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Markets & Restaurants
Exploring the culinary delights of a
tianguis, or traditional
market, is one of my favorite pastimes. The people-watching is
top-notch, and the food stalls harbor creative surprises ranging from
strawberry shortcakes covered in fresh cream to juicy cheeseburgers and
onion rings. To ensure your chances of getting the healthiest food
possible, visit stands that seem to be popular among the locals. Word
spreads fast in Mexico, so it doesn't take long for customers to root
out the stalls with less than stellar hygiene practices. On the other
side of the spectrum, avoid eating at those inviting sidewalk
restaurants that you see beneath the stone archways that border the main
plazas. These places usually cater to tourists and don't need to count
on any return business. But they are great for getting a coffee or beer
and watching the world turn.
In most nonresort towns, there are always one or two restaurants
(sometimes it's a coffee shop) that are social centers for a large group
of established patrons. Over time, they become virtual institutions,
and change comes very slowly. The food is usually good standard fare,
cooked as it was 20 years ago, and the decor is simple. The patrons have
known each other and the staff for years, and the
charla
(banter), gestures, and greetings are friendly, open, and unaffected. If
you're curious about Mexican culture, these are fun places to eat in
and observe the goings-on.
You'll see multitudes of
taquerías (taco joints)
everywhere in Mexico. These are generally small places with a counter or
a few tables set around the cooking area; you see exactly how they make
their tacos before deciding whether to order. Most tacos come with a
little chopped onion and cilantro, but not with tomato and lettuce. Find
one that seems popular with the locals and where the cook performs with
brio (a good sign of pride in the product). Sometimes a woman will be making the tortillas (or working the
masa into
gorditas or
sopes,
if these are also served) right there. You will never see men doing
this -- this is perhaps the strictest gender division in Mexican
society. Men do all other cooking and kitchen tasks, and work with
already-made tortillas, but will never be found working
masa.
Dining Tips
- Nearly all restaurants and bars that serve middle-class Mexicans use
filtered water, disinfect their vegetables, and buy ice made from
purified water. If in doubt, look for ice with a rough cylindrical shape
and a hollow center, produced by the same kind of machinery across the
country. Street vendors and market stalls are less consistent. I've
never gotten sick on any of my travels to Mexico, but people who live
there say a good way of keeping your stomach happy is by drinking one of
the tiny Yakult yogurt drinks found in the dairy section of just about
every grocery store or corner market.
- For the afternoon meal, the main meal of the day, many restaurants offer a multicourse daily special called comida corrida or menú del día. This is the most inexpensive way to get a full dinner.
- In Mexico, you need to ask for your check; it is considered
rude to present a check to someone who hasn't requested it. If you're in
a hurry, ask for the check when your food arrives.
- Tips are about the same as in the U.S. You'll sometimes find a 15%
value-added tax on restaurant meals, which shows up on the bill as IVA.
This is effectively the tip, which you may augment if you like. Just
make sure you're not tipping twice.
- To summon the waiter, wave or raise your hand, but don't
motion with your index finger, which is a demeaning gesture that may
cause the waiter to ignore you. Or if it's the check you want, you can
motion to the waiter from across the room using the universal scribbling
motion against the palm of your hand.
Meals
desayuno -- Breakfast.
comida -- Main meal of the day, taken in the afternoon.
cena -- Supper.
Courses
botana -- A small serving of food that accompanies a beer or drink, usually served free of charge.
entrada -- Appetizer.
sopa -- Soup course. (Not necessarily a soup -- it can be a dish of rice or noodles, called
sopa seca [dry soup].)
ensalada -- Salad.
plato fuerte -- Main course.
postre -- Dessert.
comida corrida -- Inexpensive daily special usually consisting of three courses.
menú del día -- Same as
comida corrida.
Degree of Doneness
término un cuarto -- Rare, literally means one-fourth.
término medio -- Medium rare, one-half.
término tres cuartos -- Medium, three-fourths.
bien cocido -- Well done.
Note: Keep in mind, when ordering a steak, that
medio does not mean "medium."
Miscellaneous Restaurant Terminology
cucharra -- Spoon.
cuchillo -- Knife.
la cuenta -- The bill.
plato -- Plate.
plato hondo -- Bowl.
propina -- Tip.
servilleta -- Napkin.
tenedor -- Fork.
vaso -- Glass.
