Inev's life is rad. I want to go to London and eat with a lady who speaks fluent Spanish but is afraid of St. Louis Mexicans... All of these things sound rad. And I would also mock your parents. Parents are like that. All stressing caution in situations where caution isn't even necessary -- because the love you. It's sort of adorable in it's embarassingness.
In case you didn't know, there is basically no authentic Mexican food in my area. The only thing close is things I make in my home, based on recipes I read, or on hearsay about food stuffs I have never tasted, but then I have no idea if they are actually authentic, due to lack of having had actual authentic Mexican. All I know is the food I make tastes much better than say... Taco Bell, but that isn't really related to authenticity, more to do with quality and not being made by a non-Mexican who'd rather not be making it. I once spent the entire day making true Mole Poblano from scratch. It actually took me well over a week to source out the spices from lots of indirect sources. There is basically only one place in the city that stocks actual chipotle peppers, and they asked me what they were for when I bought them (it was a African/Middle Eastern spice market). The dish was okay, and I made enough sauce to freeze for several additional meals, but it was way too much work. I am all for slow food, but it was hell tedious. Since then I've had some travels in the US where I've seen preprepared mole sauce in stores, but my recipe warned that they are nowhere near as good, and then to put too much emphasis on the chocolate. All I can say is I am never grinding my own pepitas again. That is a lesson that applies to all life, not just pumpkin seeds.