The Newcomer’s Club gives all its members a free guide of tips on how to get by as an English-speaker. When I got mine a few months ago, a paragraph in the introduction caught my eye: “What do you do when you’re having your husband’s boss over for dinner, only to discover ricotta cheese — the star ingredient in your lasagna — can’t be found at your local supermarket?”
I remember scoffing at this. Lasagna? You’re really making lasagna for your husband’s boss when you live in Mexico City? Dude, sacar the Rick Bayless and hook up some chicken thighs bathed in tomatillo sauce!
Of course, I totally ate my hat during Crayton’s birthday. I tried to make mac n’ cheese — his favorite — only to discover that my local supermarket (nay, two supermarkets) didn’t have sharp cheddar. I fretted in the grocery store for a few minutes, feeling like a pampered expat wife, before realizing that any type of melted cheese would do just fine, especially when smothered in heavy cream. I picked gouda and gruyere. Everyone loved it.
It’s interesting how difficult it’s been to tweak my American eating habits. I thought: I’ll arrive in Mexico and only cook with fresh, local ingredients! But I’ve done it in baby steps. Buying nopal tortillas. Crumbling panela cheese on salads.
Some days I just want a turkey burger. (Ground turkey doesn’t exist here.) I want diced apple on my cereal, even though it comes from Washington and is way more expensive than papaya. (Which, IMO, kind of smells like vomit.)
Maybe a cooking class would inspire me. Or unearthing my two Diana Kennedy cookbooks and actually reading them, instead of skimming them until my eyes glaze over.