Philip Kirkland gave up the delights of Radstock nearly 4 years ago and, - with his mexican wife - Margarita - went to live in Mexico City. He has agreed to share some of his experiences with us on these pages.

Living in the biggest city in the world has its disadvantages, for example, getting home for lunch. Eating out every day could get a little expensive so Mexico has devised the great “Comida Corrida”. Literally, “Running Meal”, it is an opportunity to eat a balanced meal for less than buying a cardboard burger in MacDonald’s. It is also a great example of Mexican business acumen.

Put yourself in the shoes of the restaurant owner. You want fill up the punters at a price they will pay and at the lowest cost possible to yourself. If Lidl had restaurants they would be like this. The meal always starts with a choice between soup and consommé, but let me explain. We are not talking Lobster Brisque here, the soup will be a tomato based broth with pasta. Pasta because it is very cheap and fills you up. The consommé is not one of those luxury Campbell’s varieties , but the juice the meat was boiled in with a few vegetables thrown in. If you want an accompaniment, have tortillas, because they are very cheap and fill you up.

Having filled up with tortillas and pasta, you probably won’t be ready for the main course. Neither will the restaurant because next you have a choice between rice and …pasta. Why? Because they are cheap and fill you up. Getting the idea? I forgot to mention that the consommé will probably have some rice in the bottom of the bowl, because…well, you know why!

If you are ready for the main course you may feel a bit disappointed when you see the two small chunks of meat swimming in a chili flavoured sauce and a dollop of refried beans. It will be served on a small plate to look bigger and the beans, which are cheap, will fill you up. The drink is fruit flavoured water, often lemon, lemons being ch***.

Just like the baked-bean-on-toast eaters of Britain, the average Mexican palette isn’t a sophisticated animal and many people live on rice, beans and tortillas. Boring? Not a bit of it! Ah, the humble tortilla. There are 101 things to do with a tortilla. Fill it and double it and it becomes a taco, unless fried when it is a quesadilla, or filled with ham and cheese known as a sincronizada. Folded and filled like an envelope it is a burrito, filled and rolled into a tube it’s a flauta. Two together filled with beans (again!) is a tlacoyo and just toasted is a tostada. Use a big tostada and top it like a pizza and you have a tlayuda. A little one is a sope. The list goes on…

Your “comida corrida” will cost you between one and two pounds and you won’t even be bothered that the restaurant is not the most hygienic place in the world. If you are lucky you will even get cabaret, or at least a trio of old men with no teeth and antique instruments warbling old Mexican favourites. Tipping them is optional.

Next time you fancy a visit to a Mexican restaurant in England, just go down to your local greasy spoon and you will get the idea, although fresh corn tortillas are a little difficult to find in the Old Country...

Philip Kirkland