Delicious tacos from Tacos El Plata.

By Lucy Ottley

A group of ten students and two teachers went on a trip to Mexico for the IEL Americas Senior Capstone class right after Collegiate’s spring break. We went for a whole week, and each student stayed with two different host families. After a 17-hour travel day, we arrived in Querétaro, Mexico, around 9:45 p.m., four hours later than expected. We tried a variety of authentic Mexican foods during our week-long trip.

As soon as I met my host Camila, I immediately told her I wanted tacos, because the teachers on the bus had promised us tacos to stop our complaining. We went to get tacos with two of her friends, Sofi and Abril, who were hosting Malone Morchower (‘23) and Olivia Nichols (‘23). We arrived at Tacos El Pata at 10:00 p.m., sat down, and were given menus. 

I ordered three chicken tacos. On the table, there were three different types of sauces: a spicy green salsa, an orange one that was less spicy, and a red one that was similar to salsa, with a little bit of spice. There was also a plate with cilantro, onions, and jalapeños. The small tacos had tiny square pieces of chicken inside two corn tortillas. The chicken was cooked perfectly, the seasonings on the chicken were a delicious touch, and I topped my tacos with onions and cilantro. 

The tacos were different from the ones I usually eat in the US from El Cap, Chipotle, or tacos that my mom makes, because they did not have sour cream, guacamole, tomatoes, or cheese. I liked these better, because you could specifically taste each flavor, and they were not as messy. Sofi and Camila ordered drinks that I had never heard of. Sofi ordered Jamaica, which tasted like hibiscus water, and Camila ordered Horchata, which tasted like cinnamon milk. I liked both. However, I wouldn’t say I wanted the Horchata with the tacos. I would think it would be more of a breakfast drink. I had Jamaica at lunch and dinner throughout the trip.

Fruit plate at breakfast.

The first morning at Camila’s house, we went down for breakfast at 7:00 a.m. There were chunks of pineapple, apples, bananas, grapes, and papaya on a plate at the breakfast table. My host family told me they usually put honey on their fruit, so I wanted to try it. The honey was called Jarabe de Agave Azul Orgánico. It was not as sweet as honey in the US and did not have as distinct a taste as honey. I loved the honey with my fruit and continued to use it every morning. After my fruit came the “main” breakfast. Camila’s dad made waffles and scrambled eggs with ham. I normally do not eat ham; however, I did enjoy it. My host family would offer me tea or coffee every morning, and in the US, I never drink tea or coffee. 

We went to Mi Piaci, an Italian place, for lunch that day. We ordered a large pepperoni and cheese pizza for a group to share. Even though pizza is not specific to Mexico, they still made it differently. This pizza did not have red sauce, but it had multiple kinds of cheese and plenty of spices. The flavors and spices made the pizza delicious.

Tacos from the Carol Baur cafeteria.

We ate in the cafeteria of Colegio Carol Baur, our partner school, during our lunch break the next day, which featured beef tacos and potato tacos. I got potato tacos because I had never had potatoes in tacos, and I added lettuce and a white sauce. The taco shell was like a chip, breaking very easily, which I did not like. However, I liked the taste of the potatoes in the taco, which was more flavorful than I expected

That night, we had pizza and churros at the school, which were the best churros I have ever eaten. The cinnamon sugar-covered churros were not too crunchy or too soft. 

Pasta, salad, and bread.

I did not eat lunch until 4:00 p.m. on Monday, because we were in the conference all day, and there was an award ceremony after the conference. It was an extremely long day, and I was starving. Camila had eight friends staying with us that night, and we all returned to her house, where her mom had prepared pasta, salad, bread, and tuna ceviche. The pasta was so flavorful, with a meat sauce with many spices and hot sauce, which I was not used to. It was one of Camila’s friends’ birthdays, so they got her a cajeta cake, a dulce de leche cake with caramel all on the outside, which tasted very similar to angel food cake. This cake is one of my favorite desserts ever. The caramel melts in your mouth as soon as you put it in. The top part was similar to a vanilla cake, and the bottom was very moist. It was the perfect combination to make this cake delicious. 

Molletes with cheese, refried beans, and pico de gallo.

For dinner, Camila’s mom made molletes. This piece of bread was cut open with refried beans and melted cheese. Morchower says, “I could not stop thinking about this meal for the whole day. This was my favorite meal I ate.” Many people added toppings to this meal, and I added pico de gallo, which tasted amazing. 

On our last night in Querétaro, my host, some of her friends, and I went to a restaurant called La Bocha. I ordered empanadas de capresi. The empanada contained melted cheese, tomatoes, and basil, and I added two different sauces. One was similar to salsa, and one was a sauce specifically for empanadas, with oil and herbs. I liked this sauce the best because it had little spice to it and did not overpower the taste of the empanada itself. 

During the week, there were many Mexican snacks that I had yet to try before. During the conference, the school put out snacks for us, such as a cup of vegetables with lime on the side, which is very common in Mexico. I enjoyed this combination because it gave the vegetables more flavor, and they were more sour, which I enjoyed. Another snack they had was chicharron, which is similar to fried dough. This was interesting because it had minimal flavor but was similar to a Goldfish cracker. The main snack that everyone ate all the time was Takis. However, these Takis were spicier than the ones in the US.  

Overall, the food I had in Mexico was really excellent, and I learned specific things about Mexican culture. Each food had more flavor, and everything was spicier.

Read more about the IEL America’s trip from Malone Morchower.

All photos by Lucy Ottley.