MELISSA CLARK, FROM THE NEW YORK TIMES, RECEIVED AN OVERWHELMING AMOUNT OF HATE from the internet last Wednesday when she decided to modify one of Mexico’s most iconic dishes: guacamole!

“Add green peas to your guacamole. Trust us.” Mrs. Clark had to see this one coming. One does not simply claim improvement on a foreign dish as culturally important — and delicious — as guacamole, without expecting an avalanche of hatred from Mexico, the Mexican community and every single guacamole lover around the world. Even Barack Obama and Jeb Bush were on the same side, agreeing the idea was ludicrous.

I remember being introduced to the green pea guacamole back in a New Zealand supermarket, where a dry paste was sold as a substitute for the original Mexican salsa. It wasn’t gross… it just wasn’t guacamole. Also, let me tell you that guacamole is the only food which is exactly the same in its Mexican and Tex Mex versions… it’s that good.

Mexican food is all about little variations and guacamole is no exception. So, what’s the big deal with the New York Times proposal? Well, green peas are quite a flavor changer… they’re sweet, for guacamole’s sake! It doesn’t matter how crazy we Mexicans go, adding tomatoes, extra garlic or lime to our salsas, because they’re gonna end up tasting more or less the same… that kind of subtle differences we enjoy.

We love how guacamole tastes and we want to keep it that way. So, the answer is no NYT, I’m not gonna trust you, or Melissa Clark, or anyone else who claims to have re-invented one of my favorite dishes in the whole world. Here’s the original recipe, published today on the New York Times, just in case you were wondering.