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Mexican Christmas Traditions

Wordless Wednesday: Boing de guayaba en vidrio

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A few months back, Tortilla reader Nelda was telling me on Twitter how much she loved Boing de Guayaba (guava-flavored fruit juice) in glass bottles but that she couldn't find any where she lived. She mentioned the only place she'd ever seen it in the glass bottles was in Mexico City. Recently, she sent me a message to let me know she found a new little Chilango-owned changarro in her hometown that carries them. Now, every time I see Boing in glass bottles, I think of my amiga! I was in a Mexican grocery store here in Chicago and saw these on the shelf and couldn't help but take a photo for her.

This photo was taken with my iPhone 3Gs using the ShakeItPhoto app by Banana Camera Co.

¿Qué tan Chilango eres?

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In just a few short weeks, I’ll be landing in Mexico City for the holidays (and as you may have guessed, the first thing I do after leaving the airport is make a stop for some tacos al pastor). I’m so excited that I’ve actually got a countdown clock going on my computer – only 24 more days!

On Twitter, there’s a great little hashtag party every Monday known as #MexMonday and it’s all about celebrating Mexico. I was delighted then while surfing the internet to get my daily fix of all things Mexican when I stumbled upon this cute little quiz on Chilango.com, my favorite magazine all about Mexico City. And for those of you who don't know, Chilango is a slang word for people from Mexico City, much like how people from Chicago are called Chicagoans, people from New York are called New Yorkers and people from Los Angeles are called Angelenos.

It’s a 10-question quiz (en Español) called ¿Qué tan chilango eres? I was pretty proud of my score considering that I was born in the U.S. and am only an honorary Chilanga… And yes, I actually did know how many metro stations are in Mexico City. Blame it on my affinity for asking my suegro a million questions about usually useless random facts whenever we're running errands together during my visits. Some things, you just don't forget.

  • Take the quiz and see how you rate! Are you Chilango de corazón? Let me know in the comments how you scored.

Querétaro: barbacoa de la carretera & other tales

5 · · 3 Comments

This past summer I took a road trip from Mexico City to Aguascalientes with my suegros to celebrate José’s Abuelita Ana’s 90th birthday.

The day before we left Mexico City, my suegros were going on and on about this place we were going to stop for barbacoa for breakfast. I didn’t need to hear anything more; I was sold. Mostly because any time they mention food that’s along the highway, I know it’s going to be good. I can’t quite explain why, but every restaurant I’ve ever been to along the highway in Mexico with them has been practically legendary.  It’s fodder for conversation for months – sometimes even years – at the dinner table, family gatherings, via email or phone. Highway food is never forgotten in our family. Many conversations begin with, “remember that time we ate at that little place off the highway?”

Perhaps I never understood what “something to call home about” meant until I ate the world-famous cecina at Cuatro Vientos on the highway to Acapulco just outside of Cuernavaca a few years back. (OK, perhaps it’s not world-famous, but it’s certainly famous within Mexico. It should be world-famous, it is that good.) I’ve explicitly trusted my suegros with steering me toward the best highway road trip food ever since and they haven’t disappointed me yet. So when they told me we were going to have barbacoa de la carretera, my salivary glands were already in overdrive.

We left Mexico City around 6 a.m., and as we got stuck in traffic on the way out of the city I began to drift off in the back seat. When I awoke, we were pulling off the highway and onto a gravel driveway that was packed with cars and people who all had the same motivation as ours: barbacoa for breakfast at Barbacoa Santiago....

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Salsa Showdown: Join me for a live cooking show!

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I’m proud to announce I’ll be partnering with the Kenmore Live Studio for the second time this year for a live cooking show!

Tortilla fans of Chicago, I hope you’ll join and support me in the studio on Friday, November 19 as I cook off against my friend and chef/owner of Chilam Balam, Chuy Valencia. If you’re an out-of-towner, no worries: the show will be broadcast live over the internet so you can still cheer me on! There will also be video available here on The Other Side of The Tortilla the following week.

Chuy’s restaurant is one of my favorites in Chicago, so I’m thrilled to be cooking alongside him. He’s a Rick Bayless-alum and also the youngest person ever to have been elevated to the position of sous chef at a Bayless restaurant when he was just 20 years old. Bayless recently told Chicago magazine that Chuy is destined for stardom, and I couldn’t agree more. Before starting his own restaurant, Chuy also worked as Chef de Cuisine at Adobo Grill. Check out his website for more about the concept behind Chilam Balam.

So…

¿Roja o verde? You be the judge.

I’ll make my salsa verde, and Chef Valencia will make his salsa roja. Will I leave him green with envy? Or will he get ahead with his red? Taste and decide for yourself.

We’ll introduce you to some authentic Mexican flavors and the salsas will top chilaquiles and enchiladas. You won’t believe how easy they are to make! And as always, the audience will get to taste-test!

The Mexico Tourism Board will also be on hand to support me, share information and answer questions related to Mexican food and culture.

Dress to impress; the event will be livestreamed on Kenmore’s Facebook page on the Live Studio tab and seating is first come, first serve. Come early to reserve your spot!

Doors will open at 6:30 p.m. and the show will begin at 7 p.m. CST.


To reserve your FREE ticket and get details with the studio address and directions, please click the Live Studio button below:

  • I’d love if you’d leave me a message of encouragement in the comments! Let me know where you'll be watching from!

The photo of me above at my Kenmore demo at the Ritz-Carlton South Beach in Miami is courtesy of Carol Cain, official photographer for the Blogalicious '10 conference.