I Don't Want Nirvana! I Want Great Food, Always! -- Part VI -- I Live For Xocolātl!!!!

Recently I bought a DVD compilation of all National Geographic magazine issues since 1888. After installing the DVD on my computer, I was flipping through the various editions, when I came across this 30-year old issue, from November 1984 which documented the journey of cacao from the New World to Europe and then to European colonies around the world. I remember flipping through this issue as a kid, an 8-year old, and the Statue of Liberty crafted in chocolate (featured on the cover) massively fascinated me. 

"So much chocolate" I thought, and my mouth watered endlessly... I guess that's a reasonable thought for a 8-year old!

But things are pretty much the same for me today. Even though I am on the verge of stepping into the so called middle-ages, chocolate for me will always be an enduring love. 

The journey of chocolate is fascinating. 

Columbus in his journeys to the New World virtually ignored chocolate. But a few years later, in the 1520s, Hernán Cortés de Monroy y Pizarro, the Spanish Conquistador found the Aztec Emperor, Moctezuma II, drinking xocolātl, in goblets of gold. 

The Aztecs valued chocolate a lot. Aztec rulers also demanded that their tributes or taxes be paid in cacao. Cacao seeds were used as currency, traded at the market and kept locked up. They believed that the god Quetzalcoatl brought the cacao tree to them and Aztecs also used the beans as offerings to the gods. They also are said to have used chocolate to calm those who were about to be sacrificed - human sacrifice was prevalent in Aztec culture.

But the Aztecs learnt these traditions from their preceding civilisations - the Olmecs and the Mayans were known to have consumed cacao a good two-millenia earlier. The Mayans wrote about cacao as “the food of the gods,” they carved the shape of the pods into their stone templates, painted people drinking cacao into their artwork, hired artists to decorate elaborate drinking vessels, placed those vessels in tombs and even used the beans in human sacrifice. They also grew cacao trees, planting them in their household gardens. References to cacao were found in the sacred Mayan book, the Popol Vuh. The Mayans also used cacao for medicinal purposes.

Hernán Cortés carried a few cacao beans back with him to Spain, as a tribute to King Charles V. That brought about a popularity of chocolate in Europe. And very soon, as the English got addicted to the wondrous food, they got into the act and went about setting up cacao plantations in their colonies, notably in West Africa - Ghana, that's where the best cacao comes from today!

As legends of chocolate grew in the West, the Swedish botanist, Carl Linnaeus, who is known for his pioneering work work in taxonomy christened cacao with its biological name - theobroma cacao. Theobrama is Greek for "food of the Gods" - yes indeed it is as magical as food for the Gods....

But the food of Gods has descended today, for lesser mortals like me, it is affordable and available just around the corner today, thanks to the conquistadors and colonisers. Something that I always maintained in previous editions of "I Don't Want Nirvana! I Want Great Food, Always!" is very true - that food travels and evolves with the spread and interplay of human civilisations across continents. Chocolate is living proof of that.

A few years back, we visited an army memorial, the Hall of Fame at Leh in Ladakh. Exhibits of the wars fought in the region were on display. Food specially packed for our brave soldiers in Siachen Glacier were displayed and these included chocolate - it indeed does give an instant burst of energy and vitality.

Last year, when Neeti and I visited China, in Beijing, we had Spanish churros for the very first time. Those churros came alongwith hot chocolate. Now this was intriguing - churros were brought to Europe by the Portuguese from the Ming Dynasty China - the Chinese have something similar - you tiao or youzagwei. In the Iberian peninsula, churros met their soul-mate - chocolate from Latin America. From there, this delectable combination came back to China, where, we Indians, enjoyed the delectable dessert in the narrow hutongs! 

Food indeed travels!

Health benefits of chocolates are indeed many. Chocolate is packed with healthy chemicals like antioxidants, flavonoids and theobromine. In fact, chocolates have five-times more flavonoids as compared to apples. Dark chocolate is said to reduce the risk of heart diseases. It does reduce stress and activates the pleasure and reward centre of the human brain, bringing about a general feeling of well-being. Besides, chocolate is thought to be a potent aphrodisiac. 

So should we be rather saying "A chocolate a day keeps the doctor away!"?

