Taco USA: How Mexican Food Conquered America

282 Pages·2013·2.4 MB·English

by  Gustavo Arellano

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N
ationally 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.
PRAISE FOR ¡ASK A MEXICAN!
“A sassy mix of Lenny Bruce rant and civil rights manual … ¡Ask a
Mexican! engages in a candid public dialogue about racism … witty and
fearless.” —LOS ANGELES TIMES
“Burning issues, picante answers.” —HOUSTON CHRONICLE
“Controversial and hilarious … a subversion of the stiff dialogue on race
and culture.” —NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
“If you like your humor smooth as flan or comforting as a big abrazo from
your abuelita, do not read Gustavo Arellano’s first book, ¡Ask a Mexican!
However, if biting satire is your cup of canela tea, Arellano is the man for
you. Throughout history, literature’s greatest social satirists were both
criticized and embraced.
PRAISE FOR ORANGE COUNTY
“Informative, moving, and wickedly funny … [Arellano] has created a
history and analysis that is part family memoir, part travelogue, and many
parts social commentary, blasting stereotypes on all sides with lacerating
verbal twists and witty irreverence.” —THE BOSTON GLOBE
“A witty and informative memoir … delivers a prescient view of the new
American landscape.” —PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
© MATT OTTO
GUSTAVO ARELLANO
’s “¡Ask a Mexican!” column has a circulation of
more than two million in thirty-eight markets (and counting). He has
received the President’s Award from the Los Angeles Press Club, an
Impact Award from the National Hispanic Media Coalition, and a 2008
Latino Spirit Award from the California State Legislature. Arellano has
appeared on the Today show, Nightline, NPR’s Talk of the Nation, and The
Colbert Report. For more information, visit askamexican.net.
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COPYRIGHT © 2012 SIMON & SCHUSTER

Also by Gustavo Arellano
¡Ask a Mexican!
Orange County: A Personal History

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Designed by Carla Jayne Jones ISBN 978-1-4391-4861-7
ISBN 978-1-43915765-7 (ebook)