My Hometown

Street Food in Pearsall, Texas

My hometown is not the same as it was in my memories of 20+ years ago. It is too far from San Antonio to be a part of the urban growth that has happened there. Instead, there are few businesses remaining other than the chains that showed up while I was in high school. There is a Walmart, Sonic, Pizza Hut, one grocery store and some gas stations. There are more, but they come and go like the seasons. Even so, there are some things that don't change. I like it that when we make the trek to this remote place, there are some of the best things on Earth. There is my parent's home, not fancy (well, a little) but truly home with my dad's booming voice and the comfy bed in my room. There is the pool and the endless hours of sunlight.....and the heat! My mom cooks delicious food and I always feel a little bad that what I really want when I in my hometown is street food! The photo above shows a gordita and a chalupa. They aren't the same as in other places. In Pearsall, a gordita is a very thick pattie of corn masa that is deep fried to make it puff. Then you split it and fill it with the tastiest fajita meat ever. The meat has those tiny bits of charred fat, yum! Then they add mashed avocado and fresh pico de gallo with plenty of chile (jalepeno). It is hard to say how you eat it, but a little like a taco. We ate many gorditas over the years as the places they make them open late and close later. The chalupa is like what is known as a tostada in Tennessee. It is a fried flat corn tortilla, topped with refried beans, cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, avocado and more of the fajita meat. It is seriously good, but less of a car food than a gordita. It must be eaten over a plate to catch the falling ingredients. Everything is made when you order it and just so much flavor. Oh, it is good!

The Big Burrito

My kids love to eat from these stands, too. The oldest adores their burritos. As you can see, they are quite large. I put the stick of butter in the photo to give you an idea of how large it is! I had to lift it with both hands. The burrito is filled with Mexican Rice, beans, fajita meat, sour cream and lettuce. It is not for the faint of heart. The 15yo devoured it, as he is going through one of the bottomless pit times. We all paid for it in the car later. Nice.
The burrito was $4.35 and the gordita was $3.25. I think the chalupa was about $3.00, too. Great late night grub!
We are at the beach in Port Aransas, Texas now. I've got no food photos but I'll find something.
Be blessed~