IVA -- Value-added tax.
fonda -- Strictly speaking, a food stall in the market or
street, but now used in a loose or nostalgic sense to designate an
informal restaurant.
Popular Mexican Dishes
a la tampiqueña -- (Usually
bistec a la t. or
arrachera a la t.) A steak served with several sides, including but not limited to an enchilada, guacamole, rice, and beans.
adobo -- Marinade made with chiles and tomatoes, often seen in adjectival form
adobado/
adobada.
albóndigas -- Meatballs, usually cooked in a chile chipotle sauce.
antojito -- Literally means "small temptation." It's a general
term for tacos, tostadas, quesadillas, and the like, which are usually
eaten for supper or as a snack.
arrachera -- Skirt steak, fajitas.
arroz -- Rice.
bistec -- Steak.
bolillo -- Small bread with a crust much like a baguette.
buñuelos -- Fried pastry dusted with sugar. Can also mean a large, thin, crisp pancake that is dipped in boiling cane syrup.
cajeta -- Thick caramel sauce made from goat's milk.
calabaza -- Zucchini squash.
caldo tlalpeño -- Chicken and vegetable soup, with rice, chile
chipotle, avocado, and garbanzos. Its name comes from a suburban
community of Mexico City, Tlalpan.
caldo xochitl -- Mild chicken and rice soup served with a
small plate of chopped onion, chile serrano, avocado, and limes, to be
added according to individual taste.
camarones -- Shrimp. For common cooking methods, see
pescado.
carne -- Meat.
carnitas -- Slow-cooked pork dish from Michoacán and parts of
central Mexico, served with tortillas, guacamole, and salsa or pickled
jalapeños.
cebolla -- Onion.
cecina -- Thinly sliced pork or beef, dried or marinated, depending on the region.
ceviche -- Fresh raw seafood marinated in fresh lime juice and garnished with chopped tomatoes, onions, chiles, and sometimes cilantro.
chalupas poblanas -- Simple dish from Puebla consisting of
handmade tortillas lightly fried but left soft, and topped with
different chile sauces.
chayote -- Spiny squash boiled and served as an accompaniment to meat dishes.
chilaquiles -- Fried tortilla quarters softened in either a
red or a green sauce and served with Mexican sour cream, onion, and
sometimes chicken
(con pollo).
chile -- Any of the many hot peppers used in Mexican cooking, in fresh, dried, or smoked forms.
chile ancho -- A dried chile poblano, which serves as the base for many varieties of sauces and
moles.
chile chilpotle (or
chipotle) -- A smoked jalapeño dried or in an
adobo sauce.
chile en nogada -- Chile poblano stuffed with a complex
filling of shredded meat, nuts, and dried, candied, and fresh fruit,
topped with walnut cream sauce and a sprinkling of pomegranate seeds.
chile poblano -- Fresh pepper that is usually dark green in
color, large, and not usually spicy. Often stuffed with a variety of
fillings (chile relleno).
chile relleno -- Stuffed pepper.
chivo -- Kid or goat.
cochinita pibil -- Yucatecan dish of pork, pit-baked in a
pibil sauce of
achiote, sour orange, and spices.
col -- Cabbage. Also called
repollo.
consomé -- Clear broth, usually with rice.
cortes -- Steak; in full, it is
cortes finas de carne (fine cuts of meat).
cuitlacoche -- Variant of
huitlacoche.
elote -- Fresh corn.
empanada -- For most of Mexico, a turnover with a savory or sweet filling. In Oaxaca and southern Mexico, it is corn
masa or a tortilla folded around a savory filling and roasted or fried.
empanizado -- Breaded.
enchilada -- A lightly fried tortilla, dipped in sauce and
folded or rolled around a filling. It has many variations, such as
enchiladas suizas (made with a cream sauce), enchiladas del portal or
enchiladas placeras (made with a predominantly
chile ancho sauce), and enchiladas verdes (in a green sauce of tomatillos, cilantro, and chiles).
enfrijoladas -- Like an enchilada, but made with a bean sauce.
enmoladas -- Enchiladas made with a
mole sauce.
entomatadas -- Enchiladas made with a tomato sauce.
escabeche -- Vegetables pickled in a vinegary liquid.
flan -- Custard.
flautas -- Tortillas that are rolled up around a filling (usually chicken or shredded beef) and deep-fried; often listed on a menu as
taquitos or
tacos fritos.
gorditas -- Thick, fried corn tortillas, slit open and stuffed with meat or cheese.
