BajaNomad

Taco Bell in Mexico? Why not? It's not Mexican food there either

conquestkm - 2-8-2009 at 05:23 PM

Reprint Posted by: "BAJA DIGEST"

Taco Bell in Mexico? Why not? It's not Mexican food there either
Oscar Avila
February 7, 2009
APODACA, Mexico—Leaving the taco shop, I might have assumed that
familiar weight in my gut was a sign of gastrointestinal distress to
come. But it was probably guilt, guilt that I had bypassed one of
many mama-y-papa taquerias and instead chosen the first Taco Bell to
open in Mexico after a 15-year absence.

There are all kinds of ways to illustrate our intertwined world:
pirated Ashton Kutcher DVDs in Nairobi, Snickers bars for sale in the
Amazon rain forest. But one could argue that on the day this Taco
Bell went up next to a Dairy Queen in the parking lot of a glitzy
shopping mall in the Monterrey suburbs, the cultural walls fell for
good.

Since opening in the United States in the 1960s, Taco Bell has taught
Americans the Mexican art of cramming stuff in tortillas. Now they're
on the menu everywhere from school cafeterias to McDonald's drive-
throughs. You might not know Spanish, but you know "taco."

To scarf down a Fiesta Burrito in Mexico felt like patronizing a
Panda Express at the foot of the Great Wall. You wouldn't think of
chugging Natural Light at Oktoberfest in Munich. Or sneaking out of
the Cannes Film Festival to catch "Transformers." But, out of
curiosity, I gave it a try.

The Mexican intelligentsia were offended by Taco Bell's incursion in
2007, casting it as something akin to the Visigoths sacking
Rome. "Like bringing ice to the Arctic," sniffed cultural critic
Carlos Monsivais in an Associated Press article.

I'm sure many Mexican arbiters of taste haven't forgotten the talking
Taco Bell Chihuahua, which was denounced by Hispanic advocacy groups
in the United States as a crude stereotype with its sombrero and
accented "Yo quiero Taco Bell" pitch.

For the rest of us, the global sensibility of the 21st Century can be
a messy, tacky and gaudy mash-up, not unlike the guacamole, sour
cream and other mysterious goop of a Nachos BellGrande.

A food writer at Monterrey's El Norte newspaper summed up the
conflicting emotions many Mexicans must feel at Taco Bell's take on
traditional Mexican cuisine.

"What foolish gringos. They want to come by force to sell us tacos in
Taco Land," he wrote. "Here, they have a year in operation and the
most ironic part is that they are doing well. Are we malinches
[Mexican slang for traitor] or masochists?"

Then he tried it and confessed: "It surprised me. It is very well-
designed, very modern, as cheap as ever and, it hurts my pride to say
this, but very delicious!"

To its credit, Taco Bell's parent company in Louisville never sold
its food to Mexicans as Mexican. Taco Bell's Mexican Web site is
www.esotracosa.com. Translation: It's something else.

Upon entering the Taco Bell, the customer gets a menu, complete with
pictures and detailed lists of ingredients. If this presentation is
to be taken at face value, the cuisine at Taco Bell is as foreign to
its Mexican customers as Mongolian barbecue.

I had a crunchy taco that the company couldn't call a taco because an
authentic taco in Mexico comes in a soft tortilla. Instead, Taco Bell
invented the term Tacostada for its Mexican audience by combining the
shape of a taco with the crunchiness of the flat tortilla that
characterizes the tostada.

My meal was decent, but, truth is, I'll always be drawn to the street
stalls and holes in the wall that represent the best of Mexican
cuisine: the tender meat hacked directly off a lamb's skull in
Texcoco, the carnitas tacos on the side of a highway near Morelia.

Still, Taco Bell should not be viewed as a hostile invader. It is a
neighbor, grudgingly invited, but invited nonetheless. Mexican
tradition and culture already have seeped into the U.S. mainstream—
consider this a lob back across the Rio Grande.

As I devoured a burrito and watched music videos from U2 and Julieta
Venegas with my fellow citizens of the global village, Taco Bell's
old tag line seemed obsolete.

