While Mexico has got to be in my top five best countries for street food - tacos al pastor with pineapple and loads of cilantro at the market in Mexico City, huitlacoche (corn fungus) and squash blossom quesadillas in the park in downtown Cancun, steaming chicken tamales wrapped in wet green banana leaves sold out of an empty oil drum in Villahermosa - one of my very, very favorites has to be elote. I first tasted elote - corn on the cob slathered in mayonnaise and sprinkled with cotija cheese (like Parmesan) and chile powder, topped off with a squeeze of lime - in the city of San Cristobal de las Casas in Chiapas. Sold by an old lady who sat on the steps of the church with a vat of corn cobs floating in hot water and an economy-sized jar of mayo, it was sweet, sour, cheesy and spicy all at once. I was in love. Here in Santa Fe, there's an elote cart that shows up from time to time in the parking lot of the defunct Pepe's Tacos, serving de-cobbed elote. The vendor layers corn kernels, mayonnaise, butter, cotija, lime and chile in a Styrofoam cup, served with a plastic spoon. Stir it all together and it creates a super-addictive spicy cream of corn soup. I find myself cruising the street outside Pepe's, like a scorned girlfriend staking out her ex's car (will it be there? Oh, I hope it's there!), three dollars already folded in my pocket just in case.
What are your favorite street foods? And where do you find them?
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