It was 1995.
Needing to get to Guadalajara and short on cash, I decided to take the bus from Tijuana.
Little did my friend, or I know that we were in store for over 40 hours of non-stop action and Cantinflas movies, a horrible on bus bathroom and little or nothing good to eat.
Traveling on the Elite bus line, we entered Hermosillo, Sonora about 12 hours into our journey. It was late at night, steaming hot since we were in the middle of a desert and the place packed with people.
Since we had not eaten in hours, we were starved. The only place close to the bus to eat was a little hot dog cart. Now, if you’ve not grown up in Gringolandia, you’ve probably never heard about all the places you are never, under any circumstances, supposed to eat. Trust me on this, food carts in Mexico might be number 2 on the list, right behind hot dog carts in Mexico. My buddy refused to try one of those delicious looking dogs, opting instead for another Role de Canela from Pan Bimbo.
Roles de Canela… favorite food of bus travelers all across Mexico
His loss.
I ordered one with everything, took a bite, and was hooked. Wrapped in bacon, smothered with salsa, catsup, mayo and chiles, it was heaven on a bun.
Back then, the craze was in its infancy. Now, seemingly on almost corner in the country, you can get one of those delicious dogs, probably loaded with grilled onions. I have a friend who used to sell a carne asada hot dog, which as you might guess included the bacon wrapped center of attention covered in taco style chopped carne asada. Simply, heart stopping paradise!
Mexico has lots of great food options. From a myriad of tacos to cemitas to tlayudas to chiles en nogada. But one of the favorites of My Mexico is the lowly hot dog, taken to new heights by the street vendors across the country.
Next time you find yourself walking the streets late at night and a little hungry, find one of those carts and order one up… con todo!
It’ll be the best buck you’ve spent in a long time.
For an easy guide to making the classic Mexican Hot Dog, check out La Cocina de Leslie…
Categories: Dining with Dave, Food, Gastronomy, Mexico, Travel
Dave Miller's Mexico 