^ ha yeah they are all over paris. here in ny too. in fact, there is a mediocre 24hr turkish place w/the revolving spits in the window right at the bottom of my bldg lol!
but the mexico city version is far, far superior. its really a specialty there. its a lebanese-mexican hybrid. its much more flavorful and the achiote gives it its distinct firey orange-red color:
'A favorite product of Lebanese immigrants to the Puebla-Mexico City area—and a more Mexicanized version of tacos árabe—tacos al pastor have become ubiquitous in D.F. during the last few decades. Thin layers of pork are marinated in a tasty concoction—including garlic, vinegar, chiles, and achiote (annatto seeds), the latter giving it a red-orange color—then roasted on a vertical revolving spit. When served, the meat is sliced off into a warm corn tortilla, along with a hunk of pineapple (which often sits at the top of the spit), chopped onion, and cilantro. The taco is always served with lime and a wonderful variety of salsas.'
I tell you what, I wouldn't always call a Turkish original mediocre. Sometimes I have some myself when a restaurant serving it is clean enough and their meat of fair quality (that means not too fat to me). But I'll admit your Mex version sounds pretty sophisticated.
Thanks for so many pictures of Mexico D.F.´s centre. I´ve liked a lot your long tour along this vibrant metropolis. I remember Torre Latinoamericana like the mexican Empire State Building.
I´m glad you enjoyed your visit to Mexico. It has so much to offer. I´d like to return there.
We must have been there at the same time. I was in the city 3/1-3/10, definitely visited some of the same spots. So much character. Thanks for the pics.
^ pretty close - i was there feb 14th thru feb 21st. did you stay in centro?
i stayed at chillout b&b, which had a perfect location in centro. i really liked it especially because it was located within a typical mexico city centro style apt bldg, so that was a great opportunity to experience and interact with locals in a normal setting instead of a hotel. nice people - highly recommended if you are the no frills type.
i always look forward to your threads. it will be funny to see where we overlap this time!
I was in Condessa, found a room in an apt using Airbnb. Stayed with two local girls. I was primarily there for the national fireworks festival in Tultepec, but spent a lot of time around the center and surrounding neighborhoods. Should have a thread in a few weeks.