The Mexican West
I never realized how predominant the influence of Mexican culture was all along the North Western coast of the US, especially in its cuisine, until recently traveling by car from San Francisco to Seattle. We had been advised to be sure to try the Mexican food when in San Fran. So we checked that off the list on our first meal out in the city with Jen and Seth at Papalotes in the Latin neighbourhood of The Mission, followed by Cinco de Mayo celebrations at Dolores Park. Little did we know that all along the North Western coast of the U.S. we would find traces of the Mexican culture and that Mexican food would be the most accessible to the point that we would end up dreading seeing another plate of fajitas or a basket of tortilla chips and salsa!
In the touristy town of Sonoma we ran into another Cinco de Mayo celebration and even in Florence, Oregon, retirement capital of that state, we were served Mexican egg soufflé for breakfast at our exclusive, historical b&b. Our biggest surprise was Guadalajara’s, a sizable, bustling Mexican restaurant in the sleepy town of Shady Cove, Oregon, right next to the RV park. Just outside of Mendocino we were so hungry we had to make a desperate stop at the first place we found by the road - you guessed it, organic Mexican tacos. Finally in Seattle we had fantastic Vietnamese food. Asian food has never tasted so good!
We wondered if a few years or generations from now this cuisine will even be distinguished as ‘Mexican’ or if by then it will be so embedded in the locals’ tastes and customs that it will simply be absorbed into the local cuisine and be known as North Western cuisine, much like TexMex has become its own genre in the South West.
It will take me a few weeks to feel like having a burrito or nachos again but I have to concur with our friend who recommended we had to try Mexican food while in San Francisco. Just take note that you might want to take advantage of other international cuisines earlier in your travels if you are headed North along the coast from there.
This article was posted by Veronica Montero
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