XVI

Does good, inexpensive, Mexican food actually exist in Manhattan? I want tacos that don't cost $9.50 for two because frankly, that should be illegal. I'm eating tacos, not fois gras. Granted, those two tacos from Mercadito Cantina were the best that I've eaten in the city but I can't justify paying that much when I can hike to Sunset Park in Brooklyn and get amazing tacos for $3.50. I keep on trying taco and after taco from various places and I have not had any success. I've tried Pinche Taqueria, La Esquina, Cafe Habana (I know it's not Mexican but they serve tacos), Baja Fresh, La Lucha, Downtown Bakery, and San Loco, and they all just don't do it for me.

Last summer, I had amazing shrimp mango tacos from Surf Taco in NJ but they were something like $7, and I wasn't about to a)trek to NJ, of all places, for tacos and b)spend $14 for two servings because that is how much I would need to fill me up. So, what is a taco starved person to do? Make my own, of course!

I took the corn tortillas recipe from the back of Maseca's masa bag and goodness gracious, they were hard and flavorless. I found a few recipes online that contained lard but I didn't realize that it was necessary. Then again, it's like saying that butter can be substituted in biscuits, which is absolutely absurd. Next time, I will add a nice helping of fat to my tortillas and that should do the trick. I made a mango avocado salsa and baked my coconut shrimp instead of frying them to make it healthier and thankfully, the filling made the taco edible. This whole endeavor took a bit of time so I still need to find a place to get my quick fix. Perhaps one of the taco trucks will do? The search continues on…