Tuesday, April 15

Big Burritos and Big Inflatable Booties: El Paso/Juarez Style

Ixchel and I went to the EPT to get some low cost, no name brand supplies for our Fiesta Wedding a few weeks ago. Of course, I had to make a run for the border - the for-reals border! On the way there we encountered lots of interesting things...not only la raza, la maza, but also the down and dirty deals of downtown El Paso....See grande bootie sale pic. Yeah, we from EPT, that's how we roll!


So not only was it good to be back home, it was good to be in Juarez too. That's if you're not too escared of the military zone, the donkeys painted like zebras and the things that buzz around your food. Like true Mexicans, my primos Fernando and Miriam and I ate at the second best place to eat while in Juarez - El Mercado (note: #1 place is the estreets!). We went upstairs where they had all the eateries and we deferred to the place that had the most people. I ordered two burritos; one chile relleno (ehem, with real Hatch, not the lame Poblano that they serve all over Austin) and the other chile colorado. The trick to eat at mercados especially in border towns is to concentrate on your food. Do not, I repeat, do not look at anything else, not the flies or roaches running around looking for leftovers, not the stale water below your feet, and especially the girls that want to "befriend" the turistas! Luckily, Austin hasn't spoiled me, eventhough you might see sightings of Mando at the Whole Foods. By the end of the meal, I was very satisfied. The burritos did not let me down and there wasn't a post-burrito eating incident either!

El Mercado - Juarez, MX
El Mundo de Mando

1 comment:

Nel Pastel said...

Thank you! It's good to know I'm not the only one who thinks a chile relleno means some Big Jim, not poblano.

I love Austin, but we need some real border-style food around here. I'm jealous of your trip to the mercado — I bet the tortillas were made by an abuelita and everything.