Cheeseburger in Paradise for $10?

What happened to cheap food in Mexico? I studied free trade economics so, yes, I know the answer. World commodity prices, blah, blah, blah. At one time the cost of living here was relatively cheap. Not anymore, my Norte Americano amigos. I found a restaurant by the ocean the other day that sells tacos for $15 pesos. That's a little under $1.50 dollars. (They use the $ for pesos here. When you see something listed for ten times its real value, you know it's pesos.) They're pretty small, but they taste good. Worth $1.50? Yes, but barely.

Then, last night, I went to a little cafe for dinner, mostly to use its free wireless internet. It has free (unsecured) wireless, but no power outlets. Bienvenido a Mexico. Bring a good battery. The pasta dishes start at $14. For pasta? Really? What's the markup on that? I went "cheap" and got the cheeseburger. It still ran me $10 with a soda.

And the dog taco shacks aren't much better. They charge just less than the restaurants. I'm not quite ready to gamble with my guts just yet. I know my wife says they're safer because you can see the meat cooking in front of you, but I'm not sold on most of the ones I've seen.

Honey, I should have brought more pots and pans.