Mexicali Love Affair

When I was in college (way back in the '90s), my good friend Sarah and I used to eat a lot of Mexican food.  There was a small kiosk in one of the many villages in Paranaque City that was selling such type of food.  We used to go there because food prices were relatively affordable for students like us.  But at times when we had money, Sarah and I would opt to splurge a little more on Mexican food.  Thus, the start of our love affair with Mexicali.

We used to frequent branches in Alabang Town Center and Glorietta.  I'm not quite sure if the Mexicali management closed down its entire business but when Sarah left me to start a new life in the U.S., it seemed that the Alabang and Makati branches left me as well.  Exaggerated as it may seem, but I was devastated for losing a good friend and a good place to eat almost at the same time.

When Sarah started her life in the U.S., we lost touch for years.  There were times when we would LITERALLY write letters and send them via snail mail but the total number of letters sent probably did not exceed five.  During that time, she was already very knowledgeable of the Internet while I was still having an arduous time dealing with my uber-slow dial-up connection.  Every time I checked my Yahoo! account, there were like a hundred messages from her already, and the best I could do was to reply with one e-mail message.

California Grilled Steak Burrito with Tortilla Chips and Salsa

Until the phenomena of broadband connection reached the Philippines like crazy.  Now, it's like Filipinos from different walks of life all have Facebook accounts.  Of course, the popularity of Facebook and other social networking sites also allowed me to be in constant communication again with Sarah.  Now, we communicate each and every single day.  We talk about everything under the sun which, of course, includes food.

I'm sure it's just coincidence but when I started to keep in touch with Sarah on a regular basis, Mexicali reopened at the Alabang Town Center but in a different location.  With Sarah on my mind, I decided to ask (Read: FORCE) my husband, who dutifully agreed, to eat at Mexicali with me.

Ground Beef Enchilada with Tortilla Chips and Salsa

Everything tastes the same!  From the burritos down to the enchiladas and salsa!  At first, I was scared to try the food we ordered because I might get disappointed, but everything was just perfect!  Well, my husband claimed that the salsa was not as spicy as before.  I never really noticed but he was happy with his order nonetheless.

Of course, as soon as we went home, I uploaded the Mexicali photos for Sarah.  I was right, she was deeply touched by what I did.  Before showing her the photos, I already knew what her reaction would be because the love affair we had with Mexicali was truly one of a kind.



_______________________________________________________________________
The author is a blogger working for Valve eCapture.  You may reach her by sending an e-mail at valve.ecapture@gmail.com or valve.ecapture@yahoo.com.  Thank you.