I’m a connoisseur of sorts. I love flavors, whether food or beverage. One of my favorite things to do when travelling abroad is sampling local cuisine. My Play it Forward Adventure included some absolutely delicious experiences. All the places we dined were incredible, but some other items really stand out.
We biked to a small village where the women served us pepian – a sort of pumpkin bisque served over rice with roasted chicken and fresh vegetables. We also handmade corn tortillas roasted on an open fire.
We made a pit stop on our way to one of our destinations and discovered a chorizo (sausage) and guacamole sandwich. It was a divine combination of spice, salt, and sweetness that makes me salivate just thinking about it.
While building a home for a family, the abuelo (grandfather) chopped off a branch of his fruit tree and served us. The fruit was unknown to us, but resembled a cross between a plum, a peach, and a tangerine. I ate three of them.
I sipped mescal, a relative of tequila.
We walked through the market and found tamales being sold out of the back of a truck. These were at least three times the size of any tamale I’d ever seen and definitely three times more tasty.
I discovered that refried beans can also be black and can be squeezed from a tube. I also learned that a hardboiled egg and black bean sandwich makes a fine breakfast.
The absolute highlight of my trip however was the cauldron of boiling coffee. A 5-gallon pot churned with bubbling black liquid. The vendor poured a scoop of coffee through a strainer and served it to us. The coffee was bold and bitter and its strength filled my mouth. Then I encountered a rush of sweetness as the sugars that had been mixed in settled on my taste buds. Having had the experience of grinding coffee on a three hundred year old stone earlier that week, I savored every sip of the most delicious coffee I’ve ever had.