horchata -- Drink made of ground rice, melon seeds, ground almonds, or coconut and cinnamon.
huazontle -- A vegetable vaguely comparable to broccoli, but milder in taste.
huitlacoche -- Salty and mild-tasting corn fungus that is considered a delicacy.
jitomate -- Tomato.
lechuga -- Lettuce.
limón -- A small lime. Mexicans squeeze them on everything from soups to tacos.
lomo adobado -- Pork loin cooked in an
adobo.
masa -- Soft dough made of corn that is the basis for making tortillas and tamales.
menudo -- Soup made with beef tripe and hominy.
milanesa -- Beef cutlet breaded and fried.
mole -- Any variety of thick sauce made with dried chiles, nuts, fruit or vegetables, and spices. Variations include
m. poblano (Puebla style, with chocolate and sesame),
m. negro (black
mole from Oaxaca, also with chocolate), and
m. verde (made with herbs and/or pumpkinseeds, depending on the region).
pan -- Bread. A few of the varieties include
p. dulce (general term for a variety of sweet breads),
p. de muerto (bread made for the Day of the Dead holidays), and
p. Bimbo (packaged sliced white bread).
panuchos -- A Yucatecan dish of
masa cakes stuffed with refried black beans and topped with shredded turkey or chicken, lettuce, and onion.
papas -- Potatoes.
papadzules -- A Yucatecan dish of tortillas stuffed with hard-boiled eggs and topped with a sauce made of pumpkinseeds.
parrillada -- A sampler platter of grilled meats or seafood.
pescado -- Fish. Common ways of cooking fish include
al mojo de ajo (pan seared with oil and garlic),
a la veracruzana (with tomatoes, olives, and capers), and
al ajillo (seared with garlic and fine strips or rings of
chile guajillo).
pibil -- See
cochinita pibil. When made with chicken, it is called
pollo pibil.
picadillo -- Any of several recipes using shredded beef, pork,
or chicken and onions, chiles, and spices. Can also contain fruit and
nuts.
pipián -- A thick sauce made with ground pumpkinseeds, nuts, herbs, and chiles. Can be red or green.
poc chuc -- A Yucatecan dish of grilled pork with onion marinated in sour orange.
pollo -- Chicken.
pozole -- Soup with chicken or pork, hominy, lettuce, and
radishes, served with a small plate of other ingredients to be added
according to taste (onion, pepper, lime juice, oregano). In Jalisco it's
red
(p. rojo), in Michoacán it's clear
(p. blanco), and in Guerrero it's green
(p. verde). In the rest of Mexico, it can be any one of these.
puerco -- Pork.
quesadilla -- Corn or flour tortillas stuffed with white cheese and cooked on a hot griddle. In Mexico City, it is made with raw
masa folded around any of a variety of fillings (often containing no cheese) and deep-fried.
queso -- Cheese.
res -- Beef.
rompope -- Mexican liqueur, made with eggs, vanilla, sugar, and alcohol.
salbute -- A Yucatecan dish like a
panucho, but without bean paste in the middle.
sopa azteca -- Tortilla soup.
sopa tarasca -- A blended soup from Michoacán made with beans and tomatoes.
sope -- Small fried
masa cake topped with savory meats and greens.
tacos al pastor -- Small tacos made with thinly sliced pork marinated in an
adobo and served with pineapple, onion, and cilantro.
tamal -- (Not "tamale.")
Masa mixed with lard and
beaten until light and folded around a savory or sweet filling, and
encased in a cornhusk or a plant leaf (usually corn or banana) and then
steamed.
Tamales is the plural form.
taquitos -- See
flautas.
tinga -- Shredded meat stewed in a chile chipotle sauce.
torta -- A sandwich made with a bolillo.
Travel agents, in all their worldly experiences, see vacations as the perfect opportunity to bond with your teens, for how often do you really get a chance to spend quality time with them away from phones, TVs, video games and instant messaging? Once teens are in a different environment, even for a day trip, they often become more open and communicative.
Once the family plan is in place, keep your teen involved by putting them in charge of at least one aspect of the trip. If they're good with maps, make them the navigator. Do they have an eye for photos? Make them the official vacation photographer, in charge of not only taking photos during the trip, but also of compiling the album once you return. They will enjoy the responsibility of the project and the trust you give them to accomplish it.
Miss at your peril: (stay away from the crowds) - '
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