By Lisa Lankins-Burnett

I decided to try “Caldo de Siete Mares” or Seven Seas Soup one afternoon while dining alone and feeling brave. The taste was delicious, delicate and hunger satisfying. I couldn’t get over the fact though, that there was something staring back at me from the depths of the bowl. I kept waiting for it to wrap its tentacles around my spoon and pullback with a splash! I managed to down it all in spite of the recognizable eyes and was quite content with my adventurous choice of cuisine. It would be such a shame to come to Mexico, live in Mexico, and not try new foods. I feel sorry for the tourists who restrict their diets to their usual comfort foods and fast food restaurants. I don’t mean to say I don’t like a cheeseburger and fries, just that if you are brave enough to be here, go the distance! Have you seen the big white slabs of calamar or squid in the seafood section of the store here? They do look weird, like a section of my yoga mat, not tasty at all. I was hesitant to say the least when Jose brought a kilo home for dinner. His excuse was that it is so economical. That didn’t convince me and I hadn’t the slightest idea how to cook it. I can follow directions though, and with his coaching, I prepared some of the best tacos ever! We boiled the squid until it was tender and I could peel the skin off easily then flaked it like any other fish. We sautéed onion, garlic, poblano chiles, and tomato, threw in chopped cilantro and the flaked calamar. We put this filling in hot corntortillas, and Wow! Was it good! We had a few Negra