I ran up to the National Archives to grab some more material the other day before I leave for points west. (Those of you who know me surely by now have some insight into this drive to get yet-more).
I was working in some late 19th century Army records, which are really fantastic materials even if a bit limitless and lacking in clear finding aids. The archivists know there way around though I got a staggering amount of stuff, I took a few thousand pictures. There is a feeling of accomplishment doing that, but of course I have only done a cursory reading of them to see if they are interesting. So, another mountain of stuff to whittle away at, though this is easily done. The richness of those materials makes me think of focusing even more on the Army in a future project. And I didn't even scratch the microfilm yet...
Anyway, the point of this is not to discuss the Archives, but to discuss something much more important-Mexican food.
When I got to the Archives out in Maryland I fix lunch out at my truck. Not having that option this time I was resigning myself to the the usual cubicle worker fare. But it turns out there was a Mexican joint not too far away that had some really good food. They had some good tacos a bit beyond the basic--a cabrito taco that was really well executed, and some variations on chicken tacos--chicken and cebollita and chicken and chorizo and onion one that were good. But what I thought was most welcome and which made the meal were the chapulines tacos, grasshopper tacos. I had never had them before, it is a Oaxaca specialty but not one I have seen very commonly in these parts. Generally I am not a big fan of eating bugs (longtime readers will remember me talking about the bugs for sale on almost every corner in Seoul), though drone bee brood sauteed with garlic is pretty good. I am not opposed to trying most any bug . The chapulines were very tasty, citrusy and more tender than you might expect.
I was working in some late 19th century Army records, which are really fantastic materials even if a bit limitless and lacking in clear finding aids. The archivists know there way around though I got a staggering amount of stuff, I took a few thousand pictures. There is a feeling of accomplishment doing that, but of course I have only done a cursory reading of them to see if they are interesting. So, another mountain of stuff to whittle away at, though this is easily done. The richness of those materials makes me think of focusing even more on the Army in a future project. And I didn't even scratch the microfilm yet...
Anyway, the point of this is not to discuss the Archives, but to discuss something much more important-Mexican food.
When I got to the Archives out in Maryland I fix lunch out at my truck. Not having that option this time I was resigning myself to the the usual cubicle worker fare. But it turns out there was a Mexican joint not too far away that had some really good food. They had some good tacos a bit beyond the basic--a cabrito taco that was really well executed, and some variations on chicken tacos--chicken and cebollita and chicken and chorizo and onion one that were good. But what I thought was most welcome and which made the meal were the chapulines tacos, grasshopper tacos. I had never had them before, it is a Oaxaca specialty but not one I have seen very commonly in these parts. Generally I am not a big fan of eating bugs (longtime readers will remember me talking about the bugs for sale on almost every corner in Seoul), though drone bee brood sauteed with garlic is pretty good. I am not opposed to trying most any bug . The chapulines were very tasty, citrusy and more tender than you might expect.
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