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"Real" Mexican restaurants don't serve "combo plates". Everything is a la carte. The combo plate thing is uniquely US/Canada except for some touristy places in Mexico.
So as far as this post goes, what was the point of saying (real)? As compared to what?
Real. As in a family owned Mexican restaurant vs a corporate chain of Mexican inspired food such as taco bell
Maybe the more expensive combo option is really just gringo tax: )
We went to a Salvadoran restaurant where a combo of three hearty pupusas were $4.00, and an addition of half a plantain and a small portion of rice and beans suddenly made the price climb up to $13.00. Wtf?!
At another place they sell chorizo that are a dollar LESS than the price listed. First (and only) place I've ever seen where the price is less than what's listed on the menu...not that Im complainin
Real. As in a family owned Mexican restaurant vs a corporate chain of Mexican inspired food such as taco bell
Maybe the more expensive combo option is really just gringo tax: )
Interesting explanation.
The funny thing is, most family-owned Mexican restaurants succumb to the chain restaurant menu because that's what sells. And the typical Mexican chain restaurant menu is decidedly Tex-Mex, not Mexican.
Splitting hairs maybe, but as the quote from the Mexican dad who was taking his son to a "Mexican" restuarant in LA in the link I provided in my initial response said, "It's not Mexican food, but it is delicious."
Same thing with Chinese. Most Chinese places are family-owned, but that doesn't mean they don't sell General Tso chicken or cream-cheese filled fried wontons or a ton of other things that were invented and popularized in the US. These families need to make money. So they offer what sells. And what sells isn't "real" or "authentic".
I never understood the whole need to say some place is "real/authentic" as pertains to Mexican (or Chinese or Italian) restaurants. If you like it, eat there. Just understand it's Americanized. Most Americans wouldn't like "real" Mexican food. No ground beef, lettuce, tomato, cheese on your tacos. Beans usually aren't mashed. Salsas are thin and generally spicier. Not to mention popular taco fillings are often meats that aren't exactly popular in the US.
And in that regard, Taco Bell is as "real" as anyplace else.
Real. As in a family owned Mexican restaurant vs a corporate chain of Mexican inspired food such as taco bell
That doesn't necessarily mean "real." There are plenty of family owned non-chain Mexican restaurants around here that are very Americanized and not at all "real" Mexican.
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