Alejandro Rossette is a content designer for a financial institution, and contributes food and music stories to The New York Times, Animal Gourmet, local.mx, Aire and Accent. In his spare time, he likes to sit in the park with his dog or go for a walk to discover a new taco stall.
What does a journey mean to you?
A journey is an opportunity to discover something new about yourself that makes you feel bigger and stronger, and yet makes you conscious of how small and weak you are. It’s also a way to connect with others, whether in a New York museum, on a family trip to the beach, or teaching Mexican songs to Japanese people as drunk as you are.
Which country or location most inspires you?
I hate Mexico City as much as I love it. Something is always happening in every corner of CDMX that can delight you or scare you, or both at the same time, but always amazes you. There’s always a taco stall near you.
Where would you go back to and why?
Japan. I’m eager to go back to eat at an old udon shop in Taitō, to visit Nagano and that strange feeling of being unnoticeably noticed. In Mexico, I always go back to Yucatán for a torta de lechón (pork sandwich), to visit the Mayan archeological sites, and to feel like I’m in a story by Adolfo Bioy Casares.
Top insider tip for Mexico City?
Make a Mexican friend. They will help you find the quickest and safest route to go to a place, the best tips and — most importantly – show you where you can find tacos 24/7. By the way, everyone will tell you they know the best tacos in the city; trust us, we are right 99.99% of the time. But don’t trust us if we say that the food is not spicy.
What journey would you most like to go on?
I always appreciate the sense of wonder I feel with landscapes, and the introspective moments of rail travel, so I’ll choose any train route – especially the Coastal Starlight or Trans-Mongolian – but also would love to cross the Pacific in a cargo ship without internet.