And yesterday, a colleague who returned from a tour of Europe brought with him some chocolates that we all gorged on - these were bite-sized Côte d'Or chocolates from Belgium, the wrappers on the inside had wonderful quotes - Stress would be easier to handle wrapped in a chocolate! How true!

Or this one which is my absolute favourite - Life without chocolate is only half a life!

So from the jungles of the New World, the humble cacao has come a long way. But, today, it is indeed difficult to imagine a life without chocolate. I would rather get addicted to chocolate for infinite cycles of birth and rebirth. Who wants Nirvana when there is chocolate? I Don't Want Nirvana! I Want Great  Food, ahem well, Great Xocolātl, Always!

And it's time for me to slip away from Neeti's prying eyes to grab a pack of dark chocolate!

I Don't Want Nirvana! I Want Great Food, Always! -- Part II

Talking of food, I am reminded of one incident where an African family friend once told my mother that Indian food is far too complicated.

I remembered this thought today morning and my mind started thinking of how food preparation gets complex and complicated as one travels East. Last week, in my blog post I Don't Want Nirvana! I Want Great Food, Always! I had written of how food has evolved over the ages, and how the necessity to consume offal during the middle-ages has brought about the art of charcuterie of today.

During the week, I read about a traditional Icelandic delicacy, kæstur hákarl which is nothing but fermented, putrefied shark meat, with a strong whiff of ammonia. It is believed that the technique involved in preparing kæstur hákarl came about in the ancient times, when locals had to rely on preserved shark meat during the long winter months. Even the most compulsive foodies of all times - Anthony Bourdain and Andrew Zimmern found it offensive. Anthony Bourdain called it "the single worst, most disgusting and terrible tasting thing" he had ever eaten. Zimmern described the smell as reminding him of "some of the most horrific things I've ever breathed in my life," but said the taste was not nearly as bad as the smell. Nonetheless, he did note that hákarl was "hardcore food" and "not for beginners."
There are other equally offensive Icelandic delicacies that I cannot just wait to devour. Svið is one of such exotic preparations. Svið is made from a sheep's head cut into half, de-furred, and boiled with the brain removed and cured in lactic acid and served with with mashed potatoes and mashed turnip. It is believed that Svið originally arose at a time when people could not afford to let any part of a slaughtered animal go to waste, much like the way offal was consumed in continental Europe.
Svið along with kæstur hákarl form an important part of þorramatur, a traditional Icelandic buffet which also has many other "offensive" delicacies.
How interesting! I can't wait to get to Iceland!

Icelandic food was intimidating for the Gods of food - Bourdain and Zimmern. Imagine how intimidating such exotic stuff can get for the uninitiated like us. But simply put, the stuff that we consider exotic is actually really basic, and is born out of necessity. Preparation is simple, flavourings and seasonings used are really basic.

Last week I wrote about the world's largest food market at Rungis, Paris, which all kinds of food - game, veal, rabbits, wild boar, etc. Now this market had its origins in the 10th century. The market was then located in the centre of Paris, in a huge, 10-hectare area named Les Halles. It became too small to accommodate all of the business demand, and, in 1969, the market was transferred to the suburbs.
The point is simple - for over 10 centuries, the market at Les Halles served the needs of Paris well, with freshest local produce - simple uncomplicated stuff that fed Frenchmen. (Perhaps, in a tribute to the French traditions, there is a restaurant in New York City called Brasserie Les Halles, which is the "homebase" of Anthony Bourdain)

Moving eastwards, towards Germany, food is still simpler than the French. The most well known of the Germanic cuisine is sauerkraut - fermented cabbage, which is popularly had with wursts - German sausages and cold-cuts. I was enough to have sauerkraut with wurst once, when my sister Neelima returned from a trip to Frankfurt with a can of sauerkraut and wurst. I was overjoyed! I enjoyed the delights with local rye bread, in true German style!

The Arabs and Africans too have very simple cuisine. Middle Eastern fare like the hummus, falafel, tabouleh, kibbeh and babaghanoush are a bit bit more advanced than the Arabian Kabsa that I had written about last week - fill it all up in a pot and cook, without any sophistication.

Down south, in Africa, food is exciting but very very basic and uncomplicated. The countries that I am familiar with had some lovely food. Uganda, my homeland, had a staple called matoke - large plantains which are steamed and served with greens, grilled or fried meat or chicken and spicy peanut sauce. I faintly remember the taste - it was great. In fact, as a toddler, I used to love having matoke from my ayah, Theresa's lunch!

