Cuisiniers Kitchen...: 5 Days in Mexico...

Carne Asada, Tripe, Corn Tortillas

Asado Master in Action

A trip like no other. Not in such a culinary sense (although I tried to make it one) but in a spiritual and godly sense. A group of teens and adults ventured to just outside Tecate on a mission trip to build a house for a less-than-fortunate familia. It was an eye opener for sure. We, as Americans, do not know first hand what it is like to truly suffer and try to survive. To have to wonder if our children will die today because of no food or water, or to have to sit idle and watch as our dog passes away from malnutrition and only to be left for the rodents and maggots to dispose of. I write that obviously without knowing few(if any) of you, so I apologize if I stand corrected, but in a general sense, we do not. Our community that stands alone as one under the bridges, begging for food, grabbing a blanket when they can, sleeping in alleys, yes are less fortunate and out of luck and down. We feel for them and try to help. But they are really living like kings compared to some of what I have witnessed. In a few words...appreciative, fortunate, blessed, those are descriptors that have now become a more prominent vocab for me. I was brought up that way, but living in this wasteful society we call the U.S., it is easy to become desensitized to it. I will leave you with that visual for now. Ok, now about the food...we were fortunate to be able to stay at a nearby ranch in Tecate before travelling about 30 minutes towards the job site each day and this where the couple who managed it cooked for us all, both breakfast and lunch. Tasty, home cooked meals with a lot of love and passion. Fresh made corn tortillas and several salsas every meal. It was the bomb! Tomatillo-Jalepeno-Cilantro...fresh Tomato-Chile de Arbol and Cilantro...Pico de Gallo...Chipotle-Poblano! Very good. We ate carne asada, braised beef and chilies with rice, spice roasted chicken with fiery adobo sauce. We were loving life for sure. Then there was chorizo, huevos and salsa with charred tortillas~ Simply awesome. We ate like this for four days while we rose, devoured, worked hard, played, dined for dinner, praised and searched our souls for an understanding and comprehension of what we saw each day. By then of our work, it was very emotional. To see the look on the family's faces when we turned over the house to them, was priceless. Tears of joy were running freely among the group. for us, we accomplished a mission, a commitment, a journey...for them, it was like Christmas a hundred fold. Our last night was spent in town at a local taqueria called taqueria Dumas. Crazy good! Out of control tasty. Our asado master was in true form and practicing his art without sigh or complaint. In the restaurant industry, it is not uncommon for the cooks to get bent or become bitchy when a table of 34 walk in un-announced. For him, it meant he could perhaps buy his wife something nice, afford another piece of meat, have his cooks stay an hour later, or simply take that financial edge off. We were ordering from everything they had on the menu...burros, tacos, quesadillas, tostadas, and the like. The flavors were freaking intoxicating. I started out with a quesadilla sensilla(cheese and cilantro), tacos cabeza,(literally head, with cheeks, toungue and eye balls, grilled, roasted and chopped with spicy sauce, chilies, avocado and cilantro) Not their best flavor combination, but still very tasty and besides...I could not travel to Mexico and not try this! Tacos campechanos(made with carne asada and grilled tripe mixed with avocado, chili sauce, and spices and fresh corn tortilla) a very hearty taco indeed and extremely tasty,... tacos adobadas (spicy marinated and slow cooked pork tacos roasted on a rotating barbecue of sorts with tomatillos, avocados, cumin, chilies and fresh corn tortillas. I went back for seconds as did everyone as they were probably my favorite. The chica making the fresh corn tortillas was cool She would roll the masa, stamp and grill then pass them to the amigo on the grill who was busting out the tacos faster than we could order. At one point, he called for some reinforcements but in an instant, had it under control. Fascinating. He had a warm welcoming look on his face and one that inspired the group. He was "at home", making people happy with the art and love of his craft. We should all be so fortunate. A quick glimpse of what we ate and experienced...