“Tacos entered the national cuisine in the late nineteenth century and were seen as a potential danger to both health and morality. Although appearing at a time of industrialization, when labor migrants filled the streets, they were perceived not as an expression of modernity but rather as part of an indigenous invasion of Mexico City” (Pilcher).
My last blog post on Planet Taco, I mentioned some of the obstacles Mexican food faced as the makers attempted to expand its exposure. We’ve seen it time and time again with the most popular Mexican food chains tampering with original ingredients to appease a certain culture for the sake of business. This quote explains a different issue, though, that’s unrelated to its literal tastes and flavors. It also refers to an issue that relates within Mexico City.
Tacos did not seem to be warmly welcomed in Mexico City during the late nineteenth century. Some people believed they threatened one’s well-being as well as their virtues. The ‘labor migrants’ were not perceived as a positive for the city becoming more contemporary. They especially jeopardized ‘Porfirian order and progress’, which refers to the regime of the Mexican general who was in power as president of the country during these times.
It particularly sticks out to me that tacos had a difficult start even in a place like Mexico City. I last wrote about how maize early on misrepresented the pellagra epidemic; perhaps that is associated with the health concern here. The symbol of tacos being a barrier to ethics in this area is even more surprising to me. It ultimately further demonstrates the various hardships Mexican food experienced in the beginning to become accepted.
Pilcher, Jeffrey M. Planet Taco (pp. 81-82). Oxford University Press. Kindle Edition.
Taco Literacy 