I was going to mention that you might be able to find good lard in plastic buckets or cups here. Like freshly rendered, not hydrogenated lard (unlike the Armour-brand lard you get in bricks like butter.) If, like me, you like lard as a base fat for cooking stews (or pastries), it’s a godsend.
This restaurant is not part of a chain. There are two locations, but it’s completely local. And I’ve been known to send my husband out for some of their tortilla soup when I’ve had bronchitis. I tell you, that stuff is better than penicillin…especially since I’m allergic to penicillin! Generally I don’t like cheese with chicken, but somehow, in tortilla soup, it works.
Go. Take a notepad and pen with you.
Smile at everyone. Be polite.
Try not to gawk at the MUCH lower prices on fresh produce. You might have to carefully select what you want, but you will save a bundle. Most of the store employees speak English. If you approach one who doesn’t, you will be nicely directed to one who does.
You’ll find sections dedicated to Central and South American food products. Look at EVERYTHING. If you don’t understand a label, write it down in your notepad. The Internet is your friend.
My husband doesn’t like Mexican markets. I let him sit in the truck while I go inside and shop.
Next, look for Asian markets and Indian/Pakistani markets. Use the same process. Don’t forget the notepad!
There’s an entire WORLD out there waiting for you! And it’s FUN!
(hint: you can save a FORTUNE shopping for spices in an Asian market!)
~VOW
Absolutely. Really, any non-American market will do for spices. Middle Eastern, Asian, whatever, it’s cheap.
Also, if you’re in the mood for lamb, find a Halal meat market or similar in town (if you got 'em) and you cant find it for much cheaper than any mainstream market. For example, lamb shoulder at the Halal market a couple miles from my house is usually arount $2.50-$3.00 a pound, carved from the freshly slaughtered carcass you see hanging in the cooler.
And as a 6’8" blond guy, it’s not like you’ll stick out in a Mexican store or anything. Go in, no one will notice, you’ll blend right in.
But seriously, go in. I like to say that every big grocery store has two Mexican sections. They have the one with the Pace Picante Sauce and the Old El Paso Taco Seasoning and then if you go down the aisle a bit you’ll find the Mole Sauce, Chipotles in Adobo, masa and Jesus Candles, right? The Mexican store will be only that stuff. It’s pretty cool and if you have one right down the block that you’ve never been in before you’re missing out on a lot of really good stuff. Even if you’re not an adventurous eater, the butcher is likely better then the one at your megamart and the meat is probably cheaper to boot. If it’s a big/crowded Mexican store, you should go in just for the experience. Cinco de Mayo is this Saturday. Go in Friday afternoon and they’ll be friggen swamped, it’ll be fun.
Totally just got that…6’8"=Sicks Ate.
I’m curious: the horchata in Spain is usually made from chufas and says “horchata de chufa”; it’s somewhat similar to almond milk but sweeter.
Does the horchata over there say only “horchata” and the brand or does it say something more? I never saw it, which is a royal pity because I love the chufas variety.
I used to think it was slang for chatting up a hooker!
Ohh, that’s a good tip! I’ve been wanting some lamb, but it is so expensive…
What? A whole WORLD?
Ok, I’m convinced.
Yeah, it’s the dumbest name I could come up with a year ago when I was pretty buzzed and could not stand to lurk any longer.
Pretty sure it generally just says “horchata” although I haven’t had any in a while.
If you go and some dude wants to sell you corn in a cup. Buy some. You’ll thank me later. (Tell him to dowse it with hot sauce.)
Here I don’t have much of a choice. Where I live and also where I work is in the boonies, so I mostly stick to the small markets, which lean heavily Mexican.
The good stuff is anything spelled CHILE.
They ALWAYS have fresh cilantro and avacado’s.
Weird soda’s, I’ve been hitting the fruit punch sodas lately, they are tasty.
They usually have a REALLY good selection of spices, blows walmart and albertsons out of the water.
Things I hate…
Their meat is always sliced paper thin, not cold cuts, but MEAT. Pork chops 3/16 of an inch thick, steaks, 1/4" thick, drives me fricken nuts.
The burger is always crap, the “lean” stuff is 80/20. the bad stuff is 73/27, sometimes 70/30
The bread selection is crap, but you can get good torilla’s.
Things I’m not quite sure about:
Mango on a stick covered in red chile.
Tripe, tongue, chicken backs and tails.
Mexican candy, most I’ve tried sucks. The goat milk lollipops, yummy.
Pretty much like a regular market, just more peppers and odd pieces of meat. And beans.
The default here is the rice kind. I’ve never seen the chufas kind. Dammit, now you’re reminding me of more things I meant to try in Spain but didn’t get the chance! Ah well, I guess this means we’ll have to go back. 
Chufas are native to Europe and Africa. I don’t know how common they are in the Americas.
The main flavoring in the horchata I’ve seen here in the US is cinnamon and occasionally almonds.
Same here. I’ve been keeping an eye out for Spanish tigernut horchata for awhile now, but I’ve never seen it here, either.
Thanks to this thread, I decided to have Mexican food for lunch today.
This is so good! Happy with the results, thanks for the input! I haven’t had a chance yet, but as soon as I do I’ll report my findings…
What didja get?! 
Yeah, at my market, too, the meat is sliced a lot thinner than I normally like. I never buy steak (other than skirt) at a Mexican market. It’s just not catering to the same style or tastes. I go to Costco for a decently priced, thick-cut steak.
The burger, at least at the markets I go to, doesn’t the problem you’ve experienced. You can find up to 93:7 meat here, and the normal cheap one is 80:20. I wish mine had 70:30, because I like the fatty stuff for hamburgers. 80:20 is the minimum fat content I like to use for ground beef that’s to be used for hamburgers.