"real" Mexican food

Since I am married to a lovely native of Mexico City, I am often asked where is the best local Mexican food and which is the most authentic. Sometimes people really want to know and others are just waiting to tell me about their favorite Mexican restaurant. The answer is not as simple as it sounds.

To begin, for me growing up in Michigan, Mexican food was when Mom put some taco seasoning on ground beef, stuffed it into hard shells and topped it off with cheese and lettuce. And we liked it. As teenagers we moved on to Ole Tacos and Taco Bell and it was all good. So that was the original Mexican food for me.

Later, after experiencing food all over Mexico, I gained an understanding of real Mexican food, and it is as varied and complex as any other cuisine. Also it is usually quite different than what you find in the USA. Two basic distinctions are ground beef and burritos, things you won't see in Mexico.

My recommendations are to be open to try new things and figure out what you like the most, and then don't worry about whether it's authentic. The important thing is to get value for your money and to enjoy the food. ¡Buen provecho!