Meals from Monday January 7

 I really need to tell you what I ate because finally on Monday I had a famous dish, invented in Guadalajara.

It's called a torta ahogada.  Torta means sandwich and an ahogada is a special kind of sandwich that everyone said I must try.  Imagine a sub sandwich but with bread that is very crunchy...even more than a baguette.  Now imagine filling it was fried pork.  Then top it with raw onions mixed with oregano.  Then sit it in a bowl of watery chile/tomato sauce.  That's a torta ahogada.

Big deal, I thought, it's a sandwich.  But I wanted something easy for lunch and they sold them across the street from the hotel at the Taqueria Los Faroles.  I got one to go.  Perhaps not the smartest move when I saw how it was packaged.

How could I eat a sandwich that was supposed to be soaked in sauce when I had no bowl?  Or plate?  Being the clever woman I am, I just dumped the sauce (which came in a plastic bag) into a water glass and dipped the sandwich in.

Did I like it?  I've already used Google to see where I can get one in Orlando.  It seems I can't.  I think it's because of the bread which goes through an extra long fermentation process to make it so crispy and not too soft with the sauce.  One of the best sandwiches I've ever eaten.  And I've eaten a lot of sandwiches in my day.  Subway, you start serving these and you'll have something to brag about.

For dinner I was too lazy to go out.  And I wanted a combination of antojitos (snacks).  So I just ordered everything I wanted, which was WAY too much food, and only ate a bit of it.  Please - serve combo platters, Mexico!

Here are some food photos.

One of the cooks at Taqueria Los Faroles

This is the guy who made my torta.

You can't see the broth bubbling or the steam coming up from these chunks of pork as they cooked.  What a smell!

Here's the basic torta ahogada.  Bread and pork.  The onions were bagged separately, as was the sauce. 

On the right are two tacos dorados ("golden" or fried tacos) that came with the sandwich.  The plastic bag of sauce and a couple pieces of lime, that come with everything.

And a horchata to drink, por supuesto (of course).    That's a small bag of hot sauce on the side.  I just poured the big bag of sauce into a glass and dipped the sandwich.  Messy, full of textures and delicious.

Dinner was 2 rolled fried chicken tacos, a quesadilla, refried beans and guacamole.  To get this combo I had to order a whole order of 4 tacos and 4 quesadillas.  I felt bad about wasting food but would have felt worse if I tried to eat it all.

I really splurged on dessert.  This was room service and I got the crepas carjetas.  Crepes with caramel filling and vanilla ice cream.  OMG.

Saturday, Jan 5 Hanging Out in El Centro

Another relaxed day, starting with breakfast in the hotel.  Next, came a walk around the historical center, visiting some streets I hadn't been to before.  I also stopped to get a quote for a new pair of glasses.  For progressive trifocals with transition lenses, cost was around $400.  Cheaper than home but nowhere close to the cheaper price in the border town of El Algodones, on the border with Yuma, Arizona.

Here are photos of my day.

Breakfast included cantaloupe and pineapple along with some refried beans and some kind of chicken taco.

Delicious sweet bread.  I was surprised that the cinnamon roll was topped with sesame seeds.

Chilequiles - small fried pieces of corn tortilla topped with green chile sauce, cheese and sour cream and onions.  Que rico!

The street looked quiet as I headed out but quickly got busier.

I was on the block where they bought/sold gold and silver and exchanged money.

Then I moved to the neighborhood that sold clothing.  I like the black look.

Lots of stores selling dresses like this for quinceaneras (15 birthday) and weddings.  I really, really want one.

Sorry about the reflection - this upscale store sold mariachi clothes, including outfits like this.  And some very beautiful and expensive boots.

My dad always wore suspenders.  He would have loved this store that had them in every color.

Look closely - this tree on a pedestrian street is covered with oranges. 

This store sold all kinds of stones and minerals. 

The streets were getting busier.

Lots of families with little kids.

Lots of snacks on sale.  Mostly ice cream and salty stuff like chips along with cups of fresh fruit chunks.

Clever way to make a living.

I talked to this man.  After losing his hand he began making small items to sell on the street.

I liked the googly eyes.

He made me this flower.

Did I mention lots of families with little kids?  People just seemed to be doing what I was...wandering around, enjoying the nice weather.

That's a lot of sugar.

Fruit for sale.  The first row is coconut.

More salty snacks.

Iced tea, horchata and other drinks on sale.

Beautiful details on the buildings.

The famous cathedral that is at the center of the historical district.

This was some sort of police vehicle.  The driver went over one of the small barriers and got a bit stuck but eventually got going again. 

Lindor chocolates on sale at Sanborn's.

Smallest car I've ever seen.

In the mood for pork?  Here's a pile, waiting to become tacos.  That's a snout on the top of the pile. 

This may look like shawarma but is actually al pastor - beef for tacos, cooked like shawarma.

I'm a klutz.  I have been known to fall down with no reason for it so I'm extra careful when the streets present challenges as they do in Guadalajara.  Some thoughtful person stuffed cardboard in what used to be a glass covered light and is now just a hole that's about six inches in diameter.

A few more obstacles to maneuver around.  See the chunk of concrete just in front of the guy walking toward the left?  

Soft serve ice cream, like this woman is selling, was very popular.  It was about 80 degrees out.

In addition to snack vendors there were a few musicians.  This man was playing a trumpet.  Not particularly well, but much better than the guy up the block playing his electric guitar.

Notice anything different about this Coke Light?  It's a glass bottle, with a screw on top.  Never seen that combo before.

My dinner - take away from the taqueria across the street, Taqueria Los Faroles.  From the top - two tacos (al pastor - which is beef cooked on a shawarma kind of spit); cheese quesadilla made with a corn tortilla (flour was also an option); guacamole (of course!); and condiments - cilantro/onions, chipotle sauce and chips for the guac.  The guacamole was excellent and like the one from Los Dichos, very spicy.  All the food was great - I don't know anywhere near me that serves homemade corn tortillas and they make such a difference.  And the al pastor?  Crispy bits, just enough lime and spice...delicious.  Total cost for the meal - $5.