Comida Rica Mexicana

Today I have a Mexican induced stomach bug. It's nothing major and the truth is that it has a lot less to do with any scary bacteria I may have consumed in the calle and much more to do with my own failure to control what I eat here. It should come as no surprise to anyone, that the food in Mexico is out of control yummy. Last week, when I went to the city of Puebla, I experienced the most diverse, exciting concoctions: sweets made of sugar and pumkin seeds, coconut candy flavored with anise, rice pudding, foamy chocolate water, fried dough (churros) dipped in homemade strawberry jam, and - of course- the outstanding chocolate "Mole Poblano," which is native to Puebla.

When you go to a fast food spot in the U.S., your condiments are ketchup, mustard, mayo, salt, pepper - and maybe if you are lucky some barbecue sauce. Here, I am constantly amazed by the diverse salsas - red with Japanese chiles, green with jalapeno, green with avocado, green with cilantro, limes, chipotle salsa, and pinto gallo (tomatoes, onions, jalapenos and cilantro.) At $1 per quesadilla, which can be stuffed with pork, beef, chicken, yellow cheese, white cheese, string cheese, spinach, cactus, huitlacoche (the corn fungus), mushrooms, beans, tomatoes...well, as you can see, it is hard to control yourself. And for those of us fruit lovers in the mix, there is no end to the tropical options: mango, papaya, cantaloupe, mamey, banana, watermelon, guayaba, oranges, guayabanana, and strawberry.

This week, I plan to control my appetite and avoid some of those inevitable traps of overindulging in the comida rica mexicana.