from the *political animal* blog:

TACO TRIVIA....Back from lunch. I had tacos. Which reminds of
something. Last week I was re-reading Youngblood Hawke, Herman Wouk's
great midcentury ode to supply-side economics (moral of the story:
high marginal tax rates on labor income can kill you!) and came across
the following conversation. Jeanne is a Southern Californian
transplanted to New York City; Gus the attorney is a Kentuckian
transplanted to New York City:

Soon the lawyer sat in the living room in his shirtsleeves at
Jeanne's insistence, his tie off, eating tacos from a tray. He needed
a shave, and his hair was unkempt. Hawke noticed that the bristles on
his face were reddish rather than blond. He looked more tired than
Hawke had ever seen him, but the food and the beer brought him to
quickly. "Why, these things are marvellous! What do you call them,
Jeanne, tacos? I've never eaten anything like this. Delicious! Is
there a restaurant in town where I can order these?"

She said, pleased, "Well, if you can find a lowbrow enough Mexican
joint they'll probably have tacos, but I wouldn't endorse the
contents, Gus. Better ask me, when you feel like having them again.
They're easy to make."

Really? In New York City, circa 1952, tacos were so uncommon as to be
practically unknown? Who knew?

—Kevin Drum, August 22, 2007

more at:
<http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2007_08/011922.php>

(at the u.r.l. above you will find many geezer comments about where
they first encountered tacos in various parts of the country, some
current taco hotspots and trash talk about how cruddy the tacos are in
*your* town as opposed to mine. i thought some folks here might find
it of interest. drum, i believe, lives in orange county, ca. as they
say in mexico, bon appétit!)

your pal,
blake

How far from the "original" or the "authentic" are those tacos that are
made following the instructions on an "Old El Paso" packet ? These are
my only experience of tacos so far

Steve

In article >,
blake murphy > wrote:


> Really? In New York City, circa 1952, tacos were so uncommon as to be
> practically unknown? Who knew?


Tacos were an exotic item in my hometown when I was a kid (I was born in
1949). There was generally only one Mexican restaurant in town at a
time (about 200,000 people). They always had chili on the menu, because
that was expected.

"Steve Y" > wrote in message
...
> How far from the "original" or the "authentic" are those tacos that are
> made following the instructions on an "Old El Paso" packet ? These are
> my only experience of tacos so far
>
> Steve

They are not authentically Mexican, iirc. I remember hearing a news story
recently about American taco chains opening a restaurant in Mexico City and
having to explain what tacos and burritos were. Here's a news link:
http://www.chicanoforums.com/forums/...howtopic=27301
My favorite real Mexican dish is Pescado Veracruz, or baked fish with
green olives. Sounds a little weird, but very tasty. I have not found a good
recipe that matches my friend's dish, but I'll keep trying.
But I like Tex-Mex food and all the variations in-between. Most of it is
good.
Caveat gusto?
Edrena

In article >,
Steve Y > wrote:

> How far from the "original" or the "authentic" are those tacos that are
> made following the instructions on an "Old El Paso" packet ? These are
> my only experience of tacos so far

Some people have other ideas, but I believe that a taco is just a
tortilla with stuff in it.

Different countries have different favorite fillings and cooking
methods, and even within a larger country (like Mexico), there are major
variations.

In article > ,
"The Joneses" > wrote:

> "Steve Y" > wrote in message
> ...
> > How far from the "original" or the "authentic" are those tacos that are
> > made following the instructions on an "Old El Paso" packet ? These are
> > my only experience of tacos so far
> >
> > Steve
>
> They are not authentically Mexican, iirc. I remember hearing a news story
> recently about American taco chains opening a restaurant in Mexico City and
> having to explain what tacos and burritos were. Here's a news link:
> http://www.chicanoforums.com/forums/...howtopic=27301


Your cite doesn't support your claim. There is no mention of "tacos" in
it. Burritos are another matter. They are not common in Mexico, and
maybe not at all in Mexico City.

"Dan Abel" > wrote in message
...
> In article > ,
> "The Joneses" > wrote:
>
>> "Steve Y" > wrote in message
>> ...
>> > How far from the "original" or the "authentic" are those tacos that are
>> > made following the instructions on an "Old El Paso" packet ? These
>> > are
>> > my only experience of tacos so far
>> >
>> > Steve
>>
>> They are not authentically Mexican, iirc. I remember hearing a news
>> story
>> recently about American taco chains opening a restaurant in Mexico City
>> and
>> having to explain what tacos and burritos were. Here's a news link:
>> http://www.chicanoforums.com/forums/...howtopic=27301
>
>
> Your cite doesn't support your claim. There is no mention of "tacos" in
> it. Burritos are another matter. They are not common in Mexico, and
> maybe not at all in Mexico City.

