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sustenance |ˈsəstənəns| noun food and drink regarded as a source of strength; nourishment : poor rural economies turned to potatoes for sustenance. • the maintaining of someone or something in life or existence : he kept two or three cows for the sustenance of his family | the sustenance of democracy. ORIGIN Middle English : from Old French soustenance, from the verb soustenir (see sustain ).
We have discovered a true wonder in Puerto Vallarta….the taco stand. . Notto and I ate exclusively from them from Laredo, TX to Puerto Vallarta, and the first time Kirsten and I walked by one when we were hungry, I made my move and converted her. I felt a little bit like a vampire choosing someone to join me in eternal damnation, but the memory of the taste on my tongue eclipsed my better judgment. From that moment on, we were both ruined and there was no turning back.
From a distance, it is a cart with propane tank beside it with people working in it and beside it and a few people happily munching on various types of tacos. Typically, this is a two person operation on the street. One person doing the cooking, (usually una mujer) and one person collecting the money and attending to the drinks (usually un hombre.) The different varieties of tacos are indicated on hand-written signs posted on the carts. The signs say words like tacos de tripa, quesadillas, burritas, mariscos, adobada, asada, camarrones, etc….we are just learning what some of these words mean. So far, we know that Kirsten and I both enjoy tacos de bisteck, and I really like adobada…I think that might be pork. The tortillas are usually corn tortillas, made that day, and are freshly warmed when you order. The meat is not ground, but marinated and grilled or roasted to perfection and then chopped into tiny little taco-sized pieces. They are then topped with onions and cilantro and passed off to you. You then have several choices to make….the red sauce or the green? Salsa or guacamole? A squeeze of lime, perhaps? I like to mix it up and do each one differently, because that’s how I roll. Kirsten seems to like consistency from taco to taco and the red sauce is her flavor of choice. I encourage experimentation when taming the taco stand. Confusion and unpredictability can be strong allies.
Perhaps the clincher on the our enthusiasm with the taco stands, in addition to the raging party in our mouths after consuming said tacos, is the fact that we can walk away from the taco stand filled to the gills for 60 to 80 pesos. It ends up being cheaper than cooking at home, most times. Of course, I’m ignoring the obvious question of ‘what makes it so cheap?’….I”m thinking that there is some magical store where natives can shop and get the sweet deal, but we would be nabbed by federales if we were to even attempt to seek out such a place. I mean, we’ve been privy to gringo pricing all along. Why would groceries be any different?
Today may be bringing us to a sad realization, however. This morning Kirsten notices something on my skin that she said means I might have high cholesterol, and she woke up feeling like she might vomit….maybe the taco diet is not working so well. I ate breakfast there again this morning.
VIVA LA TACO STAND!!!!