Zambia had its own staple - Nshima - a porridge made from ground maize (corn) flour known locally as mealie-meal! Nshima used to have a very starchy and grainy texture and went very well with greens and kidney bean gravies. Needless to say their roast meats were also juicy and tasty. In fact I used to look forward to having Nshima at wedding parties or as guests at our Zambian friends' homes. 

African food is unique in the sense that it is not only uncomplicated and basic, but it also tastes of natural goodness. The natural flavours are not masked by an overdose of spices that we are so used to in other parts of the world.

In the Orient, in places and Thailand and Japan, for instance, food preparation is no less than a work of art. TLC televised a show on Thai food recently, where they visited the royal kitchens. The food being prepared was delicate, beautiful and colourful. The chefs were all skillful, the show mentioned that the chefs underwent years of training to be considered good enough to work in the royal kitchens. 

The Japanese too are a breed apart. I once had sushi at a place here in Mumbai. The sushi was a beauty to look at. It felt criminal to dig into the beautiful and intricate creation that was soon to become my lunch.

But wasabi was a real revelation - I mistook wasabi for a chutney and took a generous dollop but what followed was a nightmarish - my tongue, throat and belly burnt from the sharpness of the wasabi, my eyes watered as though I was weeping and scalp sweat as though I was in an oven. It took large glasses of chilled Coca-Cola  to literally chill it down.
But then once I was fine, I enjoyed my wasabi "responsibly" (as they say when they advertise liquor) with generous amounts of soya sauce and pickled ginger with thin slices of tuna, octopus and squid along with a wide variety of sushi! I was convinced that the Japanese are at the very apex of sophistication in food.
It's that wide spectrum from plain basic and unsophisticated to an extremely intricate work of art, from the obnoxious to the delicate - that makes food so enjoyable. One lifetime is not even enough to savor it all. (Have no doubts - indeed I am including the Icelandic delicacies here!)
That's I don't want Nirvana, I want to be reborn over and over again to partake great food, as it evolves!

I Don't Want Nirvana! I Want Great Food, Always! -- Part IV -- A Tribute To Madiba, The Foodie!

As the news is still sinking in, the news of the Madiba leaving us, I was reminded of his book, The Long Walk To Freedom (this is one book I just cannot get tired of, despite having read it twice!). There were several accounts and incidences in his book that showed his immense love for great food that started off early on in his life. These episodes kept flashing in my mind ever since I got to know of his death.

Mandela and his little friends used to roam around his village in the Eastern Cape looking for berries, fruits, wild honey and warm milk straight from the udder which they so relished. But the most endearing account was the one of his early days in Qunu, of how he and his little friends mischievously stole a squeaking little piglet, took it into the Veld and roasted it. That Mandela claimed was the tastiest pork he had ever had. I can very well imagine that feeling of excitement, which definitely added to the taste and flavour! 

True and loyal to his Xhosa traditions, he loved the local delicacies like sour milk, but he was open to experimentation when it came to food. The Long Walk To Freedom talks of an incidence of his clumsiness in adapting to the use of eating chicken with a knife and fork! His grand-daughter Ndoyiya recounted a conversation on that incident that she had with Mandela - Mandela, then 14, had gone for a dinner with his childhood crush's family. He had trouble using a fork and knife, causing a chicken wing to fly off his plate. Ndoyiya is quoted to have said “When he talked about it, and he was 90 at the time, he still told that story with such intensity that the embarrassment of the moment hadn’t left him.”

As a young lawyer in Johannesburg in the 1940s, the Madiba was struggling to make ends meet, but once, he could not resist the temptation of buying a huge piece of ham from a deli - this was detailed graphically in his book! That's so much like me, I too cannot resist the temptation of juicy chunk of ham!

In Johannesburg, as Mandela got involved in the political movement, he got exposed to a cross-section of people. The book has accounts of how he relished food from various cultures ranging from peanut butter - white bread sandwiches to spicy Indian curries that a Mrs. Pillay used to make for him when the Treason Trials were on!

The day he proposed to Winnie Madikizela, it was over a spicy Indian meal. He had hoped to impress Winnie, but the spiciness of the Indian cuisine was a bit too much for her to handle! He did have a soft corner for spicy Indian food, that was a proof of his big heart and more importantly, a highly evolved appreciation for the best in food. 

