Praise for the New Mexican Burrito

Thanksgiving in New Mexico—what a trip.

I am reminded again about why I became curious about San Diego burritos: They are different—why?

You can make this statement/question about any two distinct things, I suppose, but burritos are what I grew up eating, San Diego burritos.

In Albuquerque, the tortillas are thicker, almost like pita. The prices are somewhat higher, like closer to $5 for a burrito, and they are considerably smaller than out here.

They aren’t served with hot sauce. Instead, they ask: red or green chile? Ingredients are up to you. You get at least three. I saw potatoes, cheese, beef, beans, chicken, etc. Then they are folded over—with open ends! A mess!

And do you know what?  They’re really, really good. The beans are runny and gooey. The chiles are fresh and spicy. Best of all, the cheese is melted.

Like San Diego, the taquerias serve other food, but burritos are the mainstay, food for busy people.

The other interesting thing to me was learning, as I walked through Bandelier National Monument, that the Pueblo Indians traded with the indigenous people of mainland Mexico. They have parrot remains in the north of New Mexico that are 1,000s of years old. So there was a latitudinal transfer in this land despite the mighty Sonoran desert. They ate corn primarily, like the Mexicans, and rounded it out with beans and squash, the Mesoamerican diet.

This is different from the American Indians around San Diego, which doesn’t have nearly the Indian presence that New Mexico does. How this affects burritos, I’m not sure. But I’m sure that it does.  Everything does.

So I continue to wonder: why this and not another? From where do our traditions arise? Will they be lost some day?

Sang Bob Dylan, “Nothing is better, nothing is best. Take heed of these words and get plenty of rest.”