Lewis the Lion arrived at Mexico City airport and a wave of excitement (or was that hunger?) hit him! He knew that Mexico had a worldwide reputation for its fabulous food and he felt ready to try some. So, he headed straight to a restaurant while he waited for his lift into Mexico City and his mouth started to water as he perused the menu.
For starters, he chose some nachos and a guacamole dip. He’d already had these before back in the UK: nachos are a type of flavoured corn-crisp which are covered with cheese, a tomato salsa and sour cream, and guacamole is a type of avocado paste. Delicious!
For his main meal, he chose something that he’d never tried before: chicken taquitos. He discovered that these were a type of corn tortilla which are rolled stuffed with chicken and deep fried. They are then covered in a spicy tomato sauce. Again, delicious! However, he was aware that Mexican food was a little spicier than what he was used to as they often had hot salsas (sauces) or jalapeño peppers (a type of hot pepper sliced up).
Lewis enjoys a traditional Mexican meal
Lewis the Lion sat there licking his lips and grinning to himself. He was going to enjoy his next couple of weeks trying the food and drink out in Mexico!
When he arrived in Mexico City, he was happy for two reasons: firstly, because he discovered that in the hostel he was staying in, he could have both breakfast and dinner and secondly, because he discovered that there were lots of street stalls selling delicious Mexican food at really cheap prices. Both of these places were offering tasty food and were good for his budget: a win-win!
Lewis the Lion has free Mexican breakfasts and dinners at this hostel
Here are some photos of some of the street stalls where Lewis used to eat his lunch. They would sell things like quesadillas (a folded wheat or corn tortilla filled with cheese or a combination of mushrooms, peppers or chorizo and then fried or grilled) and tacos (a corn or flour tortilla with a topping of your choice, e.g. meat, seafood, eggs, peppers or cheese).
People ordering and eating Mexican street food
Lewis the Lion sees the busy street stalls at lunchtime
Here is a photo of a restaurant serving breakfasts: desayunos. As you can see, there was a wide choice.
A Mexican breakfast menu
In many places across Mexico, Lewis the Lion discovered that tacos were an important snack food sold in ‘Taquerias’ and there was a great variety of how they were prepared.
Lots of different style tacos
Sometimes they were soft, sometimes they were hard, sometimes they were fried, sometimes they were grilled, and you always had a choice of different toppings.
The varied menu at the taqueria
One of his favourite tacos however was called ‘El pastor’ which was a type of chicken taco with lots of toppings, such as pineapple, corriander and lime juice. Delicious!
Traditional Pastor Tacos
Here are some photos of Lewis the Lion having lunch at a typical beach side cafe with Helen’s diving instructor. (You’ll learn more about that in one of Lewis the Lion’s next blogs).
Lewis the Lion loves the little cafes near the beach
Chicken tacos
Lewis and Ronnie enjoy a Mexican snack
Lewis with some Mexican empanadas
In terms of desserts, Lewis the Lion discovered that one of his favourite treats from Spain was also sold here in Mexico: churros. This is a type of ridged long doughnut covered in icing sugar.
He also discovered a type of traditional scone which was baked on a gridle. In fact, Lewis the Lion smelt them before he saw them as he could smell the sugar in the air. Yum! Yum!
Lewis the Lion tries some traditional corn cookies
Lewis the Lion sees how the traditional corn cookies are made
As far as drinks are concerned, Lewis the Lion discovered that there seemed to be every type of flavoured fizzy drink available. There was also a wide variety of fruit juices. Like most other countries that Lewis the Lion had travelled through, he stuck to drinking bottles of mineral water for safety. He also learnt that for adults, there was a famous alcoholic drink called Tequila which was sold here.
Here is one of Lewis the Lion’s favourite Mexican jokes for you:
– Why did the Mexican throw his wife over a cliff?
– Te-kill-her (It sounds like Tequila!).
What is your favourite joke? Tell a friend.