While at Robben Island, the quality of food was Mandela's frequent complaint to the prison authorities. He rallied the political prisoners around to demand better quality of food and they did meet with success.

Years later, the Madiba was shifted to Pollsmoor prison and Victor Verster prison. Conditions over there were much better, as far as food was concerned. At Victor Verster, before his release, Mandela was assigned an apartment, alongwith an Afrikaner butler, who was provided by the jail authorities. Mandela gave a detailed account of how he savoured his captor's superb cooking! Indeed, food can win you over, melt your heart and fill it with love!

Today, on the Net, I found an article on a Kenyan site, about the Madiba's love for food. His personal chef Xoliswa Ndoyiya said, ”One of his favourite was the Malva pudding (a baked treat topped with ice cream or custard or strawberry trifle) and Mandela would “just eat it up.” he was well versed in making traditional South African fare. Collections of Mandela’s favorite recipes have been published in a cookbook “Ukutya Kwasekhaya,” (loosely translating to home food in Xhosa language), which was authored by Ndoyiya. Another writer, Anna Trapido, chronicled Mandela’s life from a culinary standpoint in a biography called “Hunger for Freedom” - I would be immediately ordering this book from Flipkart! 

Despite his global stature, the Madiba always craved for his traditional cuisine, food that he grew up on - Umphokoqo, a porridge made from maize meal and sour milk, sweet chicken among other delights. 

I will always remember Madiba not only for his political stature and greatness, but also for his immense love for great food. I am pretty sure, had the Madiba been alive, he would have agreed with my statement "I Don't Want Nirvana! I Want Great Food, Always!"

I Don't Want Nirvana! I Want Great Food, Always! -- Part XXVI - Getting Jumpy, To Eat Jumpy...

And when I knew I was going to be on a short trip to Australia, I knew I had to do it! I knew I had to have some jumpy, some kangaroo!

And so began my search online for some place in Melbourne to have some kangaroo. The Google search yield a result of a trendy South Wharf eatery, the Meat Market where I headed to after the longish walk along the Yarra! 

And there I am at the Meat Market, a quite understated restaurant around here...

Scanning the menu, but I was clear that all I needed was kangaroo...

And there is a big debate on kangaroo meat between the aye- and nay-sayers - some argue that kangaroos produce "far less methane emissions than the cattle brought over by European settlers, and their jumping feet don't damage the fragile Australian topsoil like the hard hooves of cows and sheep". 

Currently most kangaroo meat is sourced from the wild, as a direct result of population control programmes. And that's because under protection, the kangaroo population had multiplied manifold, as a result of which they threatened farmlands and human habitation. To ensure that an ecological balance is maintained, culling of kangaroos is controlled with licensing of shooters and a strict code of conduct. 

Despite this, many Australians are reluctant to eat kangaroo. My Google search on restaurants serving kangaroo in Melbourne yielded only a handful results. And this BBC article seems to suggest it's somewhat of a taboo since the animal is a symbol of national identity. Also many regard kangaroos as cute and adorable due to a 1960s television series that featured "Skippy, the Kangaroo".

But I for sure did not have such taboos or thoughts...

I was here early, before the crowds came in and that would ensure a faster service and would help me get back to my hotel in time to prepare for tomorrow's marathon meetings...

As I wait for my kangaroo order to be brought in, I come across an interesting joke on the internet: The World Health Organization has just issued a very stern world-wide warning regarding the eating of Kangaroo meat that is not fully cooked. A spokesperson for WHO, Allagretto Wickenwocker, Jr., informed the public that doing so could have dire consequences as it could result in an individual becoming extremely jumpy.

And here comes my wonderfully flavoured smoked kangaroo loin with pickled carrots, green beans in a red wine glaze...

Mmmmm... I was not disappointed. Kangaroo meat is lean and light, low in saturated fats, full of gamey-flavour, much like venison and it's magnificently tender!

But taboos surrounding kangaroo meat weren't always there. Kangaroo was always relished by the Aboriginals. They regarded the succulent tail of the kangaroo as a delicacy, it is traditionally roasted in embers, which is something I will try someday when I visit the Outback. In the early days, European colonisers ate kangaroo out of necessity. But then it fell out of favour.

