When I ate at my favorite local taco place in La Paz for the 4th time, I had no idea that I’d get more than some free samples. There was also an unexpected kiss from the taco maker.
How the heck did this happen?
Where Was I?
La Paz, Baja Sur, Mexico—at the Hermanos Rosario taco stand in the middle of town.
How’d We Meet?
I’d been to this same place several times over the course of a few days. The reason? The tacos were delicious! And because of my repeat visits, the main taco maker and I got to know each other a bit. It was mostly small talk–at first.
I thought he was nice. He was also generous. And sure, he was a bit flirtatious. I didn’t take it seriously. Many Mexican men like to flirt.
When/How Did the Flirting Begin?
After the initial small talk ended, there were a few questions, like, “Are you married?” and “Why don’t you have a Mexican boyfriend?”
Were There Any Red Flags?
Well, yeah, actually. During my final visit, he gave me some samples of tacos I had yet to try–the seafood fillings, that is. There were scallops (wow), calamari (yum) and, yes, oysters (OK, but not my favorite).
I think that last one should have told me something. 
.
How’d this craziness happen?
I was shooting some photos of the taco stand and asked if I could take one of him. He immediately said yes. (The guy was definitely a ham.) Then, he asked his coworker if she could take a photo of us together. She agreed to it.
Soon enough, I was standing next to him posing. After a couple of shots, he went in for the kiss.
WTF?
My face was already wet, covered with sweat, and now there was a wet kiss (look closely and you’ll see it) planted there, too.
I wasn’t sure if I should go with the flow or slap him. Hard.
I chose to laugh it off. I’ve been to Mexico plenty of times and know how flirtatious the men are. And he only kissed me on the cheek. Had he tried for lips, it would have been a different story. I would have slapped him so hard that the last taco he ate would have come out of him.
Why Me?
I can’t be sure, but maybe he really did have a mini crush on me. Maybe he thought I went back to the stand repeatedly not for the tacos, but for him?
Or maybe what I saw as an awful hair day was a good hair day to him.
Or he likes to kiss sweaty faces.
The lesson for me? Don’t accept more than one free sample–and never accept an alleged aphrodisiac. It could mean mixed messages and spell trouble.
What’s Up With the Bad Hair Day?
La Paz is hot and humid in August–so much so that bad hair days are guaranteed. Makeup, if you wear it, tends to come off, too.
My advice is:
A) don’t go to La Paz in July or August
B) If you do go, try to stay inside between 11 and 6
C) Try not to revisit the same taco stand too many times if you’re a single woman
Your Thoughts? Reactions? Two Cents?
If you’d been in my shoes, would you have slapped the taco maker? Gone with the flow? Laughed? Backed away? Or something else?
Do you think that my mistake was in accepting the oysters? Would you have said, “Gracias, pero no gracias”?
Hungry for More?
If you enjoy reading about random encounters with the locals, then check out my recently published book, ‘Magic Carpet Seduction.’ There are many stories about going off the beaten path, being in the moment and going with the flow—and the cool stuff that happens along the way.
Meanwhile, feel free to sign up for my newsletter (click here) to be kept up-to-date re: future books and to learn, in advance, about upcoming discounts on my book.
And, if you’d like, check out some more ‘random travel moments‘ from ChickyBus.
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