1 in 10 restaurants in the US serve Mexican cuisine, reflecting expanding population, study shows

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KFC changed it's name from Kentucky fried chicken to KFC to distance itself from Kentucky (and the word "fried" to a lesser extent)

dalekcaan

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Yeah, it seems to assume an increase in Mexican food's popularity must come from Mexicans, when it can easily be explained by how Mexican food's really fuckin good.

tsonfeir

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More Mexican food means more Mexicans!!!

Would you like to ban Mexican food?

NO It’s my freedom to have whatever food I want!!!!!

But, it would make the Mexicans leave.

FREEEEEDOOMMMMM!!!!

ColeSloth

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If that bs were true than there's apparently a lot more Chinese living in the Midwest than I thought.

doggle

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I suspect it's got as much to do with Mexican/texmex food being fuckin good as it does with an increasing Latin American population.

JonEFive

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Yeah, I agree. Their premise is faulty. Places serve tacos and quesadillas because they're cheap and easy to produce and many Americans like them, not simply because there are more Latinos in the US.

Now, if they said that there are more independent family-owned Mexican restaurants, I would consider that a bit more compelling.

toiletobserver

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As a fan of tacos and salsas, I couldn't be happier

Snapz

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Not reflecting expanding population, reflecting that it's good fucking food regardless of where your stupid grandparents are from. And the fact that it's typically cheaper fare in a country brutally and constantly raped by capitalism.

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Grandparents are kinda stupid.

vaultdweller013

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My grandparents were frim southern California as were their grandparents before them and before that they were somewhere out east causing trouble, except one ancestor who was still in California. What im trying to say is that my ancestors were eating mexican food before all you motherfuckers! Also praise the mighty Bakers for having burgers, burritos, and milkshakes (their thoughly americanizef but ive gotta show my Inland Imperial pride).

https://thewoodenskillet.com/mexican-street-corn-burger/

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About to order some Mexican food right now.

I can't imagine how fucking boring food would be if white nationalists had their way. No thanks.

curiousaur

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Tacos are like, the best food.

GiddyGap

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I'm not even sure I know what white nationalist food is.

Kolanaki

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If Undercover Brother is any indication: White people eat foods that are white.

afraid_of_zombies

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I did look into this once. People do have an ambiguity tolerance which links well with our ability to handle diversity. If you are okay with a situation you don't fully grasp you can try new situations. My question was if we could see human government history through this lense. If the rulers happened to have low tolerance they passed different rules vs ones that had high tolerance.

bizarrocullen

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I mean American food is just British food plus corn.

Dud

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Who puts corn on a hamburger?

RGB3x3

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White people co-opting Mexican cuisine.

stoly

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You're tryring too hard there because you need to then accuse the Mexicans of stealing the Hamburger, which was invented in the US.

ook_the_librarian

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Did all the Americans here have their beans and corn for breakfast, as is tradition?

stoly

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I'm afraid that the food in the UK is known to be horrid. Much of the food tradition surely came from places like England, Germany, Italy, parts of Africa, etc. In the end, though, these people had to use the ingredients they found here and that's where food went its own way.

fleabomber

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Cuz it's bomb.

Gazumi

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Erm, Mexican families having their own families plus people wanting to eat Mexican food? In the UK, we had people trying to say too many Indians coming into the country, based upon the number of Indian restaurants. Indian food is just more popular than fish & chips.

stoly

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Not only that, you'd surely struggle to find REAL, AUTHENTIC Indian food and not someone's UK-style curry.

wellee

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Mexican restaurants are so good godayum, there can never be enough!

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This is a good thing!

TenderfootGungi

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In most Midwest towns it is Mexican food or hamburgers. I will take Mexican food 9 times out of 10 and I am not Mexican. The alternatives are just bad.

FuglyDuck

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Twin cities has a lot of varied ethnic foods.

Some of it you don’t even have to look to hard to find, if you’re keen to visit. But, I don’t wanna think about what it’s like outside the metro.

TheFonz

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Twin Cities represent! Need the MN train gif

SuiXi3D

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I’m white AF. I’m currently in line for my second of the same burrito I had for lunch.

Trollception

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Obese AF?

Rapidcreek

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I'd think 1 in 10 also serve Italian. Those cuisines are cheaper to make.

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Does pizza count as Italian?

quaddo

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Yes, but you have to have a moustache and act like you speak Italian

Rognaut

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Mexican food is amazing.

That is all.

NegativeLookBehind

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Mexican food is a beautiful thing

eatthecake

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We need more Mexicans in Australia, all we have is crappy Taco Bill

werefreeatlast

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I feel your sentiment, but it's just such a fucking long swing 😂. But no worries, once my fellow Mexican brethren hear about the wonders of Australia and how fresh it's air is compared to the constant heat of Tierracaliente, we'll be making submarines, boats or even a tiny tunnel with it's own motorcycle on rails.

