How to eat menudo…

1) Give it a sniff. It should not smell icky.
2) Swirl it with your spoon. It should be thick and full-bodied.
3) Stir in the onions that are were given to you.
4) Dig in!

For those not in the know, menudo is Mexican tripe soup. Yes, you read that right; honeycomb tripe long cooked with pigs’ trotters and hominy in a spicy chili broth. (recipe here) Yes, it is an acquired taste, but if (when) you get hooked, you will search the restaurants for the best one.

5) The broth should be rich and delicious; the meat slightly chewy but not rubbery. No icky taste from either. If you do, ask them to send it back and order something else. Like arroz con pollo or enchiladas verde.

Mom rarely makes this, seeing that she and me are the only ones in the immediate, local family who loves it. A few of my tías and tíos (aunts and uncles) love it as well, but they are in far-flung corners of the US, but even if they were to come down here, she rarely makes it. *sadmoose*