"Authentic" Mexican Food?!

[Tutulady]

Re: "Authentic" Mexican Food?!

There's a great hole in the wall located in Waipahu (across from the Kaiser Punawai Clinic in the same "shopping center" as Highway Inn) that is probably as close to authentic as could possibly be here in Hawai'i. This assessment is based on my past food experience in Mexico, as well as comparisons with other local Mexican (or pseudo Mexicano) Restaurante's like Mama's, Compadre's, etc. The owners/cooks are Mexican and speak to their workers and or ethnic customers in their native tongue. I have been there a few times and have noticed that they are patronized by a lot of their own people which is a great thing in our view. Oh, by the way, the name of this place is called La Familia Mexicano Retaurante and if memory serves me right, they won the 'Ilima Award a couple of years ago for best mexican restaurant. Lyle (Galdera) and Sam (Choy) did a pit top there too. You can read about that here. My husband fell in love with their gorditas. I like most everything on their menu but especially like their fresh chips, salsa and homemade guacamole. The most popular dish (according to the owners) seems to be the carne asada though. They also offer spices, candy and beverages from Mexico as well. Talk about popularity, I work down in Kalaeloa (Campbell Industrial Park), and was pleasantly surprised to see a new lunchwagon amongst those already there. Its sporting the La Familia Banner and I have seen it around a few days a week for the past 2-3 weeks.

[Karen]

Re: "Authentic" Mexican Food?!

HI Craig,

that was my fault, not Albert's, as he was just quoting me, in my wondering about skinny people that are cooking and serving high fat, loca foods. No, I don't cook a lot, I eat all I can in salads, raw foods, tristcuits with ham and cheese, and things like that. After having been a porked-out 300lbs, the last thing I desire is being a good cook. My hubby was a bachelor till he was 27, I think it was, and he had learned the art of cooking, so again, I am relieved of the desire or even need to be a good cook, and/or cook a lot. Oh I cook, but it's the side dishes, and he does the meats and heavy stuff.

I heard on the news here recently that the food banks, one or two are very low right now. WELL...how can we get this ball rolling, folks?! By "this ball" I mean getting local businesses to leave bins in their stores or parking lots, I guess outside is not a good idea, (horrible people that will steal) and these bins are for YEAR round donating to food banks, instead of just the yearly food drives?!!!

I mean C'MON!! folks like all of us here will welcome the CONVENIENT way to donate year round and be very glad to do so, every week of my life. When we have the annual food drives, I find myself asking those taking my food why we can't donate easily year round, and they tell me what a nice idea I have, but it doesn't go anywhere.

[Miulang]

Re: "Authentic" Mexican Food?!

Albert, it's obvious you don't cook a whole lot. When you're cooking and smelling the food all day long you kinda lose your appetite. I barbecue so much that I really don't get to enjoy my cooking, I'm just not that hungry after all that bbqing.

As for homeless people, they tend to eat a lot of high sodium foods (ie canned processed stuff) that really bloats you up. That's why when I donate to the Hawaii Food Bank I try not to give too much canned foods. Nutrition bars and canned Ensure are great subs to donate. They have a long shelf life, don't require refrigeration and their nutritious.

Every Christmas, we do a Costco food run for the hungry. You can't call most of these people homeless though. At least not up here. We have a lot of working poor people, people who are employed (mostly in service jobs) whose rent is so high they have to choose between paying for their lights v. putting a meal on the table! To the local foodbank, we give cases of dried fruit (individual single serving sizes), boxes of pasta, tomato sauce, canned tuna, canned veggies and canned fruit. To the homeless people who live outside in tents all year round, we give cans of coffee, paper goods, granola bars, batteries, first aid kits (the small ones), knitted caps and mittens, bars of soap, deodorant. To the women in domestic violence shelters, we give toiletry gift sets. And we also "adopt" 6 kids from homeless shelters and get them Christmas presents. It's just a little we can do because we really have so much, and there but for the grace of God, we could be in their shoes.

