When I am travelling outside India I like to try as much as possible the local cuisine. I prefer to avoid going to Indian restaurants, not out of any dislike for them but to give myself a chance to sample multi cuisines of the world. The two filter conditions I have for the food I eat are that it has to be vegetarian and it should not be very bland – some characteristic of sweet, sour, hot should be in it.
In Los Angeles & down south (Carlsbad) you get a good variety of Mexican food due to the proximity to the Mexican border. Several years back when I was staying for few weeks in LA for Digital Hollywood I was eating Mexican food almost three times a day, so old habits die hard!
Today while in Los Angeles downtown area for a business meeting, my colleague living there offered to take me to lunch. To his dislike, I opted against South Indian food and picked Mexican from the choices he gave me. He took me to a Mexican restaurant El coyote where he has gone few times before during company meets.
We sat down at our table, I said to the waiter “vegetarian” for me. I don’t know what he saw in me, but he correctly identified I was starving on that day and I will eat anything vegetarian he puts in front of me. He got me a full tray of boiled vegetables plus Burritos, Rice and Brown Beans. I finished it in no time after which I learnt from my colleague what I ate was a Vegetarian “Fajita”, pictured below. I enjoyed it thoroughly.
