Drug Violence In Mexico?--Yes. Dangerous For Tourists?--No.

This is out of the way of what I normally talk about here, but I was just reading this article by Reuters and I want to tell you what I see down here, as someone who has been traveling through Mexico for the past three years, seeing the sights and exploring the vast, delicious authentic Mexican foodscape, and who's tired of hearing about all the fear mongering that goes on in American news media:  the only violence I have witnessed down here in Mexico, in all of the different places I have lived and visited in the past three years of traveling around has been between drunk, angry, poorly behaving tourists on vacation.  That's it.

I have yet to witness or come into contact with anybody who has witnessed any drug related violence.  We hear there's a lot of it, but we don't get to see any of it because it's happening between those involved in the drug trade.  These drug cartels aren't going to roll up on you, Ms. Jane Innocent Bystander, and gun you down while you're enjoying your tacos at the corner stand on the street.  It just isn't happening.  

The above article states:

the drug violence is occurring far from the most popular resorts such as Cancun, Huatulco, Ixtapa, Puerto Vallarta and Los Cabos, the Mexican official said, urging U.S. authorities to be more specific in their alerts.
In March, the Texas Department of Public Safety warned college revellers not to travel to Mexico for spring break with the message: "Stay alive."

Having personally lived in Los Cabos, Cancun, and currently to Puerto Vallarta area, I can tell you this is consistent with my experience.  There is no drug violence in the tourist places, outside a few very, very rare exceptions.  It's happening mostly along the border between the cartels. 

So if you're thinking of flying down to Mexico for a vacation and enjoying the sun and the beautiful beaches down here, you can be 99.999% certain that you're not going to have a single problem with violence down here.  Of course I can't guarantee it, but I'd be willing to bet a great deal with you!  The bad press this country gets in the US almost astounds me when I forget about how entertainment-centric the media is up there.  Don't listen to the stupid, fear-injecting news reports you hear when you tune into CNN or MSNBC.

The violence exists, but it's irrelevant.  This from the mouth of someone who actually lives here.  

-Carlos Lima

Tacos de Arrachera - an authentic Mexican steak taco recipe

Tacos de arrachera is a popular taco recipe in northern Mexico, originating from the Monterrey area.  For most foreigners, arrachera tacos is an unusual change from the usual barrage of pork and shrimp tacos, but a very welcome one once you try them: the arrachera steak taco recipe makes for a juicy flavor you can savor over a beer or a nice glass of wine, and it can be a pleasant change from other types of tacos that are usually dry.

Here is the recipe for arrachera tacos.  Enjoy!

Huevos a la Mexicana - Mexican Breakfast recipe

If you're still hung over from 5 de Mayo, this will be a good Mexican breakfast for you: Huevos a la Mexicana

Served with beans and rice, this is a full meal unto itself. I think you'll like it.  It's a very popular breakfast dish over here, with almost all the restaurants serving some variation of this basic Mexican breakfast recipe.  Provecho, amigos.

Authentic Mexican Chicken Enchiladas for Cinco de Mayo

I wanted to share something special for Cinco de Mayo today, and I've reached into the bag of authentic Mexican chicken recipes from the streets of Mexico city to bring this one to you today: green chicken enchiladas recipe.  It's freaking delicious, so enjoy it!

The full enchilada recipe is here:  http://eauthenticmexicanrecipes.com/mexican-chicken-recipes-2/mexican-chicken-recipes-green-authentic-chicken-enchiladas-enchiladas-verdes

Speak soon amigos, and try not to drink too much tequila this evening :)

-Carlos Lima

Mexican Cinco de Mayo tomorrow: a day for partying

Cinco de Mayo (May 5th) is tomorrow and the (mostly American) party people are lining up at the liquor stores down here in Mexico.  No doubt there will be a lot of authentic Mexican recipes prepared and beer bought to celebrate this country, but Mexicans actually don't seem to care that much about Cinco de Mayo.  Maybe it's because there are already so many other holidays throughout the year, many of them bigger and more significant, like the Holy Week that just ended a few days.  And maybe because it's more of an American party excuse than a Mexican celebration: check this out:

That is from 2005 obviously, but I see advertisements like this all over town, mostly in the gringo hot spots, for foreigners looking to get their fiesta-freak on! haha.  Now I'm all for a good party, but before you go to a 5 de Mayo party, at least get the facts straight: it is not Mexico's independence day!  Cinco de Mayo in was the day in 1862 when the Mexico defeated the French and ended the short-lived French occupation of the country and ended the last remaining French presence in North America, at the Battle of Puebla.  It isn't really a big deal to people living in Mexico, but it's celebrated abroad as a type of Mexican pride day and a good reason to drink tequila.  

To that end, I will be joining my fellow foreign compatriots and I wish you all a happy Cinco de Mayo, mañana.

Cheers,

Carlos Lima

Probably The Easiest Mexican Beans Recipe You Can Make: Black Bean Soup

It's very common to be served beans as a side dish when you go out for lunch in Mexico.  Whether you're stopping into a little street stall for lunch or you're going to a friend of a friend's house for comida, Mexican beans recipes like this recipe for black bean soup are very often made and served as a 1st course for the meal, to tide you over until the main course arrives.

If you like beans and you like authentic Mexican food, try the recipe out, let me know if you like it, and leave me a comment to let me know if you'd like to see more authentic Mexican bean recipes like this in the future.  This is a very easy recipe to try out, so it's a good one to experiment if you're new to authentic Mexican cuisine and you'd like to test the waters first (and wet your appetite!) before diving head first into a word of chiles, tortillas, and--yes--beans.  Speak to you again soon, -Carlos

Easy-to-make Mexican appetizers: Sincronizadas

Sincronizadas are essentially quesadillas' dressed up older sister: they look and taste almost identical, but the older sister has a bit more meat on her (ham, in this case, and get your head out of the gutter, hahaha.)

Authentic Mexican appetizers like this are very easy to make and are perfect for learning on a Sunday afternoon, great for warming up your taste buds for the oncoming Cinco de Mayo in just four more days!  It turns out sincronizadas are so popular in Mexico that they even have their own Facebook page with over 300 likes!--for a little Mexican appetizer like this!

If you make these delicious Mexican appetizer sincronizada snacks, this is how you finish them of with your garnish:

The full recipe is here:  http://eauthenticmexicanrecipes.com/mexican-appetizers/mexican-appetizers-sincronizadas-recipe