That's My Story

STEPPING OUTSIDE THE BOX – Published April 2005 – Western Outdoor News

Well, our fishing season is in full-swing now and I have some clients down here now with me that are in Baja for the first time. Great good solid salt-of-the-earth folks from Kansas. You know, good corn-fed, beef and potatoes amigos from middle America. They are having a blast and enjoying the sun, fishing and, of course the “real ocean.”

They’ve been here for a few days and I had a little break one evening and asked them if they wanted to take one of my “taco tours” where we do the equivalent of a “pub crawl” and sample some of the local eateries that they would not normally encounter in any of the tourist pamphlets. You Baja rats know what I’m talking about…sizzling spits of marinated “al pastor” meat; the smell of that carne asada coming off the grill; roasted potatoes crammed with mushrooms, cheese and chilis and an array of a dozen salsas in front of you to choose from; breaded shrimp tacos that can be smelled up the beach; and burritos made from tortillas as large as a hubcap from sidewalk pushcarts piled high with grilled onions and chunks of steak.

The look I got from the group was as if I’d asked them to eat one of those dishes they serve on the reality show “Fear Factor.” You should have seen the faces. We’re not talking about eating moving grubs or putting live bees into a tortilla wrap.

“No way! We’re not eating that stuff from outdoor carts. People die from that stuff,” was the general consensus.

(Exhale and sigh) It’s strange how often I get that from folks down here. It’s the “Is it safe?” syndrome. I asked them to trust me and told them that believe it or not, most locals don’t eat lobster and steak picante at the local seaside hotel restaurant and that half the fun (and education) of visiting any new place is also sampling the food. What’s life without a little sushi or pasta or the occasional falafel or a plate of sweet and sour pork?

Well, I got them to go and they had a blast. They nearly wiped out one taco stand famous for it’s Tijuana style tacos stuffed with pineapple-marinated adobada meat, minced onions, cheese and cilantro plus I introduced them to horchata the chilled rice, sugar and cinnamon drink. Those Kansas folk can sure put it away. For the rest of the trip it was taco stands only and they even made quite a few friends at their favorite stand. By the second day they had the owner cooking special orders for them and showing them some special salsas he had behind the counter.

As I explained to them, eating in another country isn’t too different from eating in their own home towns. Every place has good and bad foods. You might see 3 burger stands lined up against each other back home. However, if you look at the parking lot, usually the one with the full lot is the best place to eat. It’s the same in Mexico. Step away from the main tourist street. Walk around a little bit. You may see several taco stands in a row. The line around the place will tell you the local favorite. If you see them lined up, that’s a pretty good sign. If you see a stand with no one there, then that might also be a bad sign too. That goes for the clam and tamale stands outside of Ensenada; the burrito carts in Guerrero Negro, the fish taco stands in downtown Loreto all the way down to the alleyway taco stands you’ll find in Cabo.

Step outside the (Jack-In-The-Box) mentality and place your order. It’s among the best way to experience a country and Baja is no exception.

I’m doing another “taco tour” tonite with clients. You should come along sometime. We’re going to top it off with a place that makes homemade ice cream in 60 flavors. But that’s another column.

That’s my story. . .
Jonathan