A Gateway Food: Guacamole

Heather Fendell  

My winter break was spent on the beach of Los Cabos, Mexico. En route to Mexico, I was hesitant about the prospect of eating burritos, tacos, and mole, as growing up, I was never a fan of Mexican food. Often too spicy, greasy, or covered in beans, Mexican food was never my first choice. One of my biggest reservations with Mexican food is guacamole. I was always repulsed by the appearance of the green, slimy looking dip, having never taken to the taste or texture of avocados. And in Mexico, there was no avoiding it; guacamole seems to deserve its own category in the food pyramid in Mexico.

During our first dinner out at Mi Casa, I decided to brave my fear and scoop the green goo onto a homemade corn tortilla chip. Instead of the visceral reaction I was expecting from the disgusting green goo, I was loving the velvety, creamy, well-seasoned dip that perfectly offset the crunchy, salty corn chip. I came to love Mexican guacamole, as it is always a fresh and perfect way to start off a delicious meal. My affinity for guacamole became a gateway for trying other Mexican during vacation, beating out the Italian and Japanese food I would have previously gravitated to on a Mexican vacation. And since coming home from my tropical adventure, I have made sure that my kitchen is constantly stocked with my drug of choice:

Chips and guacamole.