How I feel about Mexican food

This may sound sacrilegious, but I’ve never been a fan of Mexican food. I’ll still eat it because I want to fit in and I want people to like me, but in general I would always choose to eat Asian over Mexican food. Hence why I’ve never had a desire to visit Mexico, as food is a big part of why I travel.

In recent years, though, I’ve been intrigued by reports from random friends raving about Mexico City, and that’s sort of how I ended up there last week. I say sort of because this really started when my friend Spencer asked if I wanted to go watch a beach volleyball tournament in Mexico (like the one I went to in Paris). I immediately said yes, and since Spencer was going to be in Mexico City beforehand, I decided to go there first to see what the fuss was all about.

I arrived on Saturday evening tired and a bit hungry, and things were not looking good for CDMX as I had to wait over 30 minutes in the immigration line. Thankfully the Uber was relatively easy to get (it was also my first time in a BYD), and over 30 minutes in traffic later I arrive at my hotel.

Perhaps my frustration stemmed from being hangry, but I can’t understand why the check-in process takes longer than 2 minutes. I was also annoyed because the clerk tried to charge me for the room even though I had already paid.

Finally, it was time to go out and grab something to eat. I had done zero planning for the trip, but had received restaurant recommendations from a few friends, so I walked to one of the places nearby (I almost chose a sushi restaurant but decided I should try what Mexican food tastes like in Mexico).

Unfortunately, the place I picked looked like it had a power outage (?!?!), and a server told me they weren’t taking any more customers, so I continued my search. After walking around a bit more I came across taqueria with a long line outside, and decided to wait. (When in doubt, always go where the long lines are.)

Thirty minutes more passed, and at last, I had my first taste of authentic Mexican tacos with legit corn tortillas. Maybe it helped that I was hungry and had low expectations, but that meal was the first time that I truly appreciated and enjoyed Mexican food. It’s hard to describe what made it taste so good — the sauces that came with the tacos, the pineapple on the tacos, the tortillas, or the meat, but it was all fantastic. I also loved the guava and hibiscus aqua fresca, and maybe even more memorable were the potatoes that came with the tacos — it was perfectly crisp on the outside and soft on the inside, and they were quite possibly the best potatoes I have ever had.

In short, it was a life-changing experience because it changed how I felt about Mexican food. Clearly, whatever Mexican food I had previously was not authentic. A couple days later I went on a food tour and the tour guide confirmed my suspicions: “In my opinion, the Mexican food you have in the States is not really Mexican food.” (I also learned that burritos and flour tortillas are way more prevalent in California than in Mexico.)

It has been said that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. Thank you, Mexico City, for opening my eyes to the richness of your cuisine, and finding your way into my heart and stomach.