Timo1 - 2-8-2009 at 05:29 PM

I know I always think outside the bun :lol::lol::lol:

Bajahowodd - 2-8-2009 at 05:36 PM

Parent company Yum Brands (KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell) has had a mixed record in Mexico. They have opened and closed many locations. They are far more successful in China and Great Britain, for instance. So, it's not just the non-Mexican Mexican food.

DENNIS - 2-8-2009 at 05:37 PM

I thought Taco Bell food was classified as:

[1] Garbage
[2] Tex-Mex [whatever that's supposed to be]

BajaGringo - 2-8-2009 at 05:39 PM

Yes, but do they serve the same item as in the states, that famous Mexican dish the Encheeeeerito!

DENNIS - 2-8-2009 at 05:42 PM

They're sauce is so distinctive, everything tastes the same.
And, didja know, they don't sell coffee? The one on Palm Avenue just north of the San Ysidro border crossing doesn't sell coffee. What kinda food joint doesn't sell coffee?

Bajahowodd - 2-8-2009 at 05:46 PM

Back in the day, when they had the gas flame outside, I always though of it as an eternal flame in memory of those who didn't survive the Bell Burger.

BajaGringo - 2-8-2009 at 05:47 PM

Well, to be good Mexican coffee it would need Kahlua and they don't have a liquor license???

Woooosh - 2-8-2009 at 05:58 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Bajahowodd
Parent company Yum Brands (KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell) has had a mixed record in Mexico. They have opened and closed many locations. They are far more successful in China and Great Britain, for instance. So, it's not just the non-Mexican Mexican food.


Same can be said for the US Tobacco companies- they make their money outside the USA by exporting the smoking lifetstlye and raking in the billions.

So Taco Bell is making money, the culture critics hate it and the food critics actually like it? Tacostadas? What other countries would tolerate this- let alone embrace it?

The world is truly flat though. Everyone competes everywhere connected by instant technolgy. The drive-thru speaker at your Mexican taco bell may be answerd by a central call center for the whole chain- so the order taking is controlled, correct and they sell more. No lag time to send the order to the kitchen either. You'd be surprised how many hotels don't answer their own phones for room service too, for example- more efficient to have it centralized.

People would be surprised to find out just how many of their daily service transactions actually take place on another continent. An HP phone guy selling me a part for my computer last year accidentally told be "your total today will be ____ rupies". We both laughed.

BajaGringo - 2-8-2009 at 06:00 PM

The planet is growing smaller....

Woooosh - 2-8-2009 at 06:20 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by BajaGringo
The planet is growing smaller....


Which is why the powderkegs erupt faster and stronger. We don't have a communicaton cooling-off period. No messages between Kings by horse messenger. Instant everything.

Fred - 2-8-2009 at 06:35 PM

I don't think TB uses real meat.

It's real alright

Bajajack - 2-8-2009 at 06:40 PM

but the origin is questionable.:lol:

Bajahowodd - 2-8-2009 at 06:41 PM

The smaller planet is also going to make it a bigger challenge for us to get out of the recession. If this was 1960, and the housing market crashed, banks closed and Wall Street tanked, our government would have had the ability to fix the problem much more easily. But, in today's entangled economic world, we can't come close to doing it ourselves.

BajaGringo - 2-8-2009 at 06:45 PM

I say to Hell with it!

TACOS AND TEQUILA FOR EVERYBODY!!!

:P :P :P

Packoderm - 2-8-2009 at 06:46 PM

I like Taco Bell. It's great for stopping during a long drive. It fills you up without any of the harshness on the stomach that you get with the heavier foods. There would definitely be an irony in the notion of importing American culture by opening a Taco Bell in Mexico. Jimboy's Tacos, on the other hand, can compete with anything offered anywhere. Probably the hardest part would be keeping the meat grinder sanitary. I appreciate the food safety laws in the U.S. for making each Taco Bell safe.

bajabound2005 - 2-8-2009 at 07:03 PM

I LOVE Taco Bell. I also love real Mexican tacos. When we travel to the States my first choice for lunch is always Taco Bell!

