Tequila: Been There, Didn't Taste That

Tequila!

The town, silly. Okay, the drink too.

Me and Denny Crane not waiting in the long line for the photo in front of the sign.
If you drink enough tequila, the sign looks the same backwards as forwards anyway!

The town of tequila is famous for being the first to cultivate the agave plant for the tequila liquor. 

Everything in the puebla is decorated with agave plants. I particularly liked this fence arrangement.

Even the street grates were agave plants! Vibrams included :)

It's a mere 60 km (37 miles) to Tequila, Mexico, but it will take you over an over with all the traffic to get there from Guadalajara. 

I'd never been to Tequila, because covid started just after I moved here, but Monday, I decided to take the trip. Everything is open in MX more or less, so I thought maybe I could find cozy corners to people watch from afar and wander the side streets.

I had images of tequila bars lining the streets serving nothing more than lots of tequila and chips and dip; ideas of tequila tasting rooms in the various tequila distilleries all within walking distance in the small town; rows of agave plants just off the main streets.

Boy was I wrong!

I am pretty sure I walked every single street in Tequila within a 3 block radius of the central square. (I don't think there were many more blocks past that). 

Central Plaza

There were small places tucked away to purchase specialty tequila drinks either in a plastic bag or in a souvenir pottery mug. I'd already tried several of the drinks on previous occasions, so I went with a new one and told the man easy on the salt. For sure, I got my daily dose of salt that day! Wow! I couldn't even finish it. But on the upside, I have a very poorly made tourist cup I can use for the next few months until the detergent washes off all the paint on it and it's recycled to another purpose.

Posing with my not-so-delicious beverage in "front" of the back of a tequila tour 'bus'.

Through all the city streets I also searched and searched for a small family restaurant that appeared to have cooks that at least washed their hands and had a spare table. Never found one. The number of small restaurants on the side streets were practically nill. The restaurants were focused almost entirely around the central plaza with a plethora of taco and hotdog stands littering the plaza and also taking residency in the adjacent enclosed marketplace. 

Plant lined pedestrian street

Um, what? 

Beautiful, bright colored buildings

The beautiful church at the center of the plaza was a nice respite from the sun and of all the cathedrals I've visited in all my travels, this one had truly unique floors!

What interesting wood flooring. It's rare to be caught by the floor in a cathedral, but it sure drew my eye. How gorgeous with all the colors and patterns.

Look! My mask matches the ceiling art!

In my desperate search for lunch/dinner, I came across a street vender selling flavored and unflavored (natural) crickets. He asked if I wanted to try. Well, of course! He practically grabbed my hand (not sure how clean either hands were..) and dumped several unflavored crickets inside. Then he poured a red salsa, some salt, and lastly he squeezed some fresh lime juice over it. I downed it and it was delicious! Really really really tasty. I was all set to buy a bag freshly prepared for the wandering road when I found out how much for how little I would get. I moved on, stomach still growling. Below is a picture gallery showcasing my cricket eating delight. Enjoy!

Protein for the day

All or nothing

mmm I like these!

Chomp chomp

All gone!

Unaware that all the restaurants would close by 5pm, I ended up at one of the largest tourist traps right on the square. I was prepared for terrible food for high prices and they delivered. I ordered enchiladas that arrived cold (not a little warm still but completely cold like from the fridge) and hard like they'd been made the day before and the staff had just poured sauce over them to serve them to me. I would have sent the dish back in the US it was that bad. It also had no flavor. It didn't have flavor I didn't like. It had no flavor. 

It looks significantly better than it tasted.

On the plus side, I also got to try a local dish called aguachiles that usually features shrimpies, cucumbers, purple onions, sometimes avocado, and a spicy lime juice soup-like base that it all sits in. This restaurant had all those ingredients and added sliced pineapple, sesame seeds, and a pleasantly spicy green chile sauce/paste. I've tried numerous aguachiles (they make them green, red, black, and with a variety of seafood sometimes as well), but never this combination. I loved it! I will definitely be on the lookout for pineapple aguachile in the future! The combination of the sweet from the pineapple with the spicy of the sauce and the tang of the onions blended quite beautifully.

YUMMY!

I also ordered the obligatory guacamole. It wasn't bad and I learned I really enjoy radishes in my guac. Who knew?!?!

As for the tequila tasting rooms, that's a thing...that you have to pay a tour guide to take you to grr. I asked directly at one of the distilleries, and was told you must book in advance and go with a group. Seriously? Guess they're not interested in my money after all. 

Tequila tour "bus"

So after a long afternoon in the hot (but delicious) sun, wandering pretty much the entire "downtown" of Tequila, I left mostly disappointed. Mostly, because after searching for some fresh churros after dinner to brighten my taste bud's mood, I couldn't find any. Did you know that apparently, downtown Tequila turns into a French/American colony at night? The food stands in the central plaza area only sell crepes or hotdogs. There you go. I did find about 6 taco stands all in a row just a block off the main square but had to travel several blocks to find the worst churros I've had in Mexico. The oil was too hot so the outside was overcooked and the inside was still uncooked. Appropriate ending to my day.

Lit up streets at night

It may sound like all doom and gloom toward the end, but I really did actually enjoy the day. It was nice to get out and go someplace. It was nice to "travel". It was nice to explore. It was nice to feel the vitamin D on my skin. And it was nice to be someplace new.

Will I be craving a prompt return to Tequila? Probably not. But I can now say, been there, didn't taste that!

Obligatory 'selfie' pic of Denny at dinner!