Mexican Food

BBC Learning 1 EnglishLondon LifeMexican FoodJo: You’re listening to London Life onbbclearningenglish.com. I’m Jo and todaywe’re talking about my favourite kind of food – Mexicanfood!
　　Now, there are people from countries all around the worldliving in London and not surprisingly, there arerestaurants selling food from most of those countriesincluding Mexico. But if we look on the internet to findout some interesting facts about Mexican food in London youwill come across some comments like these:
　　LondonersI’ve wondered for years why there aren’t more Mexicanrestaurants in London… Is it possible to eat authentic 2,imaginative Mexican food in London?
　　Jo: Is the Mexican food available for us to eat inLondon anything like the food Mexicans eat in Mexico? Wespoke to Miguel Molina, a Mexican who has lived in Londonfor ten years.
　　Miguel MolinaIn London Mexican food is Mexican food by name but in reallife it’s something else – it’s a curious mix of foodbut Mexican proper – no – if my dad came and I took himto eat Mexican food in London he wouldn’t be pleased.
　　Jo: Miguel says Mexican food in London is Mexican foodby name only – it’s onlyMexican food because someone chose to call it Mexican food.
　　However, really it’s something different – it’s acurious mix, a strange mix of other foods. Buthe says if his father came to London to eat the Mexicanfood, he wouldn’t be pleased because it’s different tothe food eaten in Mexico.
　　Miguel MolinaThey use a lot of cumin for instance 3 or they think thatchilli sauce has got more tomato than chilli. And I can’tunderstand that – so that’s why I no longer go torestaurants at least Mexican food restaurants – I’drather cook at home and it’s good.
　　Jo: Now, cumin is a spice used for cooking,particularly cooking curries 4, and a chilli is a very hotpepper – so chilli sauce is made from this and it’s veryhot! But Miguel says in London the hot chilli sauce has gotas lot of tomato in it so it’s maybe not so hot here as inMexico. Because the food is so different, he no longer goesto Mexican food restaurants – he doesn't go to Mexicanrestaurants anymore.
　　So why is it then, that there aren’t many good Mexicanrestaurants in London?
　　Miguel MolinaThe trick is in the numbers – there are fewer than 5,000Mexicans living in the United Kingdom. How many Chinese?
　　How many Indians? How many Pakistanis? Of course they knowwhere to go and of course they can get stuff 5. But 5,000Mexicans you cannot even make a political party out of thatmuch less good food. Every time a Mexican comes here theyask me – take me to a Mexican restaurant. I take them andthe first thing they say – ah this is not Mexican food.
　　Jo: A trick is something which deceives 6 someone, makessomeone thinksomething is true that isn’t – so the problem that istricking us is the number ofMexicans living in London. There are only 5,000 compared tothe large number of Chinese, Indians or Pakistanis – sothey can easily get stuff, thingsto cook their own food. 5,000 people is a very small numberto do anything so that’s why there aren’t many goodMexican restaurants in London.
　　So finally, what would Miguel do to improve, to makebetter, the Mexican food in London now?
　　Miguel MolinaFirst of all I would make it cheaper – I could make itvery cheap, as cheap as possible, you need to make somemoney but very cheap. Second I could research for theoriginal ingredients 7 and if possible I could spend sometime there cooking and eating.
　　Jo: While you need to make money from having a Mexicanrestaurant, Miguel thinks food could be much cheaper. Hewould also research, study, original ingredients.
　　Ingredients are foods used to make up a particular dish –so Miguel would want to find original Mexican ingredientsthat are used in authentic dishes in Mexico. And he wouldhope to spend some time in Mexico eatingand cooking as part of his research.
　　Sounds great to me! All that talk of lovely Mexican foodhas made me very hungry – I think it’s time to go andeat! That’s all from London Life this week. You can take alook at this week’s language on bbclearningenglish.com.
　　Bye for now!