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.
The weird part is that they don’t even sell real mexican food, but Tex-mex. Mexican coucine ≠ American cheese.
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.
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?
It’s the décor, if you can see at least 3 pinatas and 2 sombreros when you enter, you have found the right place.
/J
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.