(Post 13 of 189. Thanks again to those who participated in the Fundrazr!)

So Thursday for lunch, I decided to try an averagely priced comida corrida/menú del día, and this one had options that appealed to me.

I’ve been in carb overload and needed solid protein, so I went with the milanesa de res, which is thinly sliced meat, in this case beef, that is breaded and pan fried. The pork version is one of my favourite local dishes in Mérida.

I was brought a soup of penne in tomato broth (caldo de tomato) — subtly flavoured, but tasty.

A jug of hibiscus (jamaica) water seems standard for these meals in Oaxaca. I appreciated that it was not sweetened and I drank most of it!

Tortillas, of course. They look different than the ones in Sinaloa and Yucatán — each region has its own version!

The Oaxacan tortillas are made with masa, like in Sinaloa, and they are bigger and thinner.

My main came out quickly. Besides the beef, I got spaghetti in tomato sauce like you get in Yucátan, a few fries (including ketchup!), and a rice that surprised me as it looks so plain but was infused with garlic! The beef was tender and well seasoned — I was worried I’d regret my choice as I’m not a huge fan of beef, but this was great. And, finally, vegetables!

The meal came with a super hot smoky salsa that I enjoyed with the tortillas. I always joke that, as a French speaker, I eat pain (bread!) all day long, but this was PAIN. There’s a difference between food that has bite to it and food that is just plain uncomfortable to eat, like the tacos I had my first night here. I’m going to keep working at getting my tastebuds used to such things as it is opening up a world of flavours to me. I mean, sure, the salsa hurt, but it also had great flavour under the heat. I would never have thought that just a few years ago.

I don’t know what I was expecting for dessert, but a fluffy mini pancake with compote and fruit was not it! So cute and yummy!

All of this for just 55 pesos! I find that my 45-50-peso meals in Mérida are a good to very good deal, but they’re nothing like this. I don’t think I’d cook much if I lived here!