You're entirely right. I've tasted many varieties of 'taco' down here and
some are a far cry from the American version of tacos. It's almost all good.
Edrena

The Joneses wrote:
> "Dan Abel" > wrote in message
> ...
>> "The Joneses" > wrote:
>>
>> Your cite doesn't support your claim. There is no mention of "tacos" in
>> it. Burritos are another matter. They are not common in Mexico, and
>> maybe not at all in Mexico City.
>
> You're entirely right. I've tasted many varieties of 'taco' down here and
> some are a far cry from the American version of tacos. It's almost all good.
> Edrena

One thing I noticed, their salsa is much hotter than ours. Wow, it is
wicked hot. It is darker in color, smooth in texture, and you can not
spot a vegetable in it.

Becca

On Aug 26, 2:58 pm, Dan Abel > wrote:
> In article >,
> Steve Y > wrote:
>
> > How far from the "original" or the "authentic" are those tacos that are
> > made following the instructions on an "Old El Paso" packet ? These are
> > my only experience of tacos so far

About as far as you can get. What city do you live in/close to?

I know where to get real tacos in CHI, Memphis or Dallas.
>
> Some people have other ideas, but I believe that a taco is just a
> tortilla with stuff in it.
>
> Different countries have different favorite fillings and cooking
> methods, and even within a larger country (like Mexico), there are major
> variations.

Yes, but what taco seems to almost always mean is two 6" soft corn
tortillas with meat, chopped onion and cilantro on top. I always say,
"no cilantro." It is almost always accompanied by a piece of lime.
That is a taco.

--Bryan

On Aug 26, 7:14 pm, Becca > wrote:
> The Joneses wrote:
> > "Dan Abel" > wrote in message
> ...
> >> "The Joneses" > wrote:
>
> >> Your cite doesn't support your claim. There is no mention of "tacos" in
> >> it. Burritos are another matter. They are not common in Mexico, and
> >> maybe not at all in Mexico City.
>
> > You're entirely right. I've tasted many varieties of 'taco' down here and
> > some are a far cry from the American version of tacos. It's almost all good.
> > Edrena
>
> One thing I noticed, their salsa is much hotter than ours. Wow, it is
> wicked hot. It is darker in color, smooth in texture, and you can not
> spot a vegetable in it.

Most often there is nothing in it other than chilies, water and salt,
and sometimes a bit of garlic and/or pureed tomatillo.
>
> Becca

--Bryan

On Sun, 26 Aug 2007 17:41:46 -0700, Bobo Bonobo® >
wrote:

>On Aug 26, 2:58 pm, Dan Abel > wrote:
>> In article >,
>> Steve Y > wrote:
>>
>> > How far from the "original" or the "authentic" are those tacos that are
>> > made following the instructions on an "Old El Paso" packet ? These are
>> > my only experience of tacos so far
>
>About as far as you can get. What city do you live in/close to?
>
>I know where to get real tacos in CHI, Memphis or Dallas.
>>
>> Some people have other ideas, but I believe that a taco is just a
>> tortilla with stuff in it.
>>
>> Different countries have different favorite fillings and cooking
>> methods, and even within a larger country (like Mexico), there are major
>> variations.
>
>Yes, but what taco seems to almost always mean is two 6" soft corn
>tortillas with meat, chopped onion and cilantro on top. I always say,
>"no cilantro." It is almost always accompanied by a piece of lime.
>That is a taco.
>
On lowest Greenville Avenue in Dallas is a place called Tacos Y Mas
where you choose the filling for the tacos you describe. (My favorite
is pork al pastor.) It's one of those places where you order at the
window and eat outside. The first time I was there, the proprietor
asked me if I wanted everything on my tacos.

"Yes I do."

They were a wonderful mess with meat, lime, hot salsa verde, cilantro,
onions, and Lord knows what else on the tortillas. I had juice
running down both elbows, and I was happy about it.
--

modom

--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

I'm actually in the wilds of the Beaujolais NW of Lyon. Not sure where
nearest Mexican style restaurant is.

I had assumed, courtesy of Old El Paso, that tacos always came in the
hard corn shells !

S