Originally Posted by
Sweet Willie
This strikes me as amazing that one can like Mexican pastries & French.
Mexican pastries are w/o a doubt bad, there are a few ok ones but mex pastries don't come close to French pastries. They aren't flaky, not complex, generally singular in flavor, not crisp, etc etc. There is a chance I've not been to a good Mexican panadria/bakery but with Chicago's sizable hispanic population, I'm guessing I've been to perhaps 8 or so, as well as others when I travel, each one was meh at best.
The key to great Mexican pastries is to buy them early at a panaderia. Some of them are quite delicate, so they become hard and/or stale as the day goes on. But the 'marranitos" (little piggies) are so delicious when they're freshly made; it's a Mexican molasses treat. And the fruit-filled empanadas...yum!
The French have made pastries an art. I lived in France and devoured anything I could get my hands on. The Mexicans can't compete, but similar to the Chinese their bakery items are more doughy and cake-y rather than being sophisticated. Still, they're quite food if bought fresh.