I’ll bet our workday lunches from the cafetería don’t compare.  No, no.  I’m not trying to make you jealous.  Really.  I’m just sayin’.  Our cafetería serves great food — at least from a non-local perspective, that is.

I haven’t had time since I’ve moved to Honduras to do much exploration into the local cuisine yet, but the flavors  of the meals in our workplace café hit the spot and the tortillas — well, corn is one of the foundations of Mayan civilization, or at least of the ancient civilization’s cuisine and you know how I feel about corn.  I can’t get enough of it.  It’s all over the pages of this blog.

Most often it’s about the tortillas, but sometimes it’s about the amazing ear of corn.  There’s almost nothing better than a grilled piece of corn with queso fresco crumbled on top and sprinkled with fresh cilantro and a squeeze of lime.

The company that provides our meals is a local restaurant — Salsa Mex, so while much of it has a Honduran twist, it’s grounded in Mexican flavors and I’m pretty darn ok with that. 

So, in our humble cafeteria at work, corn is everywhere.  Sometimes we see pieces of a cob cut up and hanging out in a broth, but usually it’s there waiting to be filled or in a container after being toasted or fried and ready to accompany some other delicious local treat.

Every meal is served with pickled carrots, onions and jalapeños and it’s got quite a kick.  Alongside the pickles is the salsa fresca or pico de gallo, or Chirmol as the ladies behind the counter call it, and to this gringa, this is the salsa we’re used to.  But the hottest of them all is the picante and it is muy, muy picante, but adds the perfect kick to the meal.

It has quite a kick and is perfect with just about whatever is on the menu each day.

I have to say though, this meal is my favorite.  I suppose it’s no surprise to those of you that have been hanging around here since April.  This meal, or some version of it is a staple in my diet a few times a week.

The tortillas are small, the meat is not overwhelming in quantity and the sides are mostly vegetables, although sometimes there is a dollop of fresh cream (similar to sour cream) and a spoonful of creamy guacamole, not like we are used to.  That makes the calorie count or Weight Watchers Points Plus value fit right into a healthy lunchtime or dinner meal.

So, while you peruse the photos and think about running out to your local Mexican food restaurant for lunch today because you’ve spied the most delicious looking fresh tacos you’ve seen in a long time in the photos above and just HAVE TO HAVE tacos for lunch today, I’ll be enjoying these while pondering a spreadsheet or two and working on my plan for the next week.

But I’m not trying to make you jealous.  Really.  I’m just sayin’.