Hidden in the south west corner of Ft. Lowell and Campbell is a bustling and bright restaurant called Rosa's Mexican Food. As I entered the restaurant for the first time I was a little overwhelmed with all the people chatting, Spanish music playing in the background, waiters running around with food on carts and every wall covered in brightly covered paintings. There was so much going on that I wasn't quite sure what to do with myself. No one was there to greet me as I walked in. I was left to figure out that I had fight the line of people outside the door to sign the waiting list and write my name down in order to get a seat in this packed room that holds only about 120 people.

To my surprise we were seated rather quickly and I began eating some of the best salsa that I have ever had at any Mexican restaurant I have been to in the past. I was pleasantly surprised. Our order was taken quickly and served in a timely manner. I recommend this place to everybody. I had chicken flautas with rice and beans, my brother had red chile con carne enchilada and his girlfriend had a shredded beef enchilada. By the time we were done nothing was left on our plates. Literally. The quality and quantity of the food was great and it is reasonably priced. If you are looking for a lively atmosphere and amazing authentic Mexican food; Rosa's is where you need to go.


1750 East Ft. Lowell Road
Tucson, Arizona7 Days a week 11:00am- 10:00pm
Tel: (520) 325-0362
Mastercard/Visa accepted

Rosa's Mexican Food is conveniently located at the Southwest corner of Ft. Lowell and Campbell in the Blockbuster Shopping Center.






Map was taken from their website

Mexican food chains are appearing everywhere. While driving earlier today I couldn't believe how many fast-food chains I saw driving down Speedway. What caught my attention was how many Mexican fast food chains I am seeing and go to more often.

Chains like La Salsa, Chipotle and Nico's are popping up a lot faster and in more cities in recent years. Especially around college campuses and shopping centers. University Boulevard has a Chipotle and a La Salsa to satisfy the hunger of college students. Chipotle even offers students with a Catcard a free soda with their meal.

According to an article in the Daily Utah Chronicle, "Mexican fast food is the hottest thing going, as people on the go are looking for alternatives to burgers, sandwiches and pizza."

I personally agree with this statement. Most of the time I would rather eat food from Chipotle for lunch than get a pizza down the street. They use natural ingredients, it's tasty and they give you a fairly large quantity of food.

National chains like Chipotle and smaller local chains like El Guero Canelo are growing around the Tucson area causing some to forget about Taco Bell and Del Taco.

Here are a few commercials:
Taco Bell
Chipotle

Dobar dan iz Croatia (Hello from Croatia)

After at least 12 hours of traveling, some friends and I have made it to Split, Croatia. This is my third time coming over spring break and I love it here. The city center is part of Diocletian's palace and is extremely old. It is right off the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It is absolutely beautiful and the weather is amazing along with delicious food.

I found out something interesting today concerning food here. My Serbian friend named Luan told me they had tortillas here in one of the grocery stores. I am not exactly sure what they are like but I plan on finding out soon.My friend Kristin used to live here for eight months and she said that she would make them all of the time and a lot of people liked them. I just thought it was cool because we are so far away from any type of Mexican food or anything close to Mexican food. I have not met many people who like spicy foods here but their bread is amazing.

Maybe I will bring some Croatian tortillas home!

Have you ever been to a Mexican restaurant and heard or seen somewhere in the restaurant that the food is authentic? Why do they say it is authentic? I have found that many Mexican restaurants I have eaten at claim to get their food directly from Mexico.

This got me thinking about what food is imported from Mexico? How much does the U.S rely on food imports from Mexico? What is exported to Mexico from the U.S.?

According to the U.S Department of Commerce, "Mexico is a great place to do business."Mexico was even named the Market of the Month for February 2007.

Also, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce Processed Food Report for 2006, five countries accounted for 52% of the U.S. imports of processed food in 2005. In exports, five countries accounted for 62% for the United States. Mexico was second behind Canada in both.

An increase of 87% of processed food exports to Canada and Mexico from the U.S. was $12 billion from 1997 to 2005. This was do to the North American Free Trade Agreement also known as NAFTA. This agreement has had much influence in increasing exports and imports between Mexico and Canada and the U.S.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture the best markets for processed food exports from the U.S. to Mexico are:
fish and seafood, processed fruits and vegetables, dairy products, snack foods, red meats, poultry meat, eggs and products, soybean meal, soybean oil and wheat flour.



The major imports from Mexico to the U.S. are:
beer, fruits and preparations, peppers, livestock and animal products, vegetables and preparations, tomatoes, other beverages excluding fruit juice and other agricultural products. This accounts for three-fourths agricultural imports to the U.S.




The United States is one of Mexico's most significant agriculture food trading partner. The U.S. buys roughly 85% of Mexico's exports and 65% of the imports. Mexico accounts for about 15% of both U.S agricultural exports and imports in 2005. It has become the third largest agricultural partner of the U.S. since the 1980s according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

According to the report, "As the U.S. population becomes increasingly ethically diverse, consumer demand for food products also diversifies. Hispanic population continues to grow rapidly and precessed food companies are developing new products for this population. Some retailers and supermarkets now cater specifically to Hispanic populations. Also, many traditionally ethnic foods products are crossing over to the mainstream population."


It turns out Mexico is a heavy resource for many food products in this country and I guess what I see in restaurants is true!Much of our food does come from Mexico.

The graphs are from: U.S. Department of Agriculture Website