Oh, and those Jimboy's. mmm-good! If we're anywhere near a Jimboy's, that's the place to eat.

[Edited on 2-9-2009 by bajabound2005]

DianaT - 2-8-2009 at 07:10 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Packoderm
I appreciate the food safety laws in the U.S. for making each Taco Bell safe.


Not too many years ago, we drove back from Central America---ate at lots of inexpensive places in Mexico, crossed the border at Nogales and grabbed a quick snack at Taco Bell.

John got food poisoning from the Taco Bell which was a lot of fun driving across the wide open spaces with only cactus bathrooms. :lol::lol:

We both got food poisoning at a Sizzler in the state of Washington, but never at the Sizzler in Guatemala city where we ate Sunday brunch often for a year.


We still eat at Taco Bells when in a hurry and just want a quick bite to eat---cheaper than the rest of the fast foods, and I do like the soft tacos.

Also, for really good Mexican food, we still prefer the mainland----Baja is OK, but it is not the cusine that can be found on the mainland.

Diane



[Edited on 2-9-2009 by jdtrotter]

[Edited on 2-9-2009 by jdtrotter]

k-rico - 2-8-2009 at 07:20 PM

Packoderm: "I appreciate the food safety laws in the U.S. for making each Taco Bell safe."

Yeah, well, stay away from the peanut butter tacos.

BUT

Mexican hotdogs are the best. Wrapping bacon around a hotdog, what a great idea!!

Timo1 - 2-8-2009 at 07:21 PM

Wasn't it a Taco Bell in New York that had all the rats ???

David K - 2-8-2009 at 08:32 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by morgaine7

Last time I visited the US they were serving a crunchy taco inside an outer layer of warm pita bread. Not making this up ... I ate it twice. Can't remember the name, though. "Shawaco" (shawerma + taco)? It was delicious!!


The Double Decker Taco? See: http://www.tacobell.com/

Barry A. - 2-8-2009 at 08:35 PM

I'll take a Chalupa, por favor!!!! Love those things.

barry

BajaGringo - 2-8-2009 at 09:23 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Barry A.
I'll take a Chalupa, por favor!!!! Love those things.

barry


I thought a Chalupa was something you paid extra for in Zona Norte???

:rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

bajabound2005 - 2-8-2009 at 09:28 PM

must love taco bell!

Mexitron - 2-9-2009 at 07:10 AM

My early memories of Taco Bell are of the congregations of hippies around the firepit at the one in Laguna in the 60s--Timothy Leary et al were the inhabitants in those days.

I used to love the green bean and cheese burritos there in high school...went to a TB in King City about 10 years ago and got one and couldn't even finish it, recipe changed, haven't been to one since (IMHO--Del Taco's are the best!). So sorry Mexico...

Tex-Mex: After living in Texas for 2 1/2 years I'm still not sure what Tex-Mex is all about--except that they give you queso with your meals and the food isn't quite as good as Cal-Mex Sonoran style...I think I'll call Juanita's in Encinitas and have them FedEx me a Carne Asada burrito!

David K - 2-9-2009 at 08:59 AM

Mr. Bell (Taco Bell founder) loved Baja and his corporate pilot (Larry Hahn) has a web site: http://www.bajadreams.com Larry Hahn flew to Oceanside to attend Viva Baja #3, in 2002.

BajaGeoff - 2-9-2009 at 12:13 PM

Taco Bell is OK but.....

Taco Town Is The Best!

elgatoloco - 2-9-2009 at 12:34 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by BajaGeoff
Taco Bell is OK but.....

Taco Town Is The Best!


:lol:

nancyinpdx - 2-9-2009 at 01:12 PM

There is a regular little taco restaurant in a tourist plaza after crossing by foot into TJ thats a block or two before you get to Revolution. It is named Taco Bell. I thought that was humorous! : )

bobw - 2-10-2009 at 08:38 AM

Living in Canada, I've had to explain time and time again that a taco in Baja has exactly 0 ingredients in common with what Canadians think is a taco:(