Taco USA : how Mexican food conquered America / Gustavo Arellano.
Material type:
TextPublication details: New York : Scribner, 2012.Edition: 1st Scribner hardcover edDescription: viii, 310 p. : ill. ; 23 cmISBN: - 1439148619
- 9781439148617
| Item type | Home library | Collection | Call number | Materials specified | Status | Date due | Barcode | Item holds | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Adult Book
|
Main Library | NonFiction | 641.5972 A679 | Available | 33111005362070 |
Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:
The nationally syndicated columnist and bestselling author of ¡Ask a Mexican! presents an entertaining, tasty trip through the history and culture of Mexican food, uncovering great stories and charting the cuisine's tremendous popularity in America.
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 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.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Introduction: what's so cosmic about a burrito? -- You mean Mexico gave the world more than just tacos? -- Whatever happened to the Chili Queens and Tamale Kings? -- How did the taco become popular before Mexicans flooded the United States? -- Who were the enchilada millionaires, and how did they change Mexican food? -- How did Americans become experts at writing cookbooks on Mexican food? -- Whatever happened to Southwestern cuisine? -- Is Tex-Mex food doomed? -- What took the burrito so long to become popular? -- When did Mexicans start making for food for Mexicans? -- How did Mexican food get into our supermarkets? -- Is the tortilla God's favored method of communication? -- How did salsa become America's top-selling condiment? -- Tequila? Tequila! -- What are the five greatest Mexican meals in the United States? -- What happens after the burrito has gone cosmic?
Presents a narrative history of Mexican cuisine in the United States, sharing a century's worth of anecdotes and cultural criticism to address questions about culinary authenticity and the source of Mexican food's popularity.