Miulang

[craigwatanabe]

Re: "Authentic" Mexican Food?!

Albert, it's obvious you don't cook a whole lot. When you're cooking and smelling the food all day long you kinda lose your appetite. I barbecue so much that I really don't get to enjoy my cooking, I'm just not that hungry after all that bbqing.

As for homeless people, they tend to eat a lot of high sodium foods (ie canned processed stuff) that really bloats you up. That's why when I donate to the Hawaii Food Bank I try not to give too much canned foods. Nutrition bars and canned Ensure are great subs to donate. They have a long shelf life, don't require refrigeration and their nutritious.

[Albert]

Re: "Authentic" Mexican Food?!

"Tell ya what fascinates me is that so many of the cooks at some local places, mom and pop places, they are so skinny"

Sort of a counterpoint to me wondering why so many homeless people in this town are so fat.

[Karen]

Re: "Authentic" Mexican Food?!

Congrats to you on your discipline and incredible weight loss. You know, eating the local food in Hawaii is almost as bad as eating tamales! When you have white rice and mac salad on the same plate, Dr. Atkins (if he was still alive) would have another heart attack

Hey gal!

thanks, and you have an excellent point. Reason I like "Panda Express" so much is that their fried foods are not at all greasey, man they are good and dry in a good way. They fry tofu and put with veggies, and I just am astounded at how it doesn't seem fried, ya know?

Tell ya what fascinates me is that so many of the cooks at some local places, mom and pop places, they are so skinny while they are busy making FRIED rice and dishes that you can tell have the fat in them. Hmm..what's up with that? (G)

[Karen]

Re: "Authentic" Mexican Food?!

Check out El Burrito on Piikoi and El Charro on Sand Island. Links to recent reviews below:

http://www.hawaiidiner.com/reviews/review.php?review=11

http://www.hawaiidiner.com/reviews/review.php?review=24

Thank you! links and all....sigh, I can tell it's dinner time.

[Karen]

Re: "Authentic" Mexican Food?!

Hi Craig~
You brought up a true point about the peppers! We add jalapenos to recipes that don't call for them. My hubby prefers them in Mexican Cornbread, while my mom didn't in her recipe, and darnit, I lost hers. Peppers are said to revv up our metabolism, and I try to remember that and eat them for just that reason, and of course, if I have a cold, I reach for raw garlic and peppers, man they work wonders for congestion.

[Karen]

Re: "Authentic" Mexican Food?!

Hi Albert!

I have lived away from SA for too dang long, and hadn't heard of "The Original" but if this mind of mine could remember to ask relatives, I can ask, as I do talk on phone with Texas a couple of times a week.

[craigwatanabe]

Re: "Authentic" Mexican Food?!

I dated an Aztec Indian/Mexican (very beautiful combination) for about 4-years and she made the best quesadias. I took her out to Compadre's and she thought they made very good Mexican food. I was a bit surpirzed because of the commercialism of the place and the fact that it wasn't a "hole in the wall" that typically serves the best of anything.

I lived in Southwestern Idaho and experienced great Mexican food there. One of the biggest myths surrounding this cuisine is that it's hot. Not true. Authentic Mexican food doesn't rely on spices or peppers, that style is more apparent in regions below Mexico such as the Aztecs. My ex-girlfriend told me the differences and it confirmed my observations in Idaho that if it's spicy then it's more indian than Mexican.

[Albert]

Re: "Authentic" Mexican Food?!

Hey, the Mexican food in Texas is MUCH better than the food in Mexico, at least in the border towns. I wonder if "The Original" is still open in San Antonio?

Nobody on this island seems to know how to make a decent tortilla, but then the India restaurants here can't make a decent chappati, either.

[glossyp]

Re: "Authentic" Mexican Food?!

Check out El Burrito on Piikoi and El Charro on Sand Island. Links to recent reviews below:

http://www.hawaiidiner.com/reviews/review.php?review=11

http://www.hawaiidiner.com/reviews/review.php?review=24

[Miulang]

Re: "Authentic" Mexican Food?!

