For our fellow, or soon to be, ex-Californians, (and you know who you are!), a particularly un-savory conundrum that we find ourselves in here in Vacationland, is the conspicuous-by-it’s-absence of “spicy” foods. Along with the amazing paucity of authentic Mexican cuisine, there are a whole range of gastronomical offerings that are disappointingly absent.
Back in the Left Coast, the vast array of sizzling, spicy, and just dang HOT ethnic offerings were taken for granted. We knew that we could count on being able to sample and enjoy a seemingly unlimited variety of zesty meals, all within a stone’s throw, (or, indeed, a pizza-toss) away! Not so here in ME. Attempting to find a good taco locally will seemingly only result in bitter disappointment. In fact, there appears to be a slight distrust and general avoidance of the use of zesty herbs and spices.
Granted, we’ve enjoyed some absolutely delicious meals here in the Pine Tree State. In fact, sampling foods that we seemed to have missed out on back in California is always a wonderful pursuit! Who can deny the dreamy delights of Maine Wild Blueberry pie. Maine Maple Syrup drizzled over Blueberry Pancakes. Or even a pint of Blueberry Ale! Of course, there are simply loads of non-dessert delicacies to be found in Maine as well, but just having completed my supper, the above items just spring to mind.
Back to the subject at hand, early in our new-found residency, we decided to visit a local “Mexican Restaurant”. Needless to say, after a dinner of very, very mild burritos smothered in what was basically a ketchup-based “salsa”, we were crestfallen. This place made Taco Bell’s menu seem positively scorching by comparison.
What to do? Is it possible to love spicy, burn-your-face-off foods, and still love Maine?
The answer is, yes! All the ingredients necessary to making your own authentic Mexican, and other zesty meals can (usually) be found locally; so we just get to work and create our own tasty meals whenever we crave that certain jalepeño kick! It’s easy and fun to re-live the scintillating scent of those heavenly, south-of-the-border meals blowing through MidCoast Maine. It certainly helps to have a prize-winning chef as a spouse, to be sure, but with a little planning and local shopping, you to can be on your way back to enjoying some great, zesty meals once again.
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