unusual mexican foods

"5 Unusual Foods To Try in Mexico" trumpeted the email in my inbox.

What caught my attention was not the eccentric grammatical error in capitalization, but the promise of some food adventures.  I have taken you along on a couple of my own.

But, right from the start, I knew the list was not going to be much more adventurous than my Aunt Matilda's meat loaf.

Number one on the list was jugo verde, which, the author helpfully tells her audience, means “green juice.”  What then follows is a disclaimer that the green juice can be almost anything, but usually contains celery.  In other words, the the of drink you can buy at a juice bar anywhere in the world.

That choice made me take a closer look at the source of this "unusual" list.  It comes from one of those travel magazines that hires writers with little life experience and even less writing talent (with such wise sorority observations as "this stuff may look like green slime").

If you think that is a bit harsh, take a look at the rest of the list:

• Chili Powder on Fruit -- OMG, they are putting spicy stuff on sweet stuff.
• Grasshoppers -- OK.  This one is unusual.  But it is rather cliché.  (flying food)
• Dried Mango Coated in Chili Powder -- Even more chili.  Oh no!
• Ostrich -- Encountered in Baja.  Probably at a southern California restaurant.

All summed up with a breathless "Next time you venture to Mexico, make sure to seek out a few of these delicious—if slightly eccentric—foods!"

I would like to be charitable, but the author of this fluff piece would not know unusual or eccentric if an ostrich kicked her in the head.  Any American could encounter anything on the list (with the possible exception of the grasshoppers) in his home town. Or nearby.

If you want unusual food, how about huitlacoche -- the Mexican corn smut that tastes a bit like truffles when wrapped inside chicken?  Or pig-head-infused pozole?  Or cow eye tacos?

All Mexican.  All unusual.  And all worth a second serving.

So, here is the question.  If a friend asked you to suggest an unusual and tasty food that is essentially Mexican, what would you include on your list?

The floor is yours.  You get an additional point if you have actually eaten a full serving.