And then the BBC article goes on to quote historian Barbara Santich, who in her book "Bold Palates wrote: Australia's Gastronomic Heritage" wrote kangaroo recipes appeared regularly in cookbooks until the 1930s. Kangaroo soup was highly prized, as was "steamer", a stew made from kangaroo enriched with salt pork. But as more Australians moved to the cities and living standards rose, kangaroo meat and other so-called "bush tucker" fell out of favour.

Meat Market's charcuterie platter - prosciutto, salami, pastrami, Tasmanian oysters, liver parfait, game terrine, crumbed brie, olives and gherkins... 

The game terrine was absolutely out of the world!

And the kangaroo - mmmm...

It's time to get jumpy with joy! Another exotic meat ticked off my gastro-bucket-list!

Need I say more than "I Don't Want Nirvana! I Want Great Food, Always!"...

I Don't Want Nirvana! I Want Great Food, Always! -- Part XXXIII - Dosa in DC...

After the morning in Gettysburg, and an afternoon packed with meetings in downtown DC, I headed back to my hotel, passing by the Union Market for a quick dinner...

It was quite late when I reached the Union Market - nearly 9.45 PM and was looking around for a delicious and hot meal, and the usual suspects were there...

But then I chanced upon this - the DC Dosa - wow, I couldn't believe my eyes. South Indian food - this is my kind of comfort food - the food that I crave so much in Songdo. And guess what - I found it in the District!

And the guy making the dosas is an Ethiopian - little wonder that an Ehiopian was brought to do the job. The District has a huge Ethiopian population and the Ethiopians have a savory crepe that they call the injera which is so similar to the amazing Indian dosas...

I did a quick Google search on the DC Dosa while I waited for my dosa to be prepared. The chain was founded by Priya Ammu, who came to the United States from Mumbai, the city I also call home! Her love of food developed after arriving in the United States to attend university at the age of 19.  And after a career in hospitality and information technology, she ventured into entrepreneurship in 2012, opening the first outlet of DC Dosa in Foggy Bottom area of the District. 

And seeing the number of whites lining up to order their dosas was a clear testament to the soft power India commands with its unique cuisine!

And finally I get my dosa which is quite simple yet delicious - the taste of India in the heart of the District, so why shouldn't I say "I Don't Want Nirvana! I Want Great Food, Always!"?

I Don't Want Nirvana! I Want Great Food, Always! -- Part XXV - Conversations Across The Radcliffe...

Ecstatic after spending an hour in the sky, At The Top, we were famished. We made a dash across to the Dubai Mall, and guess what...

We found Le Pain Quotidien, right here...

LPQ as Neeti and I call it, is a Belgian restaurant that we had fallen in love with after we first we visited their branch at Mumbai, BKC's Maker Maxity in September 2013...

Turkish pottery on display at the LPQ...

"Welcome to LPQ"

We were greeted very warmly by a smart young man - a guy from the subcontinent and we were  ushered to our tables...

Cooking pots from all over...

We got into a conversation with the guy. He asked us where we were from and we said India. "I am from Sialkot. My family shifted there from India in 1947" he said in Hindustani.

Conversations with people from across the Radcliffe Line are always difficult, given the difficult history that is intertwined with the lives of most North Indians, like us, whose families were severely impacted by the Partition, and all the shenanigans that those guys have been up to ever since. And I was reminded of the conversation we had with a Pakistani family in Istanbul an year back.

I was determined not to get into anything controversial and have a lovely evening.

But this guy, Faisal, was rather nice. He tried to make a connection as though he had had a blast from the past and treated us like long lost family when Neeti mentioned that her grandparents were from Sialkot. 

Faisal went out of the way to give us those extras. A complimentary dip platter with breads and soups and then we were ready to order...

Ready to order some fishy!

I went in for a grilled salmon with quinoa risotto...

And over the last few years quinoa has been recognised to be a health food - another one of those gifts that the New World has given us. Quinoa originated in the Andean region of Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, Colombia and Chile, and was cultivated 3000-4000 years ago for consumption in the Lake Titicaca basin of Peru and Bolivia...

And for me, it was a wild mushroom and spicy seafood risotto...

As always, LPQ didn't disappoint, and we felt as though we were back home in Mumbai, sitting in Maker Maxity or in Hiranandani, Powai, enjoying a lovely meal. We felt quite homesick!

