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Taco USA: How Mexican Food Conquered America [NOOK Book]
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When salsa overtook ketchup as this country’s favorite condiment in the 1990s, America’s century-long love affair with Mexican food reached yet another milestone. In seemingly every decade since the 1880s, America has tried new food trends from south of the border—chili, tamales, tacos, enchiladas, tequila, bacon-wrapped hot dogs, and so many more—loved them, and demanded the next great thing. As a result, Mexican food dominates American palates to the tune of billions of dollars in sales per year, from canned refried beans to frozen margaritas and ballpark nachos. It’s a little-known history, one that’s crept up on this country like your Mexican neighbors—and left us better for it.
Now, Taco USA addresses the all-important questions: What exactly constitutes “Mexican” food in the United States? How did it get here? What’s “authentic” and what’s “Taco Bell,” and does it matter? What’s so cosmic about a burrito? And why do Americans love Mexican food so darn much?
Tacos, alas, sold separately.
Introduction: What's So Cosmic About a Burrito? 1
Chapter 1 You Mean Mexico Gave the World More Than Just Tacos? 11
Chapter 2 Whatever Happened to the Chili Queens and Tamale Kings? 29
Chapter 3 How Did the Taco Become Popular Before Mexicans Flooded the United States? 50
Chapter 4 Who Were the Enchilada Millionaires, and How Did They Change Mexican Food? 71
Chapter 5 How Did Americans Become Experts at Writing Cookbooks on Mexican Food? 86
Chapter 6 Whatever Happened to Southwestern Cuisine? 108
Chapter 7 Is Tex-Mex Food Doomed? 122
Chapter 8 What Took the Burrito So Long to Become Popular? 139
Chapter 9 When Did Mexicans Start Making Food for Mexicans? 157
Chapter 10 How Did Mexican Food Get into Our Supermarkets? 175
Chapter 11 Is the Tortilla God's Favored Method of Communication? 195
Chapter 12 How Did Salsa Become America's Top-Selling Condiment? 215
Chapter 13 Tequila? Tequila! 230
Chapter 14 What Are the Five Greatest Mexican Meals in the United States? 245
Conclusion What Happens After the Burrito Has Gone Cosmic? 265
Postscript Special "Ask a Mexican!" Question: How and why did the image of a sleeping Mexican under a saguaro cactus become such a popular mascot for Mexican restaurants? 271
Notes 275
Acknowledgments 289
Index 291
Overview
Nationally syndicated columnist and bestselling author of ¡Ask a Mexican! Gustavo Arellano presents an entertaining, tasty trip through the history and culture of Mexican food in this country, uncovering great stories and charting the cuisine’s tremendous popularity in el Norte. In the tradition of Bill Buford’s Heat and Calvin Trillin’s The Tummy Trilogy, Arellano’s fascinating narrative combines history, cultural criticism, personal anecdotes, and Jesus on a tortilla.
When salsa overtook ketchup as this country’s favorite condiment in the 1990s, America’s century-long love affair with Mexican food reached yet another milestone. In seemingly every ...