I tried reading the article series, but it put my teeth on edge. The author repeatedly says things along the lines of “but that wasn’t really Mexican food, because you can’t get it in Mexico city.” It seems to me that that’s like saying “bouillabaisse isn’t really a French food, they don’t make it in Paris.” I mean, Mexico is a big place, and it seems clear that what people eat in Mexico City (in the mountains in the south) and what they eat along the border (in the desert in the north) is going to be different. But that doesn’t mean the northern food is “inauthentic”.
It may very well be that “Mexican food” as we refer to it now is not even close to what people were eating 100 years ago in the border region between Texas and Mexico, but you can’t prove it to me by saying “they didn’t eat that food 1000 miles away in Mexico city”.
I’ll be going to Comic-Con too–I know it sounds weird, but principally I’m going to meet the author of Questionable Content, which another Doper turned me on to in the picture thread; although of course I’d love to wander around and see all I can see, as I had a blast going there each day and sampling everything the last time I went.
I would love to meet the collective you for post-Con lunch, but in all honesty I don’t know much more about the Gaslamp than you do; I’m under 21 (just a couple of months under 20, actually) and am basically trapped under the parents’ watch while I take a summer-session class. It ends on the 20th, though, the first day of the Con; so I can go at least from the second day on. I’ll work on getting some recommendations and then if you like we can go try them out when you come down here. You’ll have to buy the beer, though.
Works for me. We are going to be there from Friday on…we’ll have to meet for lunch at least. I know some other Dopers are always there. I’ll start a thread on it about a week before.
That’s 213er, I’ll have you say. At least half of the day. The point, though, is very well taken.
And well you shouldn’t. The Gaslamp is an over-priced, pathetic fabrication of San Diego boosterism. They have “soul food,” “Thai,” and what have you, and it all tastes like crap because the deprived populace of San Diego usually doesn’t know otherwise, and will pay anyway. (You, fetus, I can see, clearly do know otherwise.) They try to fool you with ridiculous terms like “Nouvell Latin Cuisine” (sorry, 'mano, but it doesn’t exist), or “Contempory Mexican Cuisine” (as though day-to-day Mexico has had this sudden, cullenary revolution). If Kevin Smith finishes soon enough, I’d get on the freeway or the train and go to a normal-people neighborhood, like Golden Heights, Barrio Logan, or somewhere in the South Bay. If you don’t mind the informality of a Roberto’s-type fast food, look up the closest, or Cotija. If you really want the whole restaurant and drinks thing, I’ll pimp for my step-mother and tell you to go to Old Town.
You’re right. “Authenticity” here is a chimera. As mentioned above by Opal, find what you like.
To tell you the truth, I still prefer a carne asada burrito from Burrito King any day to all that “authentic” stuff. And the owner of that (now small family) chain is from Colombia.
I might be around there, if I feel like stomaching the 5 on a weekend, or have some business down there. I can check out some haunts, and I’d be happy to buy a beer, and maybe I wouldn’t notice if it came 'round your way.
Pimp away. I’ve got no problem with a quick jaunt to Old Town. Which place is hers? We may have already discovered it. The Gaslamp limit was just because I don’t feel like driving very far after a day at Comic-Con, and within walking distance of the hotel would be nice. But hey, for good food I’ll drive a bit.
I’m not sure if the Board will allow me to say, as it may be some form of advertising, but send me a message and I’ll let you know.
She’s had two, the first of which was a California historic landmark, in which I worked for three years, but has since closed down, because she couldn’t afford the bid. (The state owns the park, and every so often businesses there have to renew their right to operate on any given site in a bidding process.)
Old Town has been shaken up recently because some corporation outbid Diane Powers for the Bizarre del Mundo area, and just put in similar (but probably inferior) restaurants in place of hers. And some other places have changed hands since I’ve been there. Almost anything around there is priced for tourists. I was on the train once, downtown, and it got completely filled with a hoard of Swedish tourists. Not having much to do, I followed them, curious as to their destination. They ended up going to Old Town, but went up San Diego Avenue (out of the state park) to the Old Town Mexican Cafe. That’s one place that’s been around since before I was born, and is popular equally between tourist and native. It wasn’t exorbitant last time I went, but it may have changed. You probably couldn’t go wrong there, but you’d have to wait for a seat on the weekend.
There are quite a few new places, since last I saw. There’s one that claims to be “South American food,” which is a pretty silly thing to claim.
In case anyone else was wondering what in the hells a chimichanga is (never seen one in El Paso), wikipedia has an entry. Seems to be a deep-fried burrito invented in Tucson, AZ.
Why is it that at a typical “Mexican” restaurant in the U.S., every entree comes with “Mexican” rice and refried beans? Why can’t they include a wider range of side dishes on the menu?
Several years ago, I happened to be working (in Northern California) with a group of colleagues from Mexico City. We took them to lunch at Chevy’s (typical Tex-Mex; enchiladas, tamales, burritos, fajitas, quesadillas).
Our guests enjoyed the food, but the only thing on the menu that they recognized was: flan.
It’s cheap and filling. That’s why I say so many Mexican restaurants are overpriced, at least for me. I don’t like to pay money for something that I could easily make myself, for next to nothing.
