The Burrito Let Down

Burritos have always been one of my favorite foods. I love Mexican food because I think that out of all the different types of food on this planet that we call Earth, Mexican food is the most flavorful. Often times when I go to a new place I try to find the best Mexican restaurant around, and in my searches I have found that the best Mexican restaurants are not the nice expensive sit down restaurants, but quite the opposite. The best Mexican restaurants are the small places where you wouldn't think to look for delicious food. Some of the best Mexican food I have ever had, I found by just driving around and looking for tiny Mexican restaurants on unexpected street corners. When it comes to Mexican food, I am a burrito guy. I love something that I can eat with my hands. To me burritos are the perfect medley of flavors all wrapped up in a nice outer layer that you can take with you on the go. My perfect burrito has carne asada, pinto beans, Spanish rice and cheese. I like to keep my burritos simple, no fancy stuff.

A couple summers ago when my dad told us that we would be going on a cruise to the Mexican riviera, I was enthused. Finally I'll be able to eat a real Mexican burrito, I thought to myself. When Christmas rolled around and it was time for us to leave for our cruise I was so excited. Not only was I going to be cruising the Mexican riviera and relaxing, but I was going to get the opportunity to eat an authentic Mexican burrito. Our first stop on our cruise was Puerto Vallarta. Puerto Vallarta is a beautiful Mexican port city on the riviera. My brother and I went paragliding and my family relaxed on the beach for most of the day. We didn't have time to walk into the city so I decided I would get a burrito at our next stop, which was Mazatlan. Mazatlan was amazing. It is one of the biggest cities in Mexico. Unlike Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan is a more traditional Mexican city as opposed to a more tourist city. We got the chance to walk the streets of Mazatlan and barter with the shop keepers in the local markets selling anything you can imagine.

When we were done shopping I told my dad that I had to find an authentic place to eat. We walked the streets for a little bit and talked to some locals. We found out the name and location of one of the best restaurants in Mazatlan. When we walked into the doors of Copa de Leche my nose was dancing. I smelt so many different amazing smells that I started to salivate. Looking at the menu I was shocked that I didn't see a burrito anywhere. I didn't understand what was going on. I decide I'd just ask the waiter when he came. When the waiter came he started the order with my mom. She ordered two chicken soft tacos. My brother got flautas, and my dad order enchiladas. I thought about ordering in Spanish, but decided against it, knowing that I'd only sound like a fool if I did, and it was quite obvious to everybody there that I was a gringo, so I decided to order in English. I told the waiter that I coulnd't find a burrito on the menu. He told me that they didn't serve burritos. I didn't know what to say...no burritos? I suddenly realized that I had been sitting there with my mouth open looking like a fool for the last ten seconds so I quickly ordered two carne asada tacos. When the waiter left to take our order my brother turned to me and said "why would you order a burrito? We're in Mexico." I replied "That's the whole point. I wanted a real authentic burrito from Mexico." He laughed for a few seconds and said "Burritos aren't Mexican, burritos are from the U.S. How could this be I thought. How could my favorite Mexican food not even be Mexican. I later found out that some restaurants in Mexico do serve burritos, but the Mexico version of a burrito usually consists of some type of meat, and sometimes cheese rolled in a tortilla. Finding this out devastated me. How could I not have known this? How could I have spent 18 years living on this earth and not have found out that burritos weren't from Mexico. After the embarrassment at the restaurant, I realized that I was being ridiculous. Who cares where burritos come from? They're delicious and that is all that matters when it comes to food. I learned a valuable lesson that Christmas vacation. When you go somewhere new, know the facts so you don't end up embarrassed beyond belief. I don't think I'll ever fully recover from the embarrassment I suffered that day.