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.
No need to be gatekeepy. Tex-Mex is also delicious!
But some signs:
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Any kind of yellow cheese is generally not found in “authentic” Mexican.
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Burritos, no. They do exist up north but are quite different. No rice or vegetables. Nothing like Tex-Mex burritos.
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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”.
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“Authentic” tacos don’t have hard shells. Flour vs corn tortillas vary by region but tacos are always soft tortillas.
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Fajitas are an American invention (and they slap, again I’m not here to gatekeep)
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Nachos as most generally know them, lots of toppings, etc. that’s an Americanized thing too.
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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)
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.
Same.
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.
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