Mission to the Mission

My trip to the Mission District is impossible to put into only 250 words. Each tasting we had that day I could write an entire essay about. From the food itself to the history we learned as we walked from restaurant to restaurant, this field trip was an extremely eye opening experience. Throughout the day we indulged in a mini cupcake, taco, pastrami sandwich, a tamale, pupusas, and ice cream. I want to focus on the taco because this was my favorite tasting out of all of them.First, I should start out with how averted I was from the taco. I love street tacos, but I absolutely despise cilantro. It is the one food that I cannot stand to eat. Even the smallest leaf can make an entire dish taste like dish soap to me. When I saw the taco with the standard onion and cilantro mix on top, I was mortified. But in spirit of the trip, I put my hatred aside and divulged in the taco anyways, and let me say I was not disappointed. To my surprise, I couldn’t even taste the cilantro. The tender bits of meat with their divine flavor were enough to mask the dish soap flavor I am so unfortunately familiar with. I could have eaten 10 more of those tacos with extra cilantro on each. Each tasting before and after the taco were enjoyed just as much.

My second most favorite tasting of the day would be the pupusas. I’ve had pupusas many times before, but what made this one more special was the story and background that was being shared by the owner. He told us all about the company and how they had to move locations. I could tell that his heart and soul was in his work. The pupusa was extraordinary on its own, but the extra touch of love made it that much more special. The dough was soft and delicate, the filling matched in perfect proportion. Much like the taco, I could’ve probably eaten 10 more pupusas. There is no doubt in my mind that I will be taking a trip back to the Mission to explore what more food it has to offer.