Perhaps we’re entering an age in this country in which cultures are far too intermixed for the work of extracting and celebrating supposedly unadulterated strains to be done without damage. Arellano is right to rage against “authenticity” and its accompanying fantasy notions of exoticism. His point about the lack of Mexican or Mexican-American voices in the debate over what does and doesn’t count as Mexican food is particularly worthy. He’s right to elbow his way into the discussion. And he’s right to recognize a pattern in which Americans prefer their Mexicans “authentic” and their Mexican-Americans assimilated.
In a complex passage somewhere near the middle of Taco USA, Arellano simultaneously evokes the disciples of Mexican “authenticity”, the corporate fast food hucksters, and the allure of an encounter with another culture that can be seen as the positive force amid all the negative ones driving the spread of Mexican food in America:
“We want the most ‘authentic’ Mexican at all times - always have, always will. And if your neighborhood still suffers under the tyranny of Taco Bell and combo plates? Fear not - Mexican food is coming to wow you, to save you from a bland life, as it did for your parents and grandparents and great-grandparents. Again. Like last time - and the time before that.”
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This didn't fit into my review, but it's interesting to note that the very first paragraph of the introduction of Rick Bayless's cookbook "Authentic Mexican" uses the term "authentic" in a rather imprecise but to me unpretentious way that seems to argue for the merits of Mexican food as it is often encountered in America. Emphasis mine:
"My taste buds were trained on Mexican food. And it was real Mexican food to our family: hot tamales and tacos from a little drive-in wedged in between a greasy auto-repair yard and a hubcap seller, and El Charrito down on Paseo with its oozy cheese-and-onion enchiladas smothered with that delicious chile gravy. We knew it was authentic, assertive, almost wickedly good Mexican fare, and we knew there were few places to find it outside Oklahoma City."
If Arellano and Bayless were willing to make peace, perhaps the meeting could take place over tamales in Oklahoma.
#1 Posted by Michael Meyer, CJR on Thu 19 Apr 2012 at 03:41 PM
There is more heat than light here. As a former resident of LA and foodie, who now lives in Texas, I can tell you that Tex-Mex in California is noticeably different (and in my view better) than in Texas - it comes from different provinces in Mexico. There is an extraordinary variety of Mexican food in LA if you are willing to eat from taco stands and go to East LA (which most Anglos are not). For an outsider to claim to be authentic, comparing his food to Taco Bell, is a joke to anyone who knows LA.
Finally, the article males loses credibility by not acknowledging basic facts - "Mexican food" is peasant food modified for middle class tastes - the Mexican elite does not eat it.
#2 Posted by Displaced Person, CJR on Sat 21 Apr 2012 at 09:54 PM
Really, Displaced Person?
Mexican food is "peasant food modified for middle class tastes" but best experienced by those "willing to eat from taco stands and go to East LA (which most Anglos don't)"?
I find it amusing that you weigh in on an article about the difficulties of assessing a food culture on the basis of the purity of its regional, ethnic, or class origins with sweeping statements like that.
#3 Posted by Michael Meyer, CJR on Mon 23 Apr 2012 at 10:13 AM