My partner and I are going to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico for Christmas.Though the glories of spending the holidays basking on the beach are compelling, envisioning the food experiences the journey will offer preoccupies me.
The most beguiling of these is the memory of "The Perfect Mango", which I had on the beach there several years ago.
The gringos around me shuddered when I invited the vendor lady over, horrified that I would eat something bought from a stranger on the sand.* They recoiled in horror when she asked if I wanted chili and I said "Claro que si!"
Her hands flickered over her basket, choosing a perfectly ripe one, and she staked the chosen mango on a skewer. With a few flicks of her knife she expertly carved it into a flower. She poured hot sauce over it, shook a bit of salt on it and then dusted it with chili powder. She gave it to me with a few pieces of lime in a paper cup.
It was one of the most incredible things I have ever eaten. Tangy and hot, the voluptuous softness of the mango's yielding flesh set off by the lime and chili. The sweet salty hotness ran over my chin, setting my lips tingling; simultaneously invoking and quenching thirst.
It was the first time I thought about the profound similarities between Mexican food and Thai cooking - lime, chili, tropical fruits. The interplay of Hot - Sweet - Sour - Salty are core elements of both cuisines.
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* I've eaten street food all over Mexico and Asia, and never gotten sick. A doctor friend told me - if it has to be peeled it's ok, likewise if it is boiling or fried. Also look at the general cleanliness of the booth or cart - does it look clean? He also suggested steering clear of lettuces and vegetables which have to be washed in water. This advice has served me well in my travels.
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