No worries. We'll get there.

JonEFive

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We need more Mexicans in Australia, all we have is crappy Taco Bill

Now you've made Taco Bill sad. He may not be Mexican but he loves tacos as much as anyone!

eatthecake

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This town has about 60,000 people. 100,000 in the metro area. I just counted. There are 16 Mexican restaurants. Some of them are within brief walking distance of each other. And no, I'm not counting Taco Bell.

Unfortunately for me, I'm not a big fan of Mexican food.

gregorum

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obligatory "oh, you just haven't been to the right place yet; i know a great spot!"

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I have a very good answer for them- I don't really like peppers or beans. I also don't really like the way Mexican meat is seasoned and I don't really like any of the Mexican cheese I've had. None of it is a dealbreaker if other people want to go to Mexican food, but it would be far from my first choice.

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From what I’ve gathered you live in Indiana or something, so you might not have had exposure to the finest Mexican food.

As far as cheeses, asadero is pretty solid. It’s like a denser mozzarella with more flavor. Sort of like a gooier provolone.

https://lemmy.world/pictrs/image/aec45092-f05f-4f81-b394-bdaba2835171.webm

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I used to live in L.A.

For a year I even lived in South Gate where we were one of the only English-speaking families.

I just don't like Mexican food very much.

krashmo

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I'll eat anything but Mexican food is top tier gobbler fodder

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i like things that are ergonomically easy to eat. the burrito form factor is freakin amazing. all in one, no utensils. its a utilitarian dream.

but when i go to a restaurant they destroy the utility. its suddenly on this plate covered is sauces! what?!

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There are handheld burritos, and burritos. Where I’m from the handheld ones are sold to-go in foil but restaurants always drench theirs in sauce. You could ask for the sauce on the side, but you’re still supposed to eat it with a fork unless you’re in your car or walking around.

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Might as well get an enchilada at that point. Corn tortilla > flour ever day.

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Might as well get a tamale if you ask me. But a lot of people seem to enjoy the soakedy flour tortillas.

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People are allowed to not enjoy the things you enjoy. I don't like bananas either.

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On an objective level, your opinion is wrong. However some people have wrong tastes and that's okay.

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ha, i feel this kinda. i get shit all the time when tell people i 'dont really like indian food' ... they go on and on about the tasting this and that and spices and blah blah blah.. finally they ask me what i dont like about it.. and i say 'the texture'

'oh'.

ABCDE

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Indian food is a huge variety mind you. Even the texture of tandoori chicken?

mars296

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Yeah that comment doesn't really make sense. I feel like the most common Indian food around me is saucy meat and/or vegetables with rice. Which is very similar texture to many many other cuisines. But variety exists.

variants

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My coworker also told me that he didn't like Indian or Mexican food so I asked him over time about food he likes and his diet is mostly pb&j, spaghetti, or those frozen chicken pot pies with the grandma on the packaging

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Some people eat a very limited range of foods and it’s often the same things over and over again. There can be various reasons for this.

i_dont_want_to

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My friend is from a smallish town (~4k) and they don't like Mexican food much, either. (And the southern US cuisine is also something they are "meh" on.) Not a whole lot of restaurant food they like around their neck of the woods.

Oh lordy when they come visit me in the city, they chow down on what we got. It's always fun to have them help me order something I've never tried; I'm not nearly as adventurous when they're not around. (I usually experiment in the kitchen or order something familiar when I go out.)

alekwithak

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Just checked my town. 20k people. 30 Mexican restaurants, not counting food trucks and fast food. Complete insanity.

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That's insane! Are you at least relatively near the border? I'm in Indiana.

alekwithak

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Central Oregon, nowhere near any borders lol

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I just don't get it.

Also, I wish it was Indian restaurants that ended up being everywhere. Oh well.

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you dont have to like it, but: taco bell is to mexican food what mtv is to music

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I agree, that's why I said I didn't count Taco Bell.

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woops, misread that, sorry!

alekwithak

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Does that make Del Taco VH1?

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but... i like del taco.. .aw who am i kidding i loved vh1.

lets just always say yes to del taco

Semi-Hemi-Demigod

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I’m old enough to remember when salsa became more popular than ketchup

baruchin

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

doggle

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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.

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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.

geogle

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I agree about the lack of cheddar, but you're thinking of cotiga cheese on most dishes and not queso fresco. That stuff melts and are in things like chile rellenos.

hydrospanner

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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?

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

But some signs:

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

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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.

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Same.

afraid_of_zombies

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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

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

BigDiction

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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

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

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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.

TenderfootGungi

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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

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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.

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

mob

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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

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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

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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.