In a weird, almost freakish way, I've helped my friends in Mexico remember how great beans can be. I think they may have taken them a little for granted or perhaps got stuck in a little rut. It can happen.

So for a minute, it would seem as if the student can overtake the master. But not for long! Mexicans have beans in their veins! The bowl above was served to me and I remember thinking, this is just about perfect. The beans were San Franciscano beans (coming soon!) with grilled cactus paddles in strips (nopales), some corn chips, hot sauce and requeson. I think the closest thing we have to requeson is ricotta and please feel free to correct me if I'm wrong. But having requeson wasn't enough. My hosts sauteed some onions, garlic and epazote and then tossed this into the cheese. Heaven!

The salsa was as searingly hot as it looks. My hostess was rightly proud of the molcajete's unusual shape. It was deep and had no legs! Apparently a local craftsman copied the design from some pre-Hispanic designs. I'm planning on bringing one back from my next trip.