So it happens that some of my chef friends will ask me, what’s the deal with the funky Mexican food?
I really don’t know. I’ve been eating Mexican food since I was a wee lad and while I may not really understand what’s the deal with the Mexican food thing, I can’t deny how much I love it. I love a cheesy quesadilla. With pico de gallo. And guacamole.
I mean, I’ve spent my life as a chef making quote upscale food, or cooking from a classical tradition, i.e. French technique, knife skills, and Escoffier-esque terminology, I love ‘fine dining’ as much as the next arrogant foodie…and I’m not from Mexico, though I’ve had the privilege of going on several dining trips to various locations in Mexico…I’ve rode on the coattails of a few celebrity chefs, for sure…anyway, point being, let’s say you have some homemade flour tortillas that you just made and you put one in a frying pan with a little Mexican Manchego, a little queso panela, and some queso fresco….cook it gently, low heat, till it begins to melt, then fold it over, it’s very simple. It’s one of the first foods I ever cooked, this quesadilla, something from my childhood that still gives me the warm fuzzies…eat that quesadilla right up. I mean, what’s wrong with that?