O Sole Mijo

We tried out a new Mexican place last night--Phil and Terri were heading to Mijo's after church and asked if we'd like to tag along. Now you know how I love me some good Mexican food, so I think I accepted the invitation before Randy even had a chance to hear the name of the restaurant! And Mijo's did not disappoint--everything was delicious, from Randy's burrito (although we all agreed the sauce it was smothered in looked a little suspect) to my chicken flautas (nice and crispy just the way I like them) to their various salsas and guacamole. Yes, I am proud to say that I have taken another step out of my comfort zone and added guacamole to my list of foods pleasing to my palate!

Over the last couple of weeks I have been to lunch at the same little sandwich shoppe with two different friends. I asked my friend Beth to recommend a sandwich and she told me that the Chicken-Avocado Sandwich was their specialty. I wasn't surprised because as I sat at my table waiting for Beth to arrive, I heard at least a dozen people order the very same sandwich. Trouble is, I don't like avocados. At least, that's what I told Beth. And then it hit me: I'm guilty of the very same crime that Peyton commits on a weekly basis--I claim not to like a food I'VE NEVER EVEN TRIED! That's right--I grew up right here in the Lone Star State and I had never even tasted an avocado, even though it was a key ingredient in a hot sandwich that became a specialty of my mom's, and even though my brother worked at a Mexican restaurant and learned to make what I was told was "guacamole to die for."

So I gamely tried the Chicken-Avocado sandwich and was pleasantly surprised that I didn't wind up spitting out the avocado on my plate because, you know, that could have been sort of embarrassing. I can't honestly say that I loved the avocado, but it wasn't so bad that I wanted to ask for a do-over.

A couple of weeks later, my friend Leisha and I met at BooBoo's where I again decided to give the Chicken-Avocado sandwich a whirl. I have since learned that if I have to eat an avocado, I do not want it to be overripe. Blech! I surreptitiously pulled bits and pieces of avocado off my sandwich that time but Leisha graciously overlooked my poor manners, as she is just that kind of person.

So there we were at Mijo's last night, and when I placed my order for Chicken Flautas that were supposed to come with a side of sour cream and guacamole, I heard myself say, "You don't need to give me any guacamole. I don't like it." Then I paused and said, "Well, at least I don't think I like it. I've never really tried it." The guy taking my order looked at me with an expression like, "Lady, this ain't no confessional!"

When my food arrived, it all looked so good--crispy flautas, black beans, Spanish rice and . . . what's this? A cup of guacamole! Didn't I say . . . oh, never mind. So I set my guacamole to the side and I think it was Randy who asked if I was going to eat it and I said, "No, I don't like it." Terri or Phil--or maybe it was both--looked at me wide-eyed and said, "Really? You don't like guacamole?" So then of course I had to tell THEM the whole story about BooBoo's and then I thought, "That does it--I have to try it now."

You know what happened next, right? Oh my word--it was delicious! My mother would be so proud of me! And I would love to think that guacamole has the same health benefits as plain old avocado, but something tells me that anything that tastes that good can't be good for you!