this post was submitted on 16 Jan 2024
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Food is deeply ingrained in cultural identity, and is one way to learn about a community's heritage, familial customs and values. In the U.S., Mexican food is one of the most popular cuisines, with 1 in 10 restaurants serving Mexican, according to recent findings from the Pew Research Center. This trend reflects an expanding Mexican American population, with 37.2 million people or 11.2% of the U.S. population tracing their ancestry back to Mexico.

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[–] baruchin@lemmy.world 3 points 10 months ago (3 children)

The weird part is that they don't even sell real mexican food, but Tex-mex. Mexican coucine ≠ American cheese.

[–] doggle@lemmy.dbzer0.com 18 points 10 months ago (1 children)

I've never been to a Mexican place that serves anything with American cheese on it. Even taco bell doesn't stoop that low. Many fast food places have the crappy movie theater cheese though.

[–] bdonvr@thelemmy.club 7 points 10 months ago (1 children)

No not American cheese. They don't use really any yellow cheeses in Mexico. On a taco, if there is cheese it's generally Queso Fresco, a white cheese that doesn't melt.

But in Americanized dishes they often add yellow cheese. Shit even at the store they sell "Mexican Blend" bags of cheese with yellow cheese lol

Of course, just because it isn't "authentic" doesn't mean it isn't good. Know the difference sure but you can still enjoy both.

[–] hydrospanner@lemmy.world 9 points 10 months ago (3 children)

There's always at least one in every comments section...

So please enlighten me (for real because I don't know), what indicates when a restaurant "passes muster" for an authentic Mexican restaurant?

[–] bdonvr@thelemmy.club 7 points 10 months ago (2 children)

No need to be gatekeepy. Tex-Mex is also delicious!

But some signs:

  1. Any kind of yellow cheese is generally not found in "authentic" Mexican.

  2. Burritos, no. They do exist up north but are quite different. No rice or vegetables. Nothing like Tex-Mex burritos.

  3. Lettuce, diced tomato (other than pico de gallo), sour cream, (or as aforementioned, yellow cheese) on tacos/tostadas is not "authentic". Onions, cabbage, cilantro, lime. Pico or some salsa optional. That's "authentic".

  4. "Authentic" tacos don't have hard shells. Flour vs corn tortillas vary by region but tacos are always soft tortillas.

  5. Fajitas are an American invention (and they slap, again I'm not here to gatekeep)

  6. Nachos as most generally know them, lots of toppings, etc. that's an Americanized thing too.

  7. Ground beef. In tacos or otherwise isn't generally a thing. Really beef isn't THAT common an ingredient in Mexico (in the north, a bit more common)

[–] prole@sh.itjust.works 2 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Authentic Mexican food is some of my favorite food in the world, but I love me some Taco Bell. You just have to look at it as a completely different type of food. Sometimes I'm in the mood for one more than the other.

[–] bdonvr@thelemmy.club 1 points 10 months ago
[–] afraid_of_zombies@lemmy.world -2 points 10 months ago

Right I am going to continue to eat what I like and not food that happens to be old. All tradition means is that your are dumber than your ancestors.

[–] BananaOnionJuice@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 10 months ago

It's the décor, if you can see at least 3 pinatas and 2 sombreros when you enter, you have found the right place.

/J

[–] BigDiction@lemmy.world 2 points 10 months ago

I don’t have a solid answer for what is considered authentic, but growing up in California there are a few things I look for.

  • Is the salsa tasty with a nice balance of spice and aromatics? Great chips are a plus, but making them in house is a PITA so I assume most restaurants use a vendor
  • Rice and beans are actually delicious. I prefer refried
  • trying to remember the last time I had tacos served in a flour tortilla but that would be a red flag. Corn tortillas should be the default or only option
  • weird one but I trust a place that does traditional food cost pricing more. $11.40 enchiladas vs $11.25 where the pricing is less rounded
[–] mob@sopuli.xyz 4 points 10 months ago (2 children)

They? Like, America as a whole doesn't sell Mexican food, but only Tex-Mex?

[–] TenderfootGungi@lemmy.world 1 points 10 months ago (1 children)

This is mostly true for the entire US. But not just Texmex, there are a lot of variations. Like the Chipotle burritos that started in San Fransisco.

And not just Mexican food, most food is altered somewhat for the US tastes. That orange chicken at the Chinese restaurant was invented in the us.

I have found what I believe are authentic Mexican restaurants. But we were the only non-Mexicans there and they were cooking dishes like whole fried fish.

[–] mob@sopuli.xyz 7 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

There are a lot of Mexican neighborhoods with a lot of authentic Mexican food in America.

Dont get me wrong, there is a lot of Americanized Mexican food. But I'd bet for every Qdoba/El Rancho, there is a local family Mexican restaurant with an old guy watching Mexican soap operas.

[–] bdonvr@thelemmy.club 0 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (2 children)

It depends on the region. Texas absolutely. Iowa not so much. Though you can still probably find some if you try.

[–] mob@sopuli.xyz 3 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Spent a lot of time exploring Iowa?

I'd imagine there is less of everything in general, but ranch/farmland with seasonal employment doesn't seem like it'd be lacking Mexican culture

[–] bdonvr@thelemmy.club 1 points 10 months ago

Fairly enough no. But I've been, and to many other places.

I've lived in both San Antonio, TX and Kansas. And know them well.

In San Antonio TexMex and more authentic food abound. In Kansas some TexMex and very few more authentic places. You gotta seek them out.

As I said, they still exist. But it's not like there's one traditional place for every TexMex place

[–] prole@sh.itjust.works 2 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

Texas and Iowa aren't the only two regions in the US. My experience has been that, if you're within 50 miles or so of a major US city (maybe more), you can usually find an authentic Mexican restaurant.

[–] bdonvr@thelemmy.club 1 points 10 months ago

Absolutely, but what the other person said was it's like one to one. You can find an authentic Mexican place in a ton of areas, but in a lot of the US it will take some looking.

[–] prole@sh.itjust.works 1 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

No. America is absolutely massive and not homogenous.

There may be some areas without authentic Mexican food, but if you go anywhere within ~50 miles of a major city, you can usually find an authentic Mexican restaurant.

That said, they're both great. Tex-Mex can also be great. They're completely different types of food.