Everyone loves food, but not all of us appreciate it in the same way. Some are far more adventurous than others, and as a result, are willing to try new foods anytime they have the opportunity to do so.
I am most definitely not one of those types of people. Every week, when shopping at my local fruit and vegetable vendor here in San Miguel de Allende, I tend to buy the exact same things week after week. I overlook dozens of exotic-looking fruits and vegetables that I see others eagerly picking up.
Why don’t I buy them? I’m not exactly sure. I grew up in rural Wisconsin, an area not exactly known for its variety and diversity of food. Many of us Wisconsinites still feel that beer, cheese curds, brats, and corn make up the four food groups!
Throughout my professional career, I traveled extensively around the world — what better time to try new foods than with local hosts and on a corporate expense account? But alas, I was always the person at the table saying “no way!” to trying the chicken feet and duck tongue in China, the odd-looking sausage in Germany, the exotic sushi in Japan, the weird-looking cut of meat in Argentina, or the chapulines (grasshoppers) and ant eggs here in Mexico.
I traveled so much to China that the first words I learned in Mandarin were “white rice” and “Coca-Cola” — which is what I mostly survived on during my trips there. I once took a taxi for 90 minutes each way from a hotel in rural China to a Pizza Hut in Shanghai. I am not proud of this story, but I might have died from starvation had I not taken that taxi!
As I reflect back on my hesitation to try so many exciting and exotic foods over the years, I think the main reason was that I just didn’t feel like I understood what I was being encouraged to eat. Traveling on an airplane almost every week made me very nervous about the risk of getting sick, and so I rarely, if ever, tried anything different.
Well, it’s time to change. Life is too short to not try and experiment more.
And with that confessional-style introduction, I am the unlikely person to introduce to you MND’s significant expansion of our Food & Drink section.
Mexico is a world leader and exporter in food and beverages — and for good reason. The country has over a thousand years of culinary history, and the alcoholic beverages made here are increasingly being discovered and appreciated around the world. There are enough fruits and vegetables and insects and meats and corn varieties to experiment with and try to last a lifetime.
With that in mind, Mexico News Daily has decided to “double down” and expand our Food & Drink section to bring you exciting new content and formats.
You will find recipes to make typical Mexican dishes, as well as ones that use Mexican ingredients to spice up other favorites.
We will bring you the Taste of Mexico series each week to educate and inform you about a Mexican food or drink that you likely have seen, but have been afraid to try.
We will publish reviews of the top new restaurants, chefs and food events throughout the country.
We will bring you insight into Mexico’s flourishing wine industry to help you choose which wines to try and which vineyards to visit.
We will be doing this in a way that is entertaining and accessible, with a variety of new multimedia formats combining articles and videos.
We have hired several new writers — from foodie expats who have lived in Mexico for years to young, hip locals passionate about their food, culture and traditions.
I once read that “it is impossible to not have a great time while eating in a Mexican restaurant,” and I think the same applies to eating in Mexico in general.
So let’s have some fun, some laughs, and learn about all of the awesome flavors of Mexico.
We are just getting started and have lots more coming, so stay tuned and thank you for being a subscriber to MND! We are honored to be your front-row seat to Mexico.
Travis Bembenek is the CEO of Mexico News Daily and has been living, working or playing in Mexico for over 27 years.
