“Nri ha kworo aka sie” is how my mum usually describes food that was made with an extra dose of love.
Salt is salty, pepper is spicy. How does love taste?
I took an evening stroll in Tulum, stumbled on the best tacos in Mexico and found the answer.
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“Food that they washed hands to cook” has no literal indication except to attest for the hygienic conditions of the environment in which the food was made.
So I found it somewhat amusing that this was usually used to refer to home-cooked meals made with love, because if a non-edible ingredient falls into my food from the left side of your chest, is the environment really that hygienic?
Well, turns out I was getting it all wrong. After a long day exploring the Tulum ruins, I went back to my apartment, took a shower and headed out on an evening stroll in search of authentic Mexican street food.
I had one goal in mind: find tacos that taste just as good as the ones I had had the previous day. After walking for about 10 minutes with 3 different stops at stalls and restaurants that didn’t quite pass the vibe check, I looked to my right and saw smoke. It was coming from a taco truck which had just opened up for the evening. Smoke is usually not a good sign, unless it’s from a street food kiosk – it’s an indication that the food has been freshly made and you can eat without fear of diarrhea.
So I took the turn and stopped at the taco truck. After I got a big smile and warm welcome, I sat on one of the stools and asked for what they had. I decided I was going to try one taco, and then decide if I wanted to order more. I ended up having 4 tacos, with a burger and sandwich packed to go.
While I sat there with the other two girls I was traveling with on this Kaijego group trip, a family of four came by the truck and sat around the wooden table just beside it. They had ordered their tacos and were having what looked like much-needed family time.