Tacos in Tecate

One of the highlights of our trip to Mexico this weekend came Saturday night. We had Brandon & Nate, two Americans who work on the ranch, take us into Tecate for tacos. I have heard how amazing these tacos are from a friend who was a house mom for 5 months at the ranch last year. But I had no idea what to expect. We pulled up to the taco stand and found our spot. I ordered three tacos on flour tortillas with everything. The meat is cooked fresh on a coal burning grill right there. The flour tortillas are cooked as they are needed. There was a woman in the back taking the mixture, making the tortillas, and cooking them and then bringing them to the front where they assembled the tacos. The tortillas were filled with chopped carne asada, onions, guacamole and salsa, and wrapped in paper. And of course, you cannot go to Mexico without getting a cold Coca-Cola in the bottle. I sat down and took my first bite. Amazing! So fresh, so full of flavor. I quickly consumed my three tacos and Coke and sat back to watch everyone else.

Our group took up nearly the entire seating area of this small outdoor patio stand. But there were others enjoying their Saturday night tacos as well. Families, laughing and greeting friends as they walked into the patio. Then, a father and three children walked in. They were dressed with sharp black pants and vests and crisp white shirts. The father played the guitar, the two boys drummed, and the little girl played her tambourine. They sang two songs, dancing as they entertained us. I wanted to get up and dance with them! Then after they finished, the little ones came around looking for tips. It was such a treat! They moved on after they made their rounds and everyone returned to their conversations.

Once we were sufficiently full of tacos, we climbed back into our vehicles and headed back. Brandon saw a churro cart on the corner and pulled over. We all climbed out of our vehicles and walked to the corner. The elderly gentleman greeted us with a smile. His wife said hello to our group. We all ordered a bag of churros - about 15 churros for $1.50. He used a hand crank to squeeze the dough into the oil. Once fried, he scooped them out and put them in a bowl. Now it was his wife's turn. She covered them in sugar and cinnamon and put them in the bags. I bought two bags (one for me and one for Adrienne) and took my first bite. It could quite possibly be the best thing my lips have ever touched. Sweet, crispy, hot, fresh, delicious. We hung out on the corner as we all enjoyed our churros. The night life in Tecate was starting to come to out. A sports bar around the corner opened and music spilled onto the street. Cars cruised by, their owners honking and calling out greetings to those standing on the sidewalks. Family after family stopped to pick up their own bag of churros.

The reality of our two long days of work caught up with us and we all crawled back into our vehicles and headed back to the ranch. But a new tradition was started that night.