Hui Karen!
Congrats to you on your discipline and incredible weight loss. You know, eating the local food in Hawaii is almost as bad as eating tamales! When you have white rice and mac salad on the same plate, Dr. Atkins (if he was still alive) would have another heart attack

Malama pono,
Miulang

[Karen]

Re: "Authentic" Mexican Food?!

Hey there again, gal, thanks for the posts, as this is fun!

The best tamales I ever had were made by Mexican women at Christmas time in their homes, to make money to fund their own Christmases, and they are and were as authentic as the heart of Mexico makes them, being made in their own kitchens, and cost about seven dollars a dozen. Christmas Eve buffet wouldn't be one, without them, but I haven't had them since I was home in Dec. of 97.

"Big haired women" in dallas? LOL yes, we have a few of them in our family, being native Texan. They are Pentecostal, too. (G) Amazingly, they have natural beauty and only take away from it with their dress up stuff. Oh wow, we do have something in common, you and me....Forever in blue jeans, you got it. Dressing up is wearing a pretty blouse with my jeans, and maybe wearing white Levis, or black, woo hoo. I literally own no dresses, skirts or anything but denim, except for my mom's funeral in 97, I did actually buy an upscale pantsuit to wear. Donated it to the Salvation Army since then, besides it's too warm to wear in the islands.

My memory seems to recall Menudo as a Mexican stew. I am not too familiar with the term "tripe" but can only say I have heard it before. anyway, South of san Antone there are Menudo cookoffs, just like there are chili cookoffs. Oh goodness, all of this talk about food is making me reminisce about a lot of things. My parents made a wonderful venison stew! My mom made excellent Mexican cornbread, the kind with meat, corn and cheese right in it.

Newcomers to Austin? Oh I can understand why they aren't proud to be Texans, since they aren't. I was born down near Corpus Christi, and every year for too many years now, I have missed a large weekend long family reunion near there, and every Labor day weekend, I have missed a three day reunion on lake Austin.

I hear ya about the calories of the tamales, but at least they are filling. A couple of them and a salad, and a person can actually eat them, but it requires self-discipline. I graduated high school in '75 weighing 300lbs!! the fattest person, and of course fattest girl in my entire school. I lost 160lbs. in the late seventies, and kept it off, except for 20lbs that crept back on during two pregnancies, but I assure you I live very calorie-aware. Mexican food is NOT conducive to low cal living, but I do know how to eat what I want occasionally, and not several days, nor meals in a row.

I think I've brainstormed enough here. It's been fun, thanks again.

Menudo is a kind of tripe soup, but it's definitely not like the tripe stew locals eat! If you can find a place that serves home style cooking, you're more guaranteed to get "authentic" food than if you went to some yupscale dining establishment. When I dine ethnic, I make sure to check out the faces of the other diners...if there are ethnic people in there eating their own ethnic food, then I figure it's as "authentic" as you can get it here (some of the ingredients you can't find in this country).

I say "Taxes" (no it wasn't a typo, it was deliberate) because that's what I heard the big haired women in Dallas call the state (I was in a hotel in Dallas once and they were having some sort of GOP wingdingdoo in one of the ballrooms and George HW was supposed to be in attendance. There were all these society type ladies in their beaded evening gowns and big hair standing around, enjoying cocktails...me? I was in jeans. Shaquille O'Neill was also staying there and he got mobbed in an elevator by some groupies).

The people I know from Austin ("newcomers") say they're embarrassed to be associated with the State of Texas. I really do like Austin, though, even its bats.

Miulang

P.S. I used to make tamales using an authentic recipe, but the lard that's needed to make the masa is too high in calories for me to eat nowadays. I actually like Veracruzan food because most of it's seafood.

[Glen Miyashiro]

Re: "Authentic" Mexican Food?!

There's a Tex-Mex place in town called El Charro that I like. Here are a couple of reviews:

http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/ar.../en/en10a.html
http://starbulletin.com/2002/09/01/features/eater.html