Mexico City's Messy Kitchen: A Chef's Unfiltered Take

so i landed in mexico city with my chef's kit and a stomach ready to be wrecked. i just checked and it's that perfect 20-degree sweet spot where the air feels like a damp towel but not in a gross way, hope you're into that kind of thing. if you get bored, toluca and pachuca are basically your backyard.

first things first: the mercados. holy smokes, these places are sensory overload in the best way. i got lost in san juan for two hours just sniffing chiles.

a chef with flour-dusted apron whispered: 'that new fancy taco spot on reforma? they're using hothouse avocados. real mexicans know the good stuff comes from the mountains, not a refrigerated truck.'

the pressure in those markets is something else-1012 hpa feels like the air's pushing back, which is perfect for slow-cooking carnitas. humidity at 54%? it's like nature's baster.

now about the *street food-don't even get me started. i've had tlacoyos that made me question my entire culinary career.

a drunk bartender slurred: 'stay away from the churros near the zocalo. they're fried in the same oil as the goddamn chicharrones. but the lady with the blue cart near alameda? she's an angel in flour.'

tried El Vilsito for suadero tacos-worth every peso. their pressure cookers are basically nuclear reactors, and the ground level altitude makes the meat taste... different.

also did a mole class at La Villa Bonita where the instructor nearly cried talking about her grandmother's recipe. the sea level pressure really affects boiling points-had to adjust everything. oh and that molino de nixtamal* near downtown? grinds tortillas like it's 1521. absolute game changer for sopes. someone told me to check out Mercado Medellín for obscure chiles, but honestly? san juan has better energy. the whole city feels like a giant, chaotic kitchen where everyone's shouting over each other-and i wouldn't have it any other way.