Is it a bad idea to eat pinto beans at traditional Mexican restuarants?

Question

I am assuming a lot of them are cooked with lard and meat and you'd never know, am I right?

Answer 1

Just ask them how they are cooked, if it's w/ lard or shortening, meat drippings or not. They may actually be vegetarian.

Answer 2

You can ask. A lot of places have switched over to vegetable oil or shortening. My favorite place has.

They rarely have meat unless you pay for it. I don't think it's much of a tradition to cook them with, say, pork (I think that's more of a Southern thing than a Mexican thing.)

You can ask. Since they have vegetable items, they can probably make you something vegetarian, maybe even vegan. I was an exchange student in the Yucatan peninsula, and we went to restaurants and homes and there were always vegetarian offerings to rival the meat ones. Of course, the food there isn't exactly like Northern Mexican food, but you catch my drift.

Answer 3

Look, usually in traditional mexican food restarants, there are two kinds of beans, refried pinto beans and "charro" beans which are also pinto beans but served soup-like. They are boiled with a little salt, and different people cook them differently. Some use onion, or perhaps some bacon and I have had charro beans with weenies cooked in them too, along with fresh herbs like cilantro, and made by authentic Mexicans. So, I do not believe it is a bad idea to eat pinto beans at a Mexican restaurant of any kind, beans are good for you anyway. If your concerned about fat content, you shouldn't be eating at a Mexican food restaurant anyway, because it is inevitable to avoid. Refried beans are mushed up in the pan after being boiled and some milk or creme and some oil is added to make them the way they are. Enjoy life and eat food that tastes good. If it's fattening, go run 4 miles like I do so you don't feel so bad.

Answer 4

You can always ask. Very often they are prepared with lard, but sometimes you see an alternative on the menu (Azteca offers "rancho beans" which are whole pinto beans with no animal fat) and I've seen others that actually say that all their food is prepared with vegetable shortenings.

Answer 5

There is a good chance they have a little bit of lard, so what? Unless you are a vegetarian or eat Halal/ Kosher. The beans will have very little fat, even refried beans. The fat makes them taste good so enjoy. If you really care about what you eat you can have pretty much anything you want if you keep things in balance.

Answer 6

Yep, and if you aren't careful you could get a bad case of diarrhea if you aren't used to eating them.

Answer 7

If you are unsure about the meal/restaurant/atmosphere then don't order/eat the beans.

Answer 8

Just ask them and they'll tell you.