In article >,
Julie Bove > wrote:

>I keep seeing that term bandied about in here and people keep
>accusing me of eating it. But in looking up the term, there does
>not seem to be any one answer.
> ...
>Some sources say that Tex Mex is Americanized dishes smothered in
>cheese.

Pretty close.

>My uncle told me that sour cream is never used in Mexico. I think
>he was wrong about that as they have Crema which is very similar.

There isn't really any one answer, but my view as a former
Texan.... Tex Mex is Mexican food "adjusted" for American
expectations. That includes the addition of cheese and sour cream
into dishes that normally don't have them.

Having lived for many years in Texas, and having visited Mexico
a number of times, for me the main difference is cheese. I'm
particularly sensitive to dairy (I don't eat cheese at all), and
was pleasantly surprised that the Mexican food in Mexico rarely, if
ever, includes cheese.

>Janet Wilder used to say that if you weren't eating it if you weren't in
>Texas.

Semantically correct, but not realistically true.

-A