Moving to a new country is a shocking experience. The whole process of adapting to the new culture, food and learning a new language is a very hard process that can be very frustrating at times. However, it is also fun and the things you learn, the people you know and the experiences you live remain with you the rest of your life making the whole process worth it.

As much as one person can assimilate a new culture, trends of one’s background will always be present. I think I am a perfect example of this. I have been Americanized. I am not ashamed of it. I am so used to living in the USA that I have trouble picturing myself living anywhere else. When Jon and I lived in Mexico City for more than a year my culture shock was as big as his, even though I grew up down there.

But what does this have to do with food? A lot. One of the trends that have remained with me all these years living as an expatriate is food. I love American food (most of it) and for a while that was all I ate, but if my food doesn’t have all those familiar flavors I grew up with, it kind of feels like it’s missing something.

However, all my cooking adventures and the new foods I have been finding lately have helped me with my food homesickness. The point I have been trying to get to here is that my first attempts to cure that food homesickness consisted on eating at Mexican restaurants. But that always made everything worse. The menus were full of items that were completely different to what I was used to (burritos, quesadillas, enchiladas, hard shell tacos) or were completely new to me (chimichangas, taco salad). Really?? Taco Salad?? And what the heck is a chimichanga?

Anyway. after some years I finally gave in and decided to make a taco salad for a lunch last week. This is what I did:

I had cooked 1/2 pound of pinto beans (just let them soak overnight after cleaning them and cook them next day in 2 quarters of water with salt, onion and a little bit of canola oil)

In an skillet I sauteed onion and garlic and then I cooked 1lb of Bob Evans Zesty Hot Roll Sausage (don’t judge me, I really like that restaurant) with 1 green bell pepper.

When it was cooked I added it to the beans, added 1/2 cup of rice, some oregano, ground pepper and let it simmer for 30 minutes. I didn’t add any more spices because the sausage was already spiced. When it was all cooked together beautifully I served it in bowls over tortilla chips and top it all off with lettuce, radish, avocado, cilatro and sour cream.

This very simple lunch was packed with flavor. It was crunchy, warm, buttery and spicy. It has been the best taco salad I have ever had. I don’t understand why I didn’t like radishes when I was a kid. They were the best part of this lunch. Do you like them? How do you eat them?

Buen provecho!