Lunchtime

When I am at home I rarely have lunch.  I'll eat a light breakfast and then dinner around 5 or 6 PM.  However when I am in Mexico, it's hard to skip that afternoon meal known as "la comida".   There are restaurants everywhere.  Many of them are little places that are only open in the afternoon, and which serve an inexpensive "menu of the day".  By 2:00 PM these places are filled with business people on their "comida" break.

During my wanderings in the neighborhood, a saw a place that caught my eye.  It was called "Rinconcito de Iguala" (Little Corner of Iguala).  Iguala is a city in the Mexican state of Guerrero, and the restaurant advertised cuisine from that state.

So today I stopped by for lunch.  The place was crowded (a good sign), and I grabbed the last available table.  I asked the young waiter (who looked like he should be in school rather than waiting on tables) which of the choices on the menu of the day were typical of Guerrero. He said the "chalupitas"... little "chalupas", crisp tortillas covered with toppings.  So that is what I ordered as my main course.

First, however, I was served a pitcher of "agua fresca de piña"... refreshing pineapple flavored water.  The first course was a pasta soup.  It wasn't anything special, but a dollop of salsa and a squeeze of lime made it tastier.  Next came a small plate of white rice... very plain, but once again improved with a few spoons of salsa.

Then the "chalupitas" came out.  They were topped with shredded chicken, cheese and onion.  I added some salsa to those also.  They were tasty.

Dessert was a little bowl of cubes of gelatin.  Mexicans love their gelatin!  I don't know how long it's been since I have had Jello.

It was a decent meal; not bad for 70 pesos or about $4 US.  Would I go there again?  Probably not.  There are just too many restaurants within walking distance of my apartment that I want to try.