My Life Spent in Mexico City's Food Markets

Mexico City, the “anarchically alive metropolis,” as described by the Guardian, has become the subject of travelers’ praise for a myriad of reasons. Among them: its Brutalist, art deco, and Francophile architecture; its dented streets that run through the city’s neighborhoods, affluent and poor (which sometimes sit side by side); quinceañeras, clad in their fondant-like dresses, who are frequently glimpsed posing in front of national monuments. And even though its perpetual traffic and infamous carbon emissions levels have been mitigated by the introduction of the metrobus and ecobici, there’s always a bit of dust, giving the city a gilded, cinematic quality.

The city’s great unifier and appeal is its cuisine, especially the street-food: corner quesadillas, fast food tents outside of subway stops, stews served over hand-made tortillas, deep fried chicken tacos, tacos topped with rice served from street stands or a make-shift diner in the back of a van. In Mexico City, one can find great food everywhere at any price-point and at any time of day.