Tortillas. We all are aware of the corn/flour divide. You can get them thick, thin, small, huge, in different flavors such as jalapeno or garden deluxe, and you can make them almost anywhere.

They are one of the most important part of any Mexican dish. Whatever form of tortilla you prefer I am sure grocery stores, restaurants and tortilla factories in Tucson can offer them.
Let me just share with you some places that offer my favorite type of tortillas. You know, the paper thin flour tortillas also known as Sonoran tortillas. When I am eating at a wedding, an event or at a restaurant I want my tortillas to taste like my nana's.

La Mesa Tortillas
7823 E. Broadway
Saint Mary's Mexican Food
1030 W. St. Mary's Road
Anita Street Market
849 N. Anita Ave.
Alejandro's Tortilla Factory
5330 S. 12th Ave.
Tania's Flour Tortillas
614 N. Grande Avenue

According to Tucson Weekly these are some of the finest tortilla factories around. So as a student or a visitor to Tucson it is my suggestion to visit some of these places. La Mesa Tortillas and Saint Mary's Mexican Food have tasty meals to choose from. They are reasonably priced as well. Enjoy!

In my many attempts to make different and delicious Mexican cuisine, getting the right spices have proven to be a difficult task for me. Until I realized that I wasn't looking in one place. Food City.

Before this past week I have never been to a Food City grocery store and when I left I wondered why. It definitely is not your average grocery store. I liked shopping there because they had a little bit of everything. From your average snack food, fruits and vegetables to Mexican candy, every kind of spice needed and my favorite, pan dulce (Mexican sweet bread).

When I walked into the one located at 719 E. Fort Lowell Rd. Spanish music was playing over the loud speaker and through the entrance there was a huge porcelain statue of the virgin of Guadalupe. I was kind of surprised when I saw it. That's usually not something you see in a grocery store. Why would that be in a grocery store?Through my shopping experience I found that they really do cater to the Hispanic community in more than just providing them with authentic Mexican food variety. They also had porcelain statues of Jesus and different saints along with candles. To top that off they had pinatas of every color and the brightest and most colorful fiesta decorations. This place literally has the most random things in it.

According to their website, Food City was acquired by Bashas' grocery stores in 1993. It has a high reputation of serving the Hispanic community all over the state of Arizona for over 50 years. Tucson alone has 11 stores, some have pharmacies and provide money exchange services.

They also host youth immunization clinics at certain times of the year. Along with these clinics Food City has an annual Fiestas Patrias festival. It commemorates Mexican Independence Day from Spain. The event lasts three days beginning on September 15 to the 17. It is estimated that 85,000 customers come to enjoy food, family activities and family and musical entertainment. It showcases rich traditions and the history of Mexico.

I think Food City has become one my favorite grocery stores to shop at. I like it because it's a unique shopping experience and they provide their customers with more than just one service.

Breakfast Burritos

Spring break 2007 is coming up quick and I need to make some money! Students travel all over the world for a week of getting wasted and doing things that they usually regret and forget about. But for some friends and I, we have decided to return to a city called Split in Croatia and for the first time head into Mostar, Bosnia. Both of these countries have nothing to do with Mexico or the border so you probably asking yourself why I am writing about them.

Well...I attend a church here in Tucson called Calvary Chapel. It is a bible teaching church and I have been very involved there since high school. I have been able to travel with and lead teams to Ireland, Mexico, Croatia, Italy, Jamaica and Germany with people from my church, making friends, doing community service and sharing the TRUTH and LOVE of Jesus Christ with people.

In order to travel all of these places, I have had to raise thousands of dollars by doing different fundraisers and bake sales, car washes, ect... One amazing way I have been able to raise money is by making breakfast burritos for thousands of people that attend the church I go to on the weekends.

This bright idea came from the statement "breakfast is the most important meal of the day" that most of us have heard from our mothers, medical doctors and conclusions from national studies all of our lives.

This past weekend my brother and my friends Kristin and Bethany and I made breakfast burritos. We made two types: potato, egg and cheese burritos and chorizo and egg burritos.

After making these types of burritos and selling them many times we have all come to the conclusion that the chorizo sells the best.

Why? I really don't know. I personally hate making them because they smell and I don't enjoy the taste of chorizo but for centuries it has been eaten in Spain, Portugal and Mexico and across the U.S. I found it really interesting and funny that ESPN had an article about it called "Chorizo joins 'world-class wieners' in sausage races." Also, Forbes.com had a link to a small article about a company in Texas that makes and distributes the meat.

It is a pork sausage derived from Spain but has changed in distinctive ways in Mexico. It is chile and garlic flavored. We buy it at the American Meat CO Inc on 1439 S 4th Ave. The also have the most amazing tortillas delivered there. You can get mild, spicy, hot, all beef and a mixture of different meats or even goat.

There are many different ways you can prepare it. You can cook it or just leave as is. Most people eat it for breakfast. If you dare to try it you can buy the meat at the American Meat Co Inc or any grocery store, cook it in a pan until it looks red and greasy and then eat it with a tortilla. They also serve it at several restaurants around Tucson. If you want to make it for yourself look here for a recipe.

You might like it you might not. If not, go for the potato, egg and cheese burrito.