Dress up corn on the cob with Mexican style

Who eats corn on the cob at a business lunch?

If you do, you're likely to have a mouthful of kernels stuck in your teeth by the time you reach the end of the rows.

I maintain this is a dish to enjoy only with close friends and family, who will all be in need of a toothpick at the close of the meal. I say this as one whose family gnaws through this summer treat like locusts.

Mexican street corn takes it up a notch — in both flavor and decorum. These are grilled cobs, slathered post-heat with a layer of mayo and splash of lime juice before a tumble in crumbled Cotija cheese, spiked with chili powder. Wow.

But try to eat this with grace.

You could cut off the grilled corn from the cob, and toss it with the other ingredients for a more dainty salad presentation. The flavor's still there, though the mess is not.

Or celebrate this short glorious season of corn with gusto and a shiny face smeared with leftovers. When it comes to sweet corn, we can all be friends and family.