Many people travel the world in search of culinary
excellence. Popular destinations include France, Italy, Thailand and Greece,
for those who love food and want to try new things. Unfortunately, Guatemala
does not make that list. Not even close. Now, this is a personal opinion, so
please take it with a grain of salt, but please, read on. Guatemala is “known”
for its corn tortillas. These incredibly complex culinary creations involve the
delicate mixing of corn with water. Corn + water = corn tortilla.
Congratulations, you are now a Guatemalan chef. No, these are not the corn
tortillas that your local Mexican restaurant serves. And no, Qdoba and Chipotle
do not even use corn tortillas. But I digress. Corn tortillas are the staple of
the Guatemalan diet. Whether you are served eggs and beans, grilled meat and
green onions or you are lucky enough to receive chopped hot dogs and mayonnaise
salad; it will always be accompanied by a corn tortilla. They taste like
cardboard. They’re dry enough to make a fish thirsty. They don’t fold well
enough to make a nice taco shape, and they are too small to carry much of your
meal into your mouth. Guatemala is a beautiful country with warm and receptive
people. I have enjoyed pretty much every second of the past 10 months. Come
here to explore, go on adventures, learn Spanish, and meet new people. But
don’t come here for the food. Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Tortilla Nation
Many people travel the world in search of culinary
excellence. Popular destinations include France, Italy, Thailand and Greece,
for those who love food and want to try new things. Unfortunately, Guatemala
does not make that list. Not even close. Now, this is a personal opinion, so
please take it with a grain of salt, but please, read on. Guatemala is “known”
for its corn tortillas. These incredibly complex culinary creations involve the
delicate mixing of corn with water. Corn + water = corn tortilla.
Congratulations, you are now a Guatemalan chef. No, these are not the corn
tortillas that your local Mexican restaurant serves. And no, Qdoba and Chipotle
do not even use corn tortillas. But I digress. Corn tortillas are the staple of
the Guatemalan diet. Whether you are served eggs and beans, grilled meat and
green onions or you are lucky enough to receive chopped hot dogs and mayonnaise
salad; it will always be accompanied by a corn tortilla. They taste like
cardboard. They’re dry enough to make a fish thirsty. They don’t fold well
enough to make a nice taco shape, and they are too small to carry much of your
meal into your mouth. Guatemala is a beautiful country with warm and receptive
people. I have enjoyed pretty much every second of the past 10 months. Come
here to explore, go on adventures, learn Spanish, and meet new people. But
don’t come here for the food. 
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Granted I haven't lived there for an extended period, but I happened to like the native food the times I have visited. In my opinion it's kind of unfair to compare a country's traditional food and American chain restaurants on the same scale.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous, I happen to love Guatemala's tipico food, too! This post was mainly supposed to be comical, and Cam is right, we do eat A LOT of corn tortillas. :)
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