Byline by Sandrina
I live in Mexico and am a professional dancer. I teach, perform and attempt to keep in shape by walking everywhere. In this country full of fabulous meals that consist of staples like beans and rice, flour and corn tortillas, the richest sour cream, the most amazing custard flan and not to mention the best junk food I've ever encountered, it can be a challenge to eat healthily all the time. Tequila doesn't count as food does it? There are gyms in my city, but I never see any women in them. I have been tempted to attend the one down my street, but have fears about what I will encounter in a place full of so much testosterone. Best to go for walks with my dog Magdalena, although she sniffs incesantly at every corner and has happily embraced mexican time. Not a brisk walk by any means.
Once we finally make it the 6 or 7 blocks to the beach, she gets to run free, and chase her ball while I finally get to walk faster and run after the ball to keep it from getting swallowed by the Pacific when she loses interest for something smelly and more interesting. Who would think that a stroll on the beach could be so exhausting, but we seem to always work up an appetite. No really, believe me, it is a very long beach.
Ah, where to start about the food. There's no reason to cook at home although I do enjoy it when I'm feeling inspired and have company. But at the outdoor market near where I live, there are three little lunch counters all in a row that serve meals all day. I like to watch the amazing women rolling masa harina into balls and pressing them into tortilllas. I can order a whole meal for less than four dollars. Today I had Carne Asada; which is a fancy term for a thin piece of beef steak, with a little salad, and of course: tortillas, beans and rice. There is a major lack of green vegetables with food served in restaurants. Unless you cook veggies at home yourself, you can go weeks without ever encountering a bit of broccoli.
But really, tacos are the most popular food in Mexico, cliche as it sounds. Even in the middle of the night, one can always find a taco cart on the street. They also exist for breakfast, lunch or whenever. Some tacos are served sit down at the front restaurant portion of people's homes. Tacos look and taste nothing like what we are taught in Canada is a taco. These are soft flour or corn tortillas, about 6 inches round, freshly made and warm and what goes in them is almost unlimited. Whatever it is, it's just a scoop on top of the taco, you add the garnish of onions, salsas, cilantro etc. and then fold it over and that's it. Tacos with roasted meat in little pieces either beef or pork and cooked in a myriad of ways. The organs and other parts of the pig are never wasted and make wonderful tacos. I"m talking lips, tonque, brains, feet, deep fried skin, you name it. And it's very tasty, each in its unique gravy. You can get tacos with shrimp, fish, or made with prickly pear cactus called Nopal. It is de-needled, and cut up in lovely green slices and fried. And very good for you. On practically every corner, you will find a roasted chicken stand.
Carbohydrates seem to be the most apparent and abundant food, and of course the most inexpensive. Corn is everywhere, in cakes and deserts, in tortillas, and soups and also served as Elote; which is taken fresh off the cob and served in a plastic cup with a little of the cooking water, mayonaise, powdered cheese and lots of salsa and lime. It's actually very tasty, however, the evidence of a high carb diet is really noticeable in the love handles of almost everyone over the age of 25. Nobody eats a meal without a handful of tortillas and Coca Cola ranks as a national beverage. Fitness isn't really a high priority for a society where getting enough to eat is often the main goal for the day. Keeping healthy and fit is a luxury for many. But it does exist, in the more financially stable. As in any country, its a question of economics.
And another thing I've noticed; Mexican women in general, are definitely more curvaceous than what is thought to be a typical American standard of beauty. And what is cool is that these curvy fleshy women are adored by their men. This is one of the reasons I love latin society; large bottoms, curvy hips and a "little extra" of everything are highly desirable traits. Here, I notice the women move with grace and sensuality, they don't fuss about whether their tummy is sticking out of their pants, or whether there is a jiggle at the back of their legs as they strut their high heels down the steet in short shorts that I would loath to be caught wearing in public. They ooze confidence while retaining the charm of vanity since like most women I know, they have a love affair with clothes, makeup and hair products. Perhaps as my time here increases, I too will don a pair of short shorts and high heels and (in public view) walk effortlessly over the crazy cobblestones roads.
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