Travel. Mexico. Food.

5 Life Lessons About Living Abroad That a Mexican Dish Taught Me

Mole Poblano is reserved for important events only

While living abroad in France for an Erasmus program, I shared my Favorite Mexican dish with my international friends. Afraid of what they would think about it then, I now I have 10 life lessons to share from that delightful experience.

Mexican dishes can be found anywhere in the world. You’ve probably heard of tacos, quesadillas, and burritos. But Mexican cuisine is wider than that.

My Favourite Mexican Dish is:

Mole Poblano is my favourite Mexican dish, and it comes from my original city: Puebla. Mole Poblano is a sauce from the mix of several dried chilis, species, and the most important ingredient: chocolate. ¡YES, sweet spiciness!

There is a legend around the Mole Poblano: It is said that the original recipe included over 100 ingredients. It is also said that this Mexican dish came from a slip from a nun from the Convento de Santa Rosa en Puebla. The recipe didn’t mean to be what it now is.

Sharing my Top Mexican Dish in France

That day in France we were celebrating my birthday. My favorite Mexican dish and I came to Lyon, France, directly from Mexico. It was not a canned preparation.

This kind of preparation came from our ancient cultures, and it was served as an offering to the gods during important ceremonies. Not much has changed nowadays; even though we can eat mole every other day, it is also specially reserved for important events, such as birthdays, weddings, or church festivities.

I’m aware that many people don’t have a palette for enjoying spicy and sweet flavours at once. You may ask “How could the main course be sweet chocolate, wasn’t chocolate for desserts only?!” Eating meat with a sugary sauce that at the same time is spicy, this might just tip you over the edge. What the heck?! I would also think this if I wasn’t born Mexican.

Still, a lot of people in Puebla and Mexico don’t feel attracted to these exotic flavours. Some may think it is a disgusting taste. That is why I was afraid of what my international friends would think about. I really hoped that they could enjoy it and that my mole poblano wasn’t too spicy for them. Although I had other dishes prepared for them in case it was a little too exotic.

Lessons from sharing my Top Mexican Dish in France

1. No matter where you go, always be proud of your heritage

Try to share it with your local and foreign friends. People are always trying to find something new, something to be impressed with, so give it to them!

2. Don’t worry about your friends

People love to travel and discover new cultures, so don’t worry, I’m sure your friends would be happy to try your exotic food and be more open to it than you think!

3. International friends are open-minded

If your friends live abroad, it is because they love to travel. It is understood that they will be open to having new experiences, including culinary ones. Give them the chance to try unexpected flavours and mixes in your dishes.

4. Don’t always trust a Mexican

We Mexicans usually say that it is not spicy at all. How about your pallet? Whatever it is, try a pinch and make sure it will not be like a sacrifice to eat it all.

5. Don’t always trust Mexican restaurants in a foreign country

Although they do their best to achieve the most accurate flavour, they don’t always succeed. If you tried and didn’t like something, give it a second chance whenever you visit Mexico or when your Mexican friend cooks it for you or recommends a good restaurant. Trust me. Chilaquiles were served in Vancouver with lemon juice, and I totally understand if someone says they don’t like chilaquiles because I wouldn’t either. Not those ones.

I was tremendously happy to have shared an authentic Mexican dish in a foreign country with international friends.

I have told this story many times, and I always have something new to say about it. I can’t imagine that my favourite dish has travelled with me overseas and has been delighted by people from all around the world and that they had actually enjoyed it as much as I did. My friend Patricia from Croatia even asked me if she could cook it at home. I didn’t expect that they could love it! I was afraid they would find it spicy and too exotic.

This is one of the things that I love the most about travelling and meeting people from all around the world. You can learn life lessons from even a tiny event such as this. Thanks for reading. You can learn the version in Spanish, plus some extra data in my blog.

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