Randy,
congratulations on finishing treatment! Much more patience than ever is required right now. I am not brave enough to try Mexican food yet! And some spicy things can be overwhelming. I think that is more because of being on a liquid, salt free diet for so long than taste bud related. I have been eating a lot of frozen microwave dinner entrees like pot roast, beef stew, beef stronganov and some chicken dishes but I have found chicken to be dry and abrasive in general. A nice rare Filet Mignon is my favorite - it goes down easy. The acidity in fruit juices is something I still can't tolerate and abrasive foods cause a litle pain also. Pastas are the best -they slide right down - you don't even need water - but watch out for tomato sauce - stick with cream sauces instead. I had IMRT type radiation and maybe it made a difference but the nurses told me 2 months and your taste buds will start coming back. One thing I can't taste yet is Cherrios -they taste like wallpaper paste. And also, natural foods are mainly ok taste wise. Processed foods can taste a little funny sometimes.

I have no saliva yet. But it is supposed to eventually recover because of the IMRT. I am told that will take 6 months