The Taco Chapters
We did it. We flew to Mexico! After weeks of planning and prepping, we finally pulled the trigger on some international travel, landing way way south of the border in search of more tropical views. And so here we are - hola de Tulum!
Two weeks deep into our Mexican adventure and our Spanglish is really coming along. Between our broken, almost exclusively present tense Spanish and lots of “lo sientos” we’ve managed to order plenty of tacos and reserve our fair share of beach club lounge chairs. Especially helpful phrases include “Si, uno mas margarita” and “donde estan las cabanas?” Luckily, everyone helping us has been very patient, even encouraging us with a “Si, yo entiendo” every so often. Big shout out to all of Tulum’s hospitality industry who has been incredibly gracious in enduring our Spanish 101, an experience, I imagine, that must be like watching an a child in an adult’s body try to prove that they know like, all of the words.
It’s not all beachside burritos and fresh caught ceviche though. If you want to get over the bridge, you have to pay the troll - and a few pesos is not going to cut it, turns out. With little less than 24 hours under our belt, B and I managed to poison ourselves so severely that we came close to starting our own bathroom tour company; we would call ourselves Bed to Bath & Nowhere Beyond. Important note to self - wash the raw onions! Wash all the veggies. With some lingering PTSD from the whole incident, we haven’t quite built up the courage to cook for ourselves again, but honestly, what’s the point when there are so many brilliant chefs just down the street eager and excited to share their cooking mastery with our newly humbled digestion systems.
Happily, that brief break from eating is over, and the taco tour is back on! Cochinita, pulpo, carnitas, al pastor, pollo - you name it and we have almost certainly put it in a small tortilla and covered it with salsa and guacamole to consume.
And while we’re on the subject - can I just say that our Mexican amigos know how to serve guacamole. The chip to guac ratio is stuff of legends. There’s none of this share these 4 chips and a single avocado chopped up and topped with red onion scraps. These culinary masterminds seem more than happy to dish out piles of perfectly aged and spiced avocados and baskets of homemade tortilla chips so that we can actually enjoy our appetizer! These people are heroes, and we salute you!
Ok. I’m getting hungry. Time for some lunch tacos.
