I scream, you scream, we all scream for... Little Devil!

So far we have been conservative with our food choices.  If it were just me and Natalie, we would have tried more local dishes already, but to make the transition to Mexico easier on the kids we have sought out familiar foods.  We have eaten more pizza than mole, and we have not eaten a single grasshopper.

That does not mean we have avoided all local foods.  Natalie wrote about our meal at the market the other day.  Before that, we had another good meal at a restaurant called Los Soles.  Green chicken enchiladas, grilled meat cut so thin it was almost transparent, and chicken that came in a tin foil pouch with cheese, peppers, and herbs.  Delicious.  The owner told us about her second restaurant in Huayapan, a town a few miles away.  They have a small swimming pool and a paintball area.  You guessed it.  We're going there today.

Max's local restaurant choice (notice the paintballer at the bottom)

I tried a different local treat yesterday.  We were in the town of Teotitlan del Valle, which is known for its rug making (more on that in another post).  Our host and new friend, Celestino, took us for ice cream after lunch.

In addition to the chocolate syrup, there were some condiments we do not ordinarily associate with ice cream.

Chili powder and two kinds of chili sauce, which the woman proceeded to mix into Celestino's tamarind ice cream.

It is a called a "Diablito," or Little Devil.  Celestino says people like the combination because they like to mix "pleasure with pain."  He says they do the same thing with beer.  It sounded so awful - ice cream with hot chili toppings - I had to try it.

Skepticism aside, it was quite good.  Not your typical ice cream sundae dessert, more like a tangy hors d'oevre.  When I finished, there was still some chili sauce at the bottom of the cup.  Guess who killed it?

Celstino and I were impressed.

Overall, we are eating very well.  I doubt the ice cream qualifies for the "nutrición" side of the sign we could see from where we sat, but in general it is very easy to eat healthy with all of the fresh foods and homemade foods that are available almost everywhere we go.

PS:  Some people have had trouble leaving comments on this blog.  Natalie thinks she fixed that, so if you tried before you might try again.  Or just e-mail us if you would prefer to keep it between us.  friedpollakman@gmail.com