But with lovely seafood like this, there is no reason why I shouldn't say "I Don't Want Nirvana! I Want Great Food, Always!"...

I Don't Want Nirvana! I Want Great Food, Always! -- Part XI - Mongolian Or Taiwanese? Who Cares...

It has Mongolian in its name, but it's Taiwanese. And I am talking about the Mongolian barbecue that we had in Taipei!

A short 10 minute drive from Nanjing Road brought us to the Tang Kung Mongolian Bar-B-Q on Song Jiang Road in the Zhongshan District...

And this place is famous for its Mongolian barbecue, a dish that steadily gained in popularity over the last few decades... 

Take your pick - chicken, venison, pork, mutton or beef...

In deference to my Hindu beliefs I avoided beef. And since chicken is quite common, that too went off my diet tonight...

For me it was loads of venison, pork and a bit of mutton...

I topped my bowl with all kinds of vegetables - onions, cabbage, spinach, bean sprouts, carrots, peppers...

And on top of that went the sauces and oils - soy, shrimp oil, cooking wine, ginger sauce, lime juice, pineapple juice, garlic, sesame oil and chili infused oil...

"I am hungry! Don't stare at me!"

And my huge bowl went on the very very hot griddle - it was so hot that I could feel the heat from a distance of 5 metres...

The chefs constantly mix the meats and vegetables adding few drops of oil and soya in between...

Oooo yummy... I am still waiting for mine to be done!

The griddle is huge and allows for at least 5 bowls to be cooked simultaneously on different parts of the griddle. When cooking is complete, each finished dish is scooped into a bowl and handed to the hungry patron, like me!

And there comes mine. O darn, that's a stir-fry, but who cares about the name, it's so yummy! The meats were cooked to perfection and were melt in the mouth! Trust me when I say, I never had anything like this before!

The way to have the stir-fry is to stuff the goodness of the meat and vegetables into hot sesame buns and devour them. I just ignored the buns. This was just too good for me!

Despite its name, the dish is not Mongolian, and is also not a barbecue. This style of a stir-fry first appeared in Taipei in 1951. The pioneers of this style evoked Mongolian foods and traditions - soldiers of the Mongol Empire sliced meats with their swords and cooked them on their overturned shields over a large fire or on heated stones. Indeed cuisines travel, traditions travel and that's beauty of civilization!

And there on my table was some more stuff for a shabu-shabu - a variant of a hot-pot. Vegetables, meats and tofu are placed in the bronze vessel, left to cook in the hot broth for a few minutes and then slurped up with some noodles!

But this wasn't as cool as the Mongolian barbecue, or o well, Taiwanese barbecue? But who cares,  I Don't Want Nirvana! I Want Great Food, Always!

I Don't Want Nirvana! I Want Great Food, Always! -- Part XXII - Delights From The New World...

The walk from Templo de Santo Domingo de Guzmán brought me to the El Fogoncito, a restaurant that was strongly recommended to me by the staff at the hotel where I am staying on this trip. I needed this meal - this was the first proper meal I would be having in the last 48 hours - obviously meals on the flight don't qualify as proper meals neither do rushed breakfasts...

I was really hungry and the El Fogoncito seemed like a very nice place...

And this was the right time to come in - the restaurant wasn't too crowded...

The chef at work, while the Mexican al pastor is grilled...

The al pastor is the Mexican equivalent of the Turkish vertical rotiserrie, the doner kebap...

A bottle of mezcal on display on my table. Mezcal is a distilled alcoholic beverage made from the agave plant which is native to Mexico. The agave was a sacred plant for the Mesoamericans and had a place in their rituals. While the natives did drink the fermented juice obtained from the"piña" or heart of the agave, the distillation of mezcal was introduced by the Conquistadors...

Here come the salads and the salsas! I was so hungry, I almost cried out "I Don't Want Nirvana! I Want Great Food, Always!"...

The salsas were really spicy and the guacamole was awesome! I wonder what the world would have been without the culinary contributions from the New World...

Grilled chicken, mushrooms and tacos...

This looks pretty much like an Indian chapati and some sabzi!

No wonder why the early Sikh immigrants to California ended up marrying Mexican women!

Chicken taco rolls...

A vegetable corn soup...

And the pièce de résistance - tortilla chips with a lot more guacamole! This was the best guacamole I ever had!