Since I have come all the way to Mexico, I have been finding things only available in Mexico at the supermarket and having my friend make/cook them for me. The other day, when we went to a local supermarket together, I found this cactus🌵. I had never eaten this cactus, which is bigger than the palm of my hand, anywhere before and decided to have my friend cook it for me. I remember seeing this cactus when I was a kid, growing in a lot of cactus🌵 parks in Miyazaki prefecture in Japan 🇯🇵 . I can eat this too?! - humans are creatures that eat pretty much anything, aren't we? Wow!

My friend didn't know much about it when I asked him, so he asked his wife and looked up how to eat it on YouTube to see if I could make it. He fried it with tomatoes and then mixed it with scrambled eggs.

The texture was a little like kelp, which is often eaten in Japan. It has a slightly slimy texture like okra and is definitely rich in fiber. It tasted delicious, and there are many other ways to eat it, such as mixed with other veggies

I have only lived in Asia, North America, and Europe, and this will be my first time in Latin America, and I hope to enjoy a food culture I have never experienced before. The climate in Latin America is great, the food is really abundant, and Mexican food is really delicious.

Also, a friend of mine has two daughters, and since I don't have children, I was able to experience "simulated child-rearing" for a little while I am in Mexico 🇲🇽 , which was also a good experience for me. Becoming a parent reminded me of how my own parents raised me and made me feel grateful to them. Thank you, mom and dad 😊

せっかくメキシコに来たので、メキシコでしか食べれない物をスーパーで見つけては友人に作ってもらっています。先日、一緒に近所のスーパーに行った時、このサボテン🌵を見つけました。手のひらより大きなこのサボテンは今までどこでも食べたことがなく、友人に作ってもらうことにしました。子供の時、宮崎のサボテン🌵公園にたくさん生えていた、見覚えのあるサボテンです。これも食べれるんだー、人間って結構なんでも食べる生き物ですよね。

聞くと友人もあまり詳しくなく、奥さんに聞いたり、YouTubeで食べ方を調べたりして作って見ました。トマトと炒めて、その後はスクランブルエッグに混ぜて食べました。

食感は日本でよく食べられる、昆布に少し似ている感じがしました。少しオクラの様なぬめりの食感があり、食物繊維が豊富なのは間違いありません。味も美味しくて、卵に混ぜたり、他にも色々な食べ方があるようです。

わたしは今まで、アジア、北米、欧州にしか住んだことがなく、中南米に滞在するのは初めてで、今までに経験したことのない食文化を堪能出来たらいいなと思います。中南米は気候もよく、食材が本当に豊富でメキシコ料理は本当に美味しいです。

それと、友人には2人娘がいて、子供の居ないわたしにとって少しの間、子育ての疑似体験をさせてもらっていて、それも良い経験になっています。親になると言うことは自身の親がどの様にわたしを育ててくれたかを思い起こさせ、両親に対して感謝の気持ちが起こりました。