Message: | Hello.
The confusion in the "soft shell" versus "hard shell" and "authentic" versus "inauthentic" issues stems from failing to consider how large and diverse Mexico really is. Regional differences abound, just as they do in the US. What passes for a hot dog in Chicago is just not the same as the chili dog much beloved by Angelenos. The same is true with the taco. A taco from the coast of Mexico (the Pacific or the gulf) does not taste the same as one from the Sonora desert or from the large cities in the south.
My grandmother came from Mexico City and she would shudder if presented with the authentic soft-shelled taco currently in vogue in LA. To her, it would seem uncooked, not finished. The amount of cilantro in that taco alone would make her think that something was up -- that she was being fed medicine, or something. On that same note, the tamales from Central America used to terrify her -- she couldn't imagine a tamale not made with pork, much less a sweet one tasting like a bread pudding wrapped in a banana leaf.
Be glad this world is so large, this city so diverse, and our access to these different tastes so convenient. |