The Burrito: Quintessential American Food
My mother first came to the United States from Mexico at the age of seventeen. She'd never had—or even heard of—a burrito in her life. I've been to her hometown of Miguel Auza in the Mexican state of Zacatecas twice. I can verify that there are no burritos there. My abuelita thinks they're absurdly named, and has taken to calling them burrototas. But everyone in my family eats them. They're one of our favorite foods.
And so it was with great pleasure that I savored Gustavo Arellano's thesis in his article in the June edition of Reason, "Taco USA: How Mexican food became more American than apple pie."
Arellano, a Southern Californian, found himself in South Dakota visiting a university there. Longing for a taste of home, he stopped into Taco John's and walked away with something called a Potato Olé burrito.
There is nothing remotely Mexican about Potato Olés—not even the quasi-Spanish name, which has a distinctly Castilian accent. The burrito was more insulting to me and my heritage than casting Charlton Heston as the swarthy Mexican hero in Touch of Evil. But it was intriguing enough to take back to my hotel room for a taste. There, as I experienced all of the concoction’s gooey, filling glory while chilly rain fell outside, it struck me: Mexican food has become a better culinary metaphor for America than the melting pot.
Back home, my friends did not believe that a tater tot burrito could exist. When I showed them proof online, out came jeremiads about inauthenticity, about how I was a traitor for patronizing a Mexican chain that got its start in Wyoming, about how the avaricious gabachos had once again usurped our holy cuisine and corrupted it to fit their crude palates.
In defending that tortilla-swaddled abomination, I unknowingly joined a long, proud lineage of food heretics and lawbreakers who have been developing, adapting, and popularizing Mexican food in El Norte since before the Civil War. Tortillas and tamales have long left behind the moorings of immigrant culture and fully infiltrated every level of the American food pyramid, from state dinners at the White House to your local 7-Eleven. Decades’ worth of attempted restrictions by governments, academics, and other self-appointed custodians of purity have only made the strain stronger and more resilient. The result is a market-driven mongrel cuisine every bit as delicious and all-American as the German classics we appropriated from Frankfurt and Hamburg.
It's a fun read. And that picture? Member Humza Ahmad, the biggest burrito aficionado I've ever known, snapped that at a mini-meetup in San Francisco last year.
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Jun '10
Re: The Burrito: Quintessential American Food
Probably not the real story, but should be:
Mar '12
Re: The Burrito: Quintessential American Food
The burrito is replacing the sandwich as the quintessential American cuisine. The problem with the sandwich is 2 pieces of bread cannot contain the American...ummm... appetite for more. A big round tortilla that wraps up the whole thing and allows you to hold it without spilling. (Yes I think I'll put some black beans, rice, quacamole, meat, lettuce tomatoes, onions, cheese, what's that over there, olives, why the hell not?)
Sep '10
Re: The Burrito: Quintessential American Food
I'm at the local Chipotle, eating a chicken soft taco, right now.
Jun '10
Re: The Burrito: Quintessential American Food
The burrito--great subject. One of my sons did an LDS mission is Oaxaca, in southern Mexico, and didn't see anything like the American burrito, though he did eat some things from street vendors that he said were marvelous (he is a great advocate of street vendors).
Back to the burrito. It's nearly perfect. All you need is a good tortilla, then you can fill it with an infinite variety of combinations of good things. It is completely variable to any person's taste. Two people can sit side by side and eat "burritos" that, other than the tortilla, are utterly different.
That, to me, sound something like the nearly perfect food: you can make it whatever you want it to be.
Edited on May 17, 2012 at 2:27amMay '10
Re: The Burrito: Quintessential American Food
Is there a more perfect food than the tortilla? Except maybe refried beans what come in a can?
May '10
Re: The Burrito: Quintessential American Food
Once, while I was driving along a straight, flat stretch of rural highway in Kleburg County, Texas, I was evertaken by a small car. It had nearly completed passing when it suddenly swerved back across the highway, into a pasture at about 75 mph, then back across the road narrowly missing an oncoming truck, off the otherside of the highway, spinning 180 degrees, and eventually coming to rest with it's rear end impaled up on a corner post.
