A Border Paradox

I've been to a lot of places. I've seen alot of things. But no place has so utterly confounded me, intimidated, horrified, amazed, sickened, depressed, inspired, exhausted, and shown me - with every passing minute - how wrong I was about everything I might have thought only an hour previous. This is a place so close to our country and yet so fleeing from our image. This is a country where you could literally watch civil drug wars on the street so brutal, so surrealistically violent as to defy imagining, where drugged gunmen dressed in wedding gowns and wigs hacked their way into pawn shops and taquerias right infront of me. It's a place where you must fight to live everyday and almost nothing is left of the functioning but a deeply corrupt and unjust society where poverty and violence reign. A place where vengeance roams the streets and justice is a luxury few can afford. Where graffiti, ruins of once called buildings, and tall palm trees is the only landscape you see as you cross the border into Tijuana, Mexico. And it was there, in Tijuana, Mexico that I had the best frozen yogurt in my entire life.

It is commonly agreed upon that Tijuana is not iconic for food. That is why it was of such surprise to me to find this amazing yogurt in a place where you'd be lucky to find old out dated blue bunny ice cream. At the end of a narrowing street, heading towards the lighthouse, and onto the pacific ocean, lays a large restaurant on the edge of a mountain cliff amidst beautiful flowers, plants, cactus, trees, and shrubs called EL Yogurt Place. However, El Yogurt Place is not just a yogurt shop. It's 125 seat Health Food Restuarant serving up some delicious vegan cuisine. I would have been satisfied with a cooling cup of strawberry frozen yogurt in the 115 degree heat but what I got was a shock of luscious creaminess that coated my tongue until it slowly dissapated. The flavor of natural strawberries was bursting through the creaminess almost tickling my mouth causing a pucker. This had triple the flavor of any ice cream or yogurt I had in the states. It must have had an insane amount of real strawberries. It was so rich, I could almost chew it slightly. Adding character to the yogurt, although it definetely didn't need any, was a thin drizzle of organic honey. As the honey freezes on the top of the yogurt, it leaves this interestingly fun texture contrasting the creaminess of the yogurt. Maybe it was making it that much better? I don't know. But I do know that it was hands down the best yogurt I've ever had in my life. That's a lot to say about a place where you sort of go into holding your breath, grateful for a Coke, and the last thing you'd expect is taste something so spectacular, you'd never forget. For some, the streets of Tijuana mean graffiti, guns, and drugs. For me, it will forever mean the Best Frozen Yogurt I have ever had. I think in a lifetime, there are a few unforgettable spoonfuls, if you're lucky........many. This was undoubtedly one of them.