I Pity the Fool

It never occured to me how much I take Mexican food for granted until I took my new British buds, Jake and Joe, to a mexican joint and they asked me what "poll-o" and "tor-till-uhs" were. I first explained the 2-Ls-in-Mexican-Spanish-equals-"y"-rule before describing the basics of Mexican food. After watching them devour their tacos and burritos with more gusto than I have seen in quite some time, it occured to me that I pity the fool who does not live within driving distance of a good, authentic cabana or taqueria. A good mexican place should have salsa that is hot, tangy, and freshly made, beans that are creamy with the flavor of lard, and clearly not from a can, a wide selection of meats listed in Spanish so that you have to look up the word to know what part of the animal the meat is from, and home made beverages like horchata and jamaica. Oh, and if the corn tortillas are home-made, then you know you've got a pretty authentic place.

The pics above are of a fried fish taco, and a slightly deconstructed sope from Tacos Por Favor in Santa Monica. A sope is a thick shell made of corn that is fried until crisp, then filled with meat, beans, lettuce, salsa, and in this case, lots and lots of wonderfully tangy crema, or sour cream. They're similar to the chalupas they used to serve in public schools, except the shell is thicker, kinda like an open-faced pupusa. The sope above was the first I had ever eaten. It was made with chorizo which was sliced and fried. This method of preparation, as opposed to being crumbled and fried, brought out the smoky, resiny flavors of the sausage and rendered the slices crisp and slightly chewy. The spicy, garlicky chorizo, with the hearty, corn-y shell, crisp lettuce, and buttery-tangy cream combine beautifully in every bite.

Paired up with a tall glass of horchata on ice, the sope makes a cheap, filling, and delicious meal.
Horchata, FYI, is a drink made with ground rice, sugar, and spices. No two horchata recipes are alike. The one I get here in Santa Cruz at a restaurant called Los Pinos is almost bubble-gummy as well as cinnamon-y. One in Echo Park is very vanila-y, mildly spiced, and has the rich sweetness of condensed milk. The horchata at Tacos Por Favor is dark, heavily spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg, and mildly sweet. As it is always served over a generous scoop of ice, horchata is perfect for extinguishing the fires of intense chilies and refreshing the tastebuds.