The Food

I miss Mexican food. I was okay for the first few months here, but I'm having some serious withdrawal now. I think it's been worse because I've been trying to find some decent Mexican here and have had not been too impressed. I kid myself, though, and pretend that these Korean versions of burritos are satisfying. I even found a place that has refried beans (I realize refrieds are made with lard and, thus, conflict with my dietary restrictions, but I choose to ignore this). Still, by my real standards, all of the places in Seoul are way below par; though I was spoiled after living in San Francisco's Mission District for two years. They use kidney beans that surely come from a can, there is no salsa, and the cheese they use tastes and looks like cardboard. Overall, it doesn't taste bad; it's actually good. But it just isn't the same as the stuff that helped me keep those excess pounds that make me so lovable. It's like giving methadone to a heroin addict. It curbs the cravings, but it will never replace the real thing.

I've tried to make some Mexican at my house and have been somewhat successful. I found Old El Paso taco kits at Costco and had a field day with them. The seasoning was good enough and the sauce helped tie the ingredients together, but hard shells just don't do it for me anymore. I miss a small corn tortilla with some refrieds (no lard in them at Pancho Villa or Papalote), chicken, and salsa (some call it pico de gallo). It's such a simple combination that gets me going every time. What really puts things over the top is the complimentary chips given at every taquerilla I've ever been. You can use them for scooping excess meat and filling from your taco or burrito or just enjoy them with a side of complimentary salsa. Nothing except free Coca-Cola is complimentary in Seoul taquerillas. Because I can't have it my way, I will continue to convince myself that I can get a good fix of my drug of choice. I just hope that I can maintain my sanity without the real thing.