I was able to drive to work yesterday. It was very uncomfortable when I tested out my ability to do a "panic stop", but it didn't seem like I was going to be dangerous out there on the road so I went ahead and drove to the office. It's about a 30 minute drive with several long traffic lights and always one or two panic stops on the way because the drivers here are horrible. I pulled it off, but 30 minutes is about the most I can do and I'm not good for much walking afterwards. That pretty much rules out making a grocery store run any time soon.
Truth be told, even if I had someone else do the driving, there's no way I'd be able to walk the distance it takes to get through one of our huge grocery stores. I won't starve though. Only a mile from my house is a small convenience store that also has a meat market and carries fresh produce. Well, "fresh" might be a misnomer, but it's better than nothing and it's the only option out here in the food desert where I live. They call it a food desert because the closest grocery store is 10 miles away and about a 45 minute drive. There's also no public transportation access and the cab fare is about $30 one-way. Although the convenience store is a bit more expensive on some items, the extra cost is still a lot cheaper than paying $60 to go to and from the big grocery store in a cab.
The convenience store is what's called a "Mexican Market" which means things are not exactly the same as what I might see in my regular grocery store. I'm not really sure what those cuts of meat are (other than the ground beef) and I'm also not sure what to do with them. The produce is not your normal selections; nopales (cactus), chayote squash and other odd things. The cheese selection is also interesting and I have already gotten used to putting Oaxaca cheese on my pizza because they don't carry Mozzarella.
Now I can cook regular Tex-Mex any day of the week, but if I want any variety I'm going to have to go beyond my usual tacos, tostadas and enchiladas. I'm hoping the internet can give me some clue on what to do with the unfamiliar cuts of meat. I already know several recipes for chayote squash since I've been eating that for years. but I've never done anything with nopales. Who knows, I just might be having cactus for dinner tonight.
