Comida

When traveling with kids food can be tricky. While I want them to try new dishes and be adventurous eaters, I also feel a responsibility to keep them healthy. (I mean, who wants to travel with a sick child?) I have taken a two-front approach to food: When we are out, we will eat Mexican food (or Mexicanized American, for example, Mexican pizza, or tortas), and when we are home, we will eat “comfort foods.”

Yucatan food is rich and not too spicy, so it’s pretty easy to find foods for their bland American palates. Josie and Jasper have consented to Sopa de Lima (a sour, salty chicken soup), Pavo Relleno Negro (turkey in a pumpkin seed sauce), Poc Chuck (grilled pork with an orange and achiote sauce), as well as their fair share of refried beans, rice, fresh fried fish, and tortillas, tortillas, tortillas. They have the right attitude about each meal, and have not once asked for “Chicken Fingers.” Okay, Josie asked once, but when I said it was impossible, she happily settled for “dedos de pescado.” Luckily they have an aversion to onions and fresh tomatoes, so I don’t have to worry about them eating the fresh (and potentially contaminated) vegetables with each dish.

In addition to the healthy meals, I also allow them to try Mexican junk food. While Coca-Cola, admittedly, is hardly Mexican, I have an affectionate association with Coca Cola and tropical travel from my time in Honduras, and I believe it has medicinal properties. So they have had more Coke in the last two weeks than I am willing to admit. (Amazing how a hot, fussy kid will perk right up with a little caramel coloring and high fructose corn syrup.) They also have sampled a wide variety of “churros,” or chips, that are usually some heinous shade of orange, contain obscene amounts of MSG, and come in fluorescent green packaging. My rule is that if it is not American, I might consider letting them try it. Any form of homemade Mexican dulce (“merengues” as they are called on the beach) are free game as long as they seem reasonably sanitary.

Then there are the comfort foods. I don’t want every meal to be a new experience, so in this first two weeks I have kept our home meals simple and familiar. This is also because I have no idea how to cook Mexican food. (I entertained the idea of trying, after reading a few chapters of Like Water for Chocolate, and having an extensive conversation with an old grandma in the market who sold me squash flowers and assured me that it was “muy facil, rapido” to make any Mexican dish; but my meek attempt came out like a generic stir fry) Last week I went to the grocery store and stocked up on Cheerios, milk, pasta and tomato sauce, ham for sandwiches, and frozen chicken nuggets. All Josie wants is a bagel and cream cheese, but so far I have had no luck in procuring a bagel (and I am not willing to bake in this climate with so many good bread stores on every corner).

Today is the Fourth of July. I had almost forgotten the holiday, and planned on ignoring it, until the kids realized that it was coming up and started planning an elaborate celebration. They have been rehearsing their “show” for three days now, and we have invited over everyone we know in Merida for a “cook out cabaret.” On the menu? Potato salad, hamburgers, hot dogs, watermelon. Tomorrow we head west to Chiapas and I don’t expect we will have as much gringo fare at our disposal. Perhaps Sopa de Lima will soon become a comfort food. And, of course, there will always be Coca-Cola.