One prominent takeaway I have from American Taco is just how far-reaching the taco has become. A dish that originated and is so deep-rooted in Mexican culture has traversed so immensely beyond that boundary over the years. I didn’t even know there was such a thing like Korean or Jewish tacos!
This then brings up the question of authenticity which tends to arise time and time again. What’s an authentic taco and what’s not? An important idea I think I’ve learned from this course is that authenticity may be more subjective than it seems. In class today, Dr. Alvarez brought up this ‘territorial’ mindset people may embody of their homeland’s food. They can have a bias towards their food and deem it authentic just because it’s theirs.
I saw this line of thinking in my last assignment when two authors argued which is better: the San Diego or mission-style burrito. Some of their reasoning lies within the idea that it was them who created their own dishes. Sarah Wyer, another writer I discussed in the assignment, uses this phrase, ‘inauthentically authentic’ when talking about these disputes.
Sometimes I believe that’s the best terminology to use when debating food. I’d potentially use this term to describe a dish that is regarded as authentic due to a territorial partiality. The people of that culture may think it’s authentic, but others may argue against it. There’s nothing wrong with those folks standing firm that it’s authentic; it’s ultimately going to a personal feeling regardless.
Taco Literacy 