TAH-kos or talk-OHS?

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I feel funny pronouncing Spanish words with an American accent.  I rather prefer to honor the "ñ" and revere the "ll."  The Saint pokes fun when I ask him how many torr-TEE-yahs he wants with his dinner or when I order TAH-kos  at a Mexican restaurant.  I attribute this mostly to the fact that he is the son of a proud mother from Argentina where tortillas are Spanish and made with eggs and tacos don’t exist. … [Read more...]

La Mexicana

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Inside a kitchen not far from the Rio Grande a 94 year-old-woman stands but once a week now, her bones too old for more. The round comal at her waist is half as old. A starched smock aids her appearance as she plunges flautas one-by-one into oil that spits and sizzles and then swipes her hair from her face, both gestures grooved in time. … [Read more...]

Taking Tacos to a New Level

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The idea of a taco, even a shrimp taco may not conjure up Mexican haute cuisine, but recently, at the Hacienda de Guadalupe in San Miguel de Allende, my husband and I were treated to a regal plate of shrimp tacos. The evening had started out a bit disappointingly. We had expected to meet a friend at the busy, noisy and well-known hang-out next door to the Hacienda de Guadalupe. Getting an earful of the clamor within, we instinctively ran for the door, away from the noise. But we were hungry and didn't want to walk far to look for a quiet place to eat. Just one doorway away, at the Hacienda de Guadalupe, we found ourselves lured into this combination boutique hotel/restaurant, an eclectic but somehow congruent mix of twenty-fifth century modern and seventeenth century colonial design. The ambiance, in fact, is very peaceful and inviting. On the menu, we ordered the shrimp tacos. … [Read more...]