I pulled over and ran to assist. The driver, unhurt, was a teenage girl covered in nachos.
Jun '10
Re: The Burrito: Quintessential American Food
Norwegian Burrito
Aug '11
Re: The Burrito: Quintessential American Food
Love the post. As a frequent customer of a local Mexican eatery, I am reminded of the owner's "menu pitch" to new customers. If you ask the owner to suggest something on the menu, you will get what we call "the speech." Basically, it consists of how "in his country, there is no yellow cheese, burritos, etc." All that, he insists, comes from Taco Bell and if that's what you want, you should go across the street and eat there. I've often wondered if anyone has ever gotten up and left afterwards. "The Speech" is fairly long but usually comes with a sample or two to help you understand what he is talking about. Honestly, it's some of the best food I've ever had at a Mexican restaurant.
Jan '11
Re: The Burrito: Quintessential American Food
Tortillas: additional proof that God loves us & wants us to be happy.
Flour or corn?
Flour for burritos. Corn for tacos (soft or crunchy) and tostadas.
For a flavor treat try a bison taco or bison tostada with beans. Yum.
May '10
Re: The Burrito: Quintessential American Food
And tomorrow is syttendemai!
Jun '10
Re: The Burrito: Quintessential American Food
Diane: Time for disclosure: are you a white Hispanic, a woman of color, a Hispanic-American, or a plain old American? Feel free to create new categories.
May '12
Re: The Burrito: Quintessential American Food
Good article. It could have used a bit more fleshing out . Growing up in Southern California, Mexican food was closely tied to surf culture (and to a lesser extent off-roading cf Baja 1000) Almost invariably after a session at Swami's/Trestles/WindandSea you always ended up at a Mexican food stand. My favorite was Juanita's in Encinitas. For the more adventurous that sometimes meant a trip down to Rosarito Beach or somewhere in Baja where you ate down there. The food was cheap, especially for surf-rats who were poor, and really filling, more so when stands would offer ample offerings of salsa. Man, I've now got a craving for a carne asada burrito.
Also, if you're ever in LA and have the chance to have a bacon-wrapped hot dog, do NOT pass it up. It's just heavenly.
Edited on May 17, 2012 at 4:20amRe: The Burrito: Quintessential American Food
Well if Elizabeth Warren gets to be a "woman of color"...
But no, look at my profile picture. As white as white gets.
Re: The Burrito: Quintessential American Food
tabula rasa:
That, to me, sound something like the nearly perfect food: you can make it whatever you want it to be. · 25 minutes ago
This is a good trait in food. Unfortunately for America, not in presidential candidates.
Jun '10
Re: The Burrito: Quintessential American Food
Diane Ellis, Ed.
tabula rasa:
That, to me, sound something like the nearly perfect food: you can make it whatever you want it to be. · 25 minutes ago
This is a good trait in food. Unfortunately for America, not in presidential candidates. · 2 minutes ago
Way true about presidential candidates.
Jul '10
Re: The Burrito: Quintessential American Food
Wasn't that the best!! Haven't been down there in a few years, but the last time I was there, surprise, surprise - it's been remodled and if memory serves, there's not that much space left to eat outside. Funny, but the food - which was the same - didn't seem to taste the same in that now 'fancy' eatery.
As long as they're not fat-free
Mar '12
Re: The Burrito: Quintessential American Food
Sounds like a Mexican version of the Soup Nazi.
Jun '10
Re: The Burrito: Quintessential American Food
Tater tot burrito sounds yummy, I need to try that next time I'm in the Midwest. And I love that they didn't even bother to name the chain "Taco Juan's."
Feb '11
Re: The Burrito: Quintessential American Food
Diana, this was a delectable post. I have been dieting for the MuscleMania Galveston for about four months now, and this burrito looks absolutely delicious. As a tradition, after every one of my competitions we usually go out to a big dinner. This picture by Humza has whetted my appetite already, this will be a tough couple of days until Saturday evening when I can have a nice big "Melting pot" burrito!
Aug '11
Re: The Burrito: Quintessential American Food
Robert Mitchell
Sounds like a Mexican version of the Soup Nazi. · 40 minutes ago
Very close.