Everyone loves good food, but not everyone appreciates it in the same way. Some are much more adventurous than others and are therefore willing to try new dishes whenever they have the opportunity.
I am definitely not one of those people. When I shop every week at my local greengrocer here in San Miguel de Allende, I tend to buy the exact same things week after week. I overlook dozens of exotic looking fruits and vegetables that others eagerly snap up.
Why don’t I buy them? I’m not entirely sure. I grew up in rural Wisconsin, an area not known for its variety and diversity of foods. Many of us Wisconsinites still believe that beer, cheese curds, brats, and corn make up the four food groups!
During my professional career I have travelled a lot around the world – and what better way to do that than to try new dishes with local hosts and on expense accounts? But unfortunately I was always the person at the table who said “no way!” when I saw the chicken feet and duck tongue in China, the strange looking sausage in Germany, the exotic sushi in Japan, the strange looking piece of meat in Argentina or the Chapels (locusts) and ant eggs here in Mexico.
I traveled to China so many times that the first words I learned in Mandarin were “white rice” and “Coca-Cola” – and that’s what I lived on for most of my travels there. I once took a 90-minute taxi ride from a hotel in rural China to a Pizza Hut in Shanghai. I’m not proud of this story, but I probably would have starved if I hadn’t taken that taxi!
When I think back to how hesitant I was over the years to try so many exciting and exotic dishes, I think the main reason was that I just didn’t feel like I understood what I was being told to eat. Since I traveled by plane almost every week, I was very worried about the risk of getting sick, so I rarely, if ever, tried anything different.
Well, it’s time for a change. Life is too short to stop trying and experimenting.
And with that confessional introduction, I am the unlikely person to introduce you to the significant expansion of our MND Food and Drink section.
Mexico is a world leader and exporter of food and beverages – and for good reason. The country has a culinary tradition that goes back over a thousand years, and the alcoholic beverages produced here are increasingly being discovered and appreciated around the world. There are enough fruits and vegetables and insects and meats and corn varieties to experiment with and try to make do for a lifetime.
With this in mind, Mexico News Daily has decided to double down and expand its Food & Drink section to bring you exciting new content and formats.
You will find recipes for preparing typical Mexican dishes as well as recipes that spice up other popular dishes with Mexican ingredients.
Every week we present you the series “Taste of Mexico” to inform you about Mexican food or drink that you have probably seen before but never dared to try.
We publish reviews of the best new restaurants, chefs and food events across the country.
We’ll give you insight into Mexico’s thriving wine industry and help you choose the wines to try and the wineries to visit.
We do this in a fun and accessible way, using a variety of new multimedia formats that combine articles and videos.
We’ve hired several new writers, from expat foodies who have lived in Mexico for years to young, hip locals who are passionate about their food, culture and traditions.
I once read that it’s “impossible not to have a great time eating at a Mexican restaurant,” and I believe the same is true of food in Mexico in general.
So let’s have some fun, laugh and experience all the great flavors of Mexico.
We’re just getting started and have a lot more in store, so stay tuned and thank you for being an MND subscriber! It’s our honor to bring you Mexico from the front row.
Travis Bembenek is CEO of Mexico news daily and has lived, worked and played in Mexico for over 27 years.
