This is Latino USA, the radio journal of news and Kurturre Latino USC Le Latino USA. I'm Maria Inojosa. We bring you stories that are underreported but that mattered to you, overlooked by the rest of the media, and while the country is struggling to deal with these, we listen to the stories of black and Latino studios United, Latino Front, a cultural renaissance organizing at the forefront of the movement. I'm Maria ino Jossa.
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Hey Latino USA listener. Here's a show from our archives. How many taco editors are there in the United States of America.
Technically just me.
From Vuduromedia and PRX. It's Latino USA. I'm Maria Rosa. Today dacos and how this traditional Mexican dish has become a staple food in the American diet. Poser Ralat has the kind of job that some foodies dream about. He's the taco editor at Texas Monthly magazine. Ralat also has a new book out. It's called American Dacos, a History and Guide. The book dives into the evolution of tacos in the United States and their history in the Borderlands.
When we think of tacos, we usually think of them as a distinctly Mexican food, but according to Ralat, he says that's only half of the story. Tacos are also as American as apple pie. He says, from the breakfast kind to the puffy shell kind. The variety of dacos that have sprung up in different regions of the United States show that this is also a distinctly American food. But the rising popularity of dacos in the United States
has well made a lot of US connoisseurs. In fact, TV shows like Netflix Staco Chronicles have given a different light to this simple, yet so complex of a dish. Last year, basketball superstar Lebron James went viral when he embraced tacos by posting videos of himself eating them enthusiastically while stereotypically saying the phrase. Now, according to Ralat, tacos have been here long before the hype. They were introduced to the United States around the same time as the
American burger was invented. In his book, Ralat discusses the importance of doc documenting the history of docos in the United States, and he joins me today to talk about their unique identity north of the border. Welcome to let you know, USA.
Thanks for having me to.
Be like the one and only standing official doco editor of the United States of America. That's a big deal. Congratulations, Thank you.
It's it's an honor that I don't take lightly because I have the responsibility of not just for writing about the food, but writing about the people, and I think that's really the most critical part of the job.
Before we continue, people might be saying, wait, what's going on? And so you're very open about the fact that you stutter. It is something that happens, and so we might as well just say, hey, it happens, and you're you're cool with basically saying yeah and moving on right.
Yes, I am, thank you. Yes, It's a part of my life and it's never stopped me from doing things like live TV or radio segments.
I love that, I gotta say, I really do. I completely love that. So what you may not know is that I've been a taco fanatic since probably before you were even born. I'm Mexican. I grew up with this stuff, you know. I mean my mom made that goes. Alita made that goes. But you're Puerto Rican. You were growing up with this stuff. So what's the story as to why this Puerto Rican dude ends up falling in love with docos?
Growing up in the States. I knew about doc was generally speaking as a fast food product, but doc was as a Mexican food item. Wasn't Brooklyn from it a chicana? And I don't know who I fell in love with first, the woman or the food.
So before we get to talking about tacos, which again we could talk about forever, one of the things that stood out to us is from the beginning of your book, and this is where you refer to something you call the abualita principle and having just mastered Jose, You'll be proud of me finally having just mastered my abulita, Like I finally figured it out. I'm just like, oh my god, I can't believe it. I unlocked it. What is this thing about the abuelita principle when it applies to tacos.
So whenever people talk about Mexican food, eventually the conversation rolls around two. Well, Maya Wilita made the best Mexican food. She made the best gizos, Her lingua was the best, or her molley was the best. And for them, that's as far as Mexican food goes. Nothing else counts as Mexican, which is unfortunate because Mexico is a large country with microregions and different cuisines. It's not that simple. We shouldn't box it in. Boxing it in is misguided at best
and racist at worst. Uh could also be maybe so and so's grandmother wasn't a good cook. I know that's sacrilegious. I know it's sacrilegious. Okay, but my grandmother was a terrible cook too, and.
He takes down at what he does as well.
Not everyone can cook.
You know this notion of like when people get that hard taco shell and you know, people kind of eating it and he's always falling apart in your hands. I was like, do you guys don't understand? And I always was concerned about the American tacle, like is this a problem? Basically that the hardshell taco is the American taco? Is
it the American tackle? Or am I really being dismissive of you know, commercialized American tacos and I'm being again a taco elitist, and that there is actually an extraordinary experience of an American tacle.
It certainly is the most iconic American taco. It's also a gateway taco for people it hopefully these other people to try other tacos. But you know, let's face it, Taco bell is historically significant. It helped popularize the taco. It was a gateway taco and with that it I probably wouldn't have this job.
And you know what you've also like, for example, the last time that I was in Miami, I don't know where I ended up, but oh my god, I was eating some daco fusion that was like knocking my socks off. And again, you write about Kosher tacos, you write about
West Indian tacos, you write about Korean tacos. So what is all of this in your view in this moment, No matter what you know, no matter what people are saying about Mexicans and what we represent, what in fact does the reality of tacos in our food in the United States. Say about the integration of tacos as a mainstream food, it.
Says a lot. Hey, daco is a reflection of its time and place. It is created from populationshifts, and the people who make it. For example, KMX in the nineties, you had this huge wave of immigration from Korea and they settled in southern California next to Mexicans. And what happened These people traded ingredients.
What do you think is next for the taco? I mean, is there a frontier? Is there a border? Is there a border wall that the taco is going to crash through? Can it evolve further?
Yes? And I've often said that eventually everything makes its way into a tortilla. But then I countered this Flan taco and I looked at it and I said, that's not what I meant. This is I did not consider flann as making its way into a tortilla.
Should I be horrified or excited about this?
Will say, oh, excited because it's so delicious. It was mind blowing because I never imagined that this was possible. But it worked. It worked so well. I went back for thirds.
I'm kind of feeling it, you know, I'm definitely I'm like, I'm like, maybe I could try to make that at home, but maybe not. But it's intriguing. So look, the truth is that right now the whole world is living through the COVID nineteen pandemic. You know, what are your concerns about, you know, tacos and making it through this pandemic and what we might lose or gain because of this moment that we're living through.
So I think that that the that will survive and thrive once more. I think that ideas are uniquely positioned because that they are usually family owned, small operations that can adapt quickly to their customers' needs. I think that Mexican food as a whole is unstoppable. Mexican food always wins.
Not that there was a fight or anything going on, but you just declared Mexican food always wins.
Okay, yeah, Well, because it'll come back. These businesses will come back as long as the landlords are flexible. We should get almost everyone back. At least that's what I hope and that's what I believe.
Thank you Jose for sharing your taco stories and taco love affair.
With us.
We really appreciate it.
Thank you, Maria, this has been an honor.
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This episode was produced by Juan Diego Ramirez and edited by Luis Trees. The Latino USA team includes Andrea Lopez Cruzado, Marta Martinez, Mike Sargent, Daisy Contreras, Victoria Estrada, Renato Leanos Junior, Patricia Sulbaran, and Elizabeth enthal Torres. Our editorial director is Fernando Santos. Our director of engineering is stephanel Lebau. Our senior engineer is Julia Caruso. Our associate engineers are Gabriel Lebas and j J. Corubin. Our marketing manager is Luis Luna.
Our theme music was composed by Zane Ruinos. I'm your host and executive producer Maria join us on our next episode. You can also find us on your social media and I Say.
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Latino USA is made possible in part by Public Welfare Foundation catalyzing transformative approaches to justice that are community led, restorative, and racially just, The Ford Foundation, working with visionaries on the front lines of social change worldwide, and the John D. And Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.
Taco snob No, I know the worst, the worst