Ese Gusto Por La Vida. Degustando el momento bocado a bocado

On my first trip to Mexico, just over twenty years ago, I was impressed with the culinary display of the breakfast buffet in the hotel where I was staying. Until then, the only Mexican food I knew was tacos. But at the buffet, which looked like a country landscape, I discovered and savored delicacies like Cochinita Pibil, Chilaquiles, Oaxacan-style Tamales and Yucatecan Tamales, Red or Green Mole, Refried beans, Soups, Empanadas, Huitlacoche and white, yellow and purple corn tortillas, with spicy sauces that varied in color and intensity. I’m not ashamed to admit that I tried everything and that later I accepted invitations from colleagues to taste even more regional dishes in other cities of the Mexican Republic. At the Main Market in Oaxaca, I ate Tasajo, swallowed without chewing much, Chapulines (Grasshoppers cured in lemon and chili peppers) and perfumed my palate with Rose petal ice cream. At the Port of Veracruz, where I tried Esquites for the first time (corn with cream, shredded cheese and chile de arbol), I was disenchanted with the Vuelve a la Vida, a seafood cocktail in a Ketchup-base sauce; in Mitla I got drunk with Mezcal and in Puebla I felt the full effects of the tasty Cemitas just a few hours after I had licked my fingers. Life is like a Mexican buffet. There are sweet and bitter tastes, palate-burning bites and others that caress it, unforgettable aromas and others that you don’t want to remember, dishes that elevate the spirit and others that bend it, but all are worth trying without prejudice or expectations. Just as I have tasted the dishes from each region I have visited in Mexico, I have tasted every experience that life has offered. And as I have fed my spirit in the stillness of the moon, the wisdom of twilight, the chills of a lake and the peace of dawn, so have I intoxicated it with errant passions, inconsistent decisions and wild excesses. In life, as on the table, when we focus on enjoying the moment, our spirit shines, our body gets rejuvenated and our heart shivers. You simply radiate light. And when you radiate light you attract more light toward you, your environment takes a different perspective and the connection you share with the rest of the Universe is strengthened. More than a need, eating is a pleasure. Life does not have to be any less enjoyable. Bon Appétit!