So I have this sickness. It is even a little disturbing. It might even be a little inappropriate to discuss because it might send you away screaming and looking for a six hour shower. But I must confess my problem. It is like stage 12 of the process. So here I am today, in front of you, and I have to tell you I am addicted to Mexican food.

But that is not the sickness to be entailed within. The sickness surrounds my need to eat Mexican food whereever I may be. Whatever state I am currently in, I must seek out Mexican food and eat it. At least try it. And my sickness will not be cured until I have had it in every state, nay every country. It is a very distinct possibility that I may not complete this very recovery because of the recovery process itself.

So I will entail to you the recovery process as I undertake it with the preliminary results of the process which has been in progress for a few years now.

Texas – First and foremost. The reason I am saddled with the sickness I have. Hands down the best Mexican food in the world. Better than that of its namesake. It will never be foresaken and will always be eaten at every opportunity. It is perfection and will always be sought after whereever one may go.

North Carolina – On a trip to Fayette-Nam to see Beto, I insisted he take me for Mexican. He offered two places. He recommended one if we must have gone. We went. This experience can be summarized by the conversation with the waiter during the ordering process…

Waiter – What would like tonight?
Me – I would like the cheese enchilada plate.
Waiter – Would you like rice or beans with that?

Wait. Rewind. Rice or beans? Anyone who knows Mexican knows that both are staples of a plate of enchiladas. I needn’t say more about North Carolina.

California – While on a visit to Riverside and the campus of UC-Riverside, a baseball coach was kind enough to take me to some place in town. Decent decor and a good start with some halfway decent chips and salsa. I got the steak fajita plate. Now imagine a steak fajita. Imagine how you would hold it. The feel of it in your hand. Out comes the plate. There’s some meat on a plate, next to some rice. No tortillas. So I had some sliced skirt steak that evening for a meal. Nothing to be desired.

New Mexico – Well in New Mexico they have New Mexican food. Just the style of cooking and peppers and spice they use are different from what one would come to expect in Mexican food. Good food. But not something to feed the addiction.

Massachusetts – Here is the thing in Boston. We didn’t look for a place. We were visiting family. But I did want to make some salsa for the family since I have been told my salsa is not all that bad. So I needed to find some peppers and cilantro. But whoa! Cilantro? What is cilantro? My bad, in Massachusetts, its frickin’ coriander. That and the peppers are about three times smaller than your normal pepper. So I will simply apply the conclusion drawn from quality of produce, that Mexican food would be subpar. Stick to the clam chowder.

Colorado – Did you know that residents of Colorado hate Texans? That is always fun. Must be why they screwed the pooch with Mexican food. First we hit a popular Mexican food place in Boulder. My reaction was wow, they have black beans! That and thank goodness for beer. Second, a breakfast burrito. It was sacriligous to call that thing a burrito. Slopped with some spicy processed cheesy crap. I never knew they hated us that much.

Utah – Well. Living in the SLC now. I will have plenty of chances. So far I have had my chances. And sadly not so fulfilling. And the sad thing is it started off so well. The second night in. We took the plunge. Had to feed the sickness. So we asked around and a place was recommended. And for the first time out the state of Texas, I must say I enjoyed a Mexican meal. Some nice Carne Asada taco, spiced just right and served on a small buttered corn tortilla. And then sadly down hill from there. And it all revovles around a common theme, enchilada sauce. You know those cans of Old El Paso enchilada sauce you buy at the grocery store? Well that goes on everything here. They call it enchilada style, but it tastes the same. Sad, sad, sad. Since my stay here is prolonged the quest shall continue.

I had my chances in Iowa and Washington, but I wasn’t able to feed the madness. I seems people in other places actually like this stuff the way they are fed it.

I guess it is good I know my way around a kitchen. I can hold my own when it comes to making some hearty Tex-Mex, even from the stuff they sell in the grocery store here and the aforementioned salsa. I make a mean enchilada casserole.

But the road goes on. The sickness still takes hold and there are more chances to find a cure. As they come, you will know.

Good times.