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| Taco at Los Comales de Durham |
Turkey came and went, leaving weeks full of turkey sandwich,
turkey pot pie, turkey curry, and turkey noodles to name a few. Hanukkah,
Christmas, kwanza and New Year holidays were filled with endless ways to gorge.
My body feels tight and in search for a way to feel normal again. In addition
to doing more exercise, the Thai in me lay out some food ground rules:
1. Keep the meal small. Too much of anything is never good for you.
2. Eat more often. Don't wait until the extreme hungriness blind you and instigates you to eat your whole house in the process.
3. Eat more garlic, ginger, crunchy green, chili, herbs and citrus to improve your metabolism and blood circulation. I feel rejuvenated after a few doses of the combination. (Next blog, I will tell you of how to eat these items raw and deliciously.)
The first type of food that fits these categories, I think, is Mexican food, or tacos to be exact. Corn tortilla, slow cooked or grilled meat, onion, cilantro, lime and a good salsa, the combination is comfortingly fresh in small bites.
According to the most recent census, North Carolina ranked #10 nationally in Hispanic population. Wake county (Mainly Raleigh, Wake Forest, Cary, Morrisville, Apex, Knightdale and Garner) ranks second to Mecklenburg county (Charlotte) in the state, surprisingly. I would have thought that Durham county would be on top when it comes to Hispanic population with the number of taco joints and Hispanic markets popping up on every corner.
1. Keep the meal small. Too much of anything is never good for you.
2. Eat more often. Don't wait until the extreme hungriness blind you and instigates you to eat your whole house in the process.
3. Eat more garlic, ginger, crunchy green, chili, herbs and citrus to improve your metabolism and blood circulation. I feel rejuvenated after a few doses of the combination. (Next blog, I will tell you of how to eat these items raw and deliciously.)
The first type of food that fits these categories, I think, is Mexican food, or tacos to be exact. Corn tortilla, slow cooked or grilled meat, onion, cilantro, lime and a good salsa, the combination is comfortingly fresh in small bites.
According to the most recent census, North Carolina ranked #10 nationally in Hispanic population. Wake county (Mainly Raleigh, Wake Forest, Cary, Morrisville, Apex, Knightdale and Garner) ranks second to Mecklenburg county (Charlotte) in the state, surprisingly. I would have thought that Durham county would be on top when it comes to Hispanic population with the number of taco joints and Hispanic markets popping up on every corner.
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| Mexican Market with Fresh Made Tortilla |
North Carolina may not be California, Texas or Mexico, but the taco joints in
the Triangle area can easily compete with those of a larger metropolitan area.
As far as fresh tortillas, a little Mexican grocery store on Durham Road has
the DC area beaten by a whole lot.
Basic rules of thumb when it comes to eating tacos.
1. Corn tortilla filled with assorted meat of one choice, topped with onion, cilantro, lime and salsa.
2. The popular fillings come from different parts of a cow and pig. Several joints offer goat and lamb. Often times the meats are slowly simmered or pit roasted until tender, in addition to grilled. For those with adventurous craving, you will also find innards like tripe and stomach on the menu.
Basic rules of thumb when it comes to eating tacos.
1. Corn tortilla filled with assorted meat of one choice, topped with onion, cilantro, lime and salsa.
2. The popular fillings come from different parts of a cow and pig. Several joints offer goat and lamb. Often times the meats are slowly simmered or pit roasted until tender, in addition to grilled. For those with adventurous craving, you will also find innards like tripe and stomach on the menu.
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| Cow Cheek, Head, Goat and Lamb Taco |
Los Cameles de Durham. I can't stop thinking about going back to this place,
especially on a cold rainy day. Most of the meats here are slow cooked until
shred. They offer all sorts of cow parts here--cheek, tongue, head, brain,
stomach, and tripe in addition to the usual al pastor or carne adsada. The
specialty, I really enjoyed were the goat (Birria de Chivo) and the lamb (Baracoa
Borrego). Both dishes were slow cooked, but drastically different in taste. The
goat stew was cooked with a different type of chili, as indicated by the
reddish color. The lamb, traditionally BBQ/steamed in a pit, was less zesty,
but still very tender and tasty.
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| Menudo and Beef Tongue Taco |
Los Cuates, Old Wake Forest Rd, Raleigh. This place has all the typical taco
joint offerings, but I think the best tasting dish is the Menudo-cow tripe and
foot spicy soup. Though, ask for a small serving when you order. Made with
different types of chili, garlic, onion, oregano, this soup is very rich. I
topped the soup with lime, oregano and onion and it was tangy, spicy,
warm...tripe delicious.
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| Fish Taco |
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| Pork Pibil Taco |
Gonzo Taco and Tequila in North Raleigh is a more upscale joint. Unlike most
clients at the 2 previous restaurants who were mostly Hispanic, this place, you
will find Hispanic being a minority in attendance. My favorite tacos here are
pork Pibil and the beef tongue (mysterious challenge of the day, according to
the menu). Pork Pibil is a Yucatan slow-cooked pork that was marinated with
citrus and annatto seed (for reddish color). The beef tongue was slow-cooked as
well. Typically, it is boiled with Bay leaves, onion, garlic and peppercorn
until tender. After the outer skin layer of the tongue is removed, what's left
is pot roast tender.
Chain restaurant such as Chubby Taco also has decent, typical selections of taco, but they are not for me. If a restaurant is not your thing, drive to taco trucks. There are several of them along route 98, between Durham and Raleigh. Knowing how to speak Spanish helps, but you can always point.
Be adventurous and try. Who says that eating less (and affordable) is not more?
Cheers,
Teera
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