco, and our joy at being here has not diminished one bit since we first kissed the dock.  We are very grateful for:

• Chips and Salsa - what is wrong with the rest of Central and South America?  El Salvador has those vile things called papusas (honestly, they are simply tummy filler), the other countries' "salsas" are vibrant plastic-containered pink concoctions which adorn every restaurant table from Costa Rica to Ecuador, and their colour alone should encourage NO ONE to try them, and those much beloved tortillas will only come to your table if you choose to make them yourselves (or are content with supermarket versions pumped with so many preservatives that they are truly perfect for 2 month long offshore expeditions).  I was fortunate to find a brand of tortilla chip in Ecuador that sufficed, and when we were provisioning, we bought 50 bags of the things.  Maybe deep down I knew we would be needing them....We found a chip bar at a local store recently, and as my hips will tell you, I could eat tortilla chips for every meal.  I parked myself there, with an idiotic and mesmerized grin on my face. 
• Salsa -  okay, this probably should go above but Pico de Gallo is God's Own Creation.  It is perfect....and should be revered throughout the world as such.  However, no one outside of Mexico is familiar, although they all have the necessary ingredients to make it.  Upon getting to know the guys working here at Marina Chahue, when we mentioned that salsa in general, and Pico de Gallo in particular was really just embraced in Mexico, he frowned and visibly recoiled.  Priceless.  Salsa Verde and Molcajeteada....they have both found their way back on board, to the vast relief of Sundancers' owners.
• Tacos Pastor - or frankly any type of taco, but Pastor is a favourite.  Made of spit roasted pork and topped with a "flick" of roasted pineapple, cilantro, onion, and of course, Pico de Gallo.....heaven.  And although we thought that Ecuador restaurant "eats" were pretty cheap, 39 pesos for 5....ahem, but that's about $2.60 us, and even us Canadians can afford it at $3.25.  Add a 15 peso beer ($1 usd, $1.20 cdn), and we are thrilled to go out for dinner every night. 

 

•  Bolillos - while perhaps not as sexy as the above, bolillos are as indispensable in Mexico as is.....say salsa.  We use them for sandwiches, sliced sideways for bruschetta, and dunked in milk and eggs for Mexican Toast (the south of the border version of French Toast, people), and these rolls are a steal at 10 centavos/each.  That means you can get 15 of these things for $1, $1.20cdn.  
•  Arrachera - I don't know how they do it, but this is the most flavourful, the most tender, the most heavenly hunk of beef you will EVER buy in any country in the world (this may be an exaggeration, but my love for arrachera knows no bounds).  I'm sure the marinade in the packages you purchase in the supermarkets have all sorts of questionable ingredients, but this could be the only time that I look the other way....the meat is THAT GOOD!  We first discovered it many years ago, when we first arrived in Mexico.  With friends, we visited the Costco located in Cabo san Lucas, and I admit to turning my nose up when Ron dumped a huge 4 pound package of this premarinated skirt steak in the cart.  I adopted my "when in Rome....." attitude when I agreed to purchase it, we grilled it a few nights later, and promptly returned to Costco for 5 more packages to stick in the freezer.      

Oh, yes, after 3 years away from Mexico and making this unscheduled return to our first "foreign" country after leaving Canada, we are going to make the most of the food.  How we've missed you!!!