# Taco Bell vs authentic Mexican food - What are the real differences? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 21, 2008, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taco-bell-vs-authentic-mexican-food-what-are-the-real-differences/464516 "2008-09-21T05:35:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2008, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taco-bell-vs-authentic-mexican-food-what-are-the-real-differences/464516/81 "2008-09-25T17:57:05Z")
If you are in California and serious about Mexican food, get down to Watsonville’s [Fiesta Tepa Sahyayo](http://www.yelp.com/biz/fiesta-tepa-sahuayo-watsonville-2) [(some pictures of the food here)](http://www.foodhoe.com/?p=386). They specialize in “hard to find” dishes- you can get chiles en nogada any day along with such unusual dishes as squash blossom enchiladas in rose petal sauce. It’s a tiny family place with a casual and festive atmosphere and dirt cheap food. It’s worth the drive. ---
**Author:** ![ArizonaTeach](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/45deac/32.png) [@ArizonaTeach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ArizonaTeach)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2008, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taco-bell-vs-authentic-mexican-food-what-are-the-real-differences/464516/82 "2008-09-25T18:48:32Z")
> [@beowulff](#): > > That’s 2 miles from where I work… Sweet Baby Jesus I haven’t thought about that place since I moved to Surprise! That’s some faaaaantastic food there. Crap, what’s that place down on 19th and Greenway that is the Chinese/Mexican cuisine? Where you can order a taco with sweet and sour chicken and stuff? ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2008, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taco-bell-vs-authentic-mexican-food-what-are-the-real-differences/464516/83 "2008-09-25T18:51:57Z")
> [@DiggitCamara](#): > > And, returning to the “Chiles en Nogada”, the way I have heard it told, its origin is supposedly linked to the successful end of the war of Independence of Mexico. Agustín de Iturbide (who later crowned himself emperor) asked for a dish that combined the three colors of the flag of the new nation (red, white and green). Thus the Chile en Nogada was born. Yeah, I mention the flag thing upthread, but not the whole story. You know, I swear I’ve heard similar stories for other dishes in other countries (colors of ingredients representing the flag in a commemorative meal for a monarch/leader), but I can’t remember which ones exactly. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2008, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taco-bell-vs-authentic-mexican-food-what-are-the-real-differences/464516/84 "2008-09-25T19:59:28Z")
One of the biggest differences I’ve found is that very little of the Mexican food I’ve had in Mexico (or in U.S. border towns) is actually wrapped in a tortilla. The tortillas, as others have pointed out, are ubiquitous, but are usually served on the side in a warmer (unless you’re buying hand-held food at a cart). Beans are also usually served on the side rather than mixed in as Taco Bell does it. Additionally, perhaps because I spend most of my Mexico time along the coasts, a lot of the Mexican food I’ve encountered is fish, which Mexican fast-food places in the U.S. rarely have. Again, others have mentioned the paucity of beef (lots of pork, lamb, etc.). Clearly, as the **Rick-Cisco** altercation points out, “authentic” means different things to different people. I’ve never been to Oaxaca, so I wouldn’t recognize their dishes as “authentic” Mexican food. Similarly, someone who spent all of their time in Chihuahua might never have encountered the stuff I eat out on the Baja Peninsula. ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2008, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taco-bell-vs-authentic-mexican-food-what-are-the-real-differences/464516/85 "2008-09-26T00:14:12Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Yeah, I mention the flag thing upthread, but not the whole story. You know, I swear I’ve heard similar stories for other dishes in other countries (colors of ingredients representing the flag in a commemorative meal for a monarch/leader), but I can’t remember which ones exactly. Pizza’s supposedly one. Red sauce, white cheese, and green basil. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2008, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taco-bell-vs-authentic-mexican-food-what-are-the-real-differences/464516/86 "2008-09-26T05:19:35Z")
> [@ArizonaTeach](#): > > Crap, what’s that place down on 19th and Greenway that is the Chinese/Mexican cuisine? Where you can order a taco with sweet and sour chicken and stuff? Chino Bandido! That was the first local place I discovered upon moving here in 2003. Still go there every couple months and always take out of town guests there since it’s so delightfully odd. The jade red chicken with a chile relleno, black beans, and rice is great. Love the giant panda with the pistols, long mustache, and sombrero :D. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2008, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taco-bell-vs-authentic-mexican-food-what-are-the-real-differences/464516/87 "2008-09-26T05:41:44Z")
> [@Aesiron](#): > > Pizza’s supposedly one. Red sauce, white cheese, and green basil. That’s it: Pizza Margherita, named after Margherita of Savoy, queen (consort) of Italy. I think there’s a few more, too. ---
**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2008, 6:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taco-bell-vs-authentic-mexican-food-what-are-the-real-differences/464516/88 "2008-09-26T06:48:26Z")
> [@InvisibleWombat](#): > > Clearly, as the **Rick-Cisco** altercation points out, “authentic” means different things to different people. I’ve never been to Oaxaca, so I wouldn’t recognize their dishes as “authentic” Mexican food. Similarly, someone who spent all of their time in Chihuahua might never have encountered the stuff I eat out on the Baja Peninsula. Indeed, and the authentic way that I make tacos, being born in Texas with one of my parents being hispanic (as in, first generation fluent english speaker, although our family has lived in Texas since at least the late 1800s) is to brown some ground beef with onions and olive oil and garlic, then toss in a can of Rotel. Serve on flour tortillas with cheddar and tobasco. Is it how they eat it in Mexico City or Guadalajara? _shrug_ Probably about as close to “real” Mexican food as the Italians ever get to proper Pizza. Food gets changed as it goes from place to place. People take what they know, adapt it to the materials they can get (and what they can get people to eat), and pick up new tricks as they go. Just eat any kind of “Ethnic” food in an Army chow hall and see how close they get it compared to Taco Bell. The cooks here think Yaka Soba somehow includes spaghetti and hamburger meet as ingredients, although it tastes great with Tobasco. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2008, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taco-bell-vs-authentic-mexican-food-what-are-the-real-differences/464516/89 "2008-09-26T17:43:12Z")
> [@Raguleader](#): > > Indeed, and the authentic way that I make tacos, being born in Texas with one of my parents being hispanic (as in, first generation fluent english speaker, although our family has lived in Texas since at least the late 1800s) is to brown some ground beef with onions and olive oil and garlic, then toss in a can of Rotel. Serve on flour tortillas with cheddar and tobasco. I’m a big believer in cooking stuff the way I like it, as opposed to following “authentic” recipes. When I make tacos, I generally cook up some fresh onions, garlic and Anaheim chilis (I’ll settle for bell peppers if that’s what I’ve got), brown either ground beef or sliced flank steak (whatever’s handy) with a bunch of cilantro, and then serve buffet style with a big bowl of beans (refried or black beans depending on my mood), grated cheese (jack, cheddar, whatever), warm flour tortillas, and a couple of different salsas. I’ll often sprinkle feta or a Mexican goat cheese on the refried beans. If avocados are in season, I’ll slice one up. The spices I add to the meat are different every time, depending on what I feel like doing that day. It’s not “authentic,” but it makes me happy and my family likes it, too. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2008, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taco-bell-vs-authentic-mexican-food-what-are-the-real-differences/464516/90 "2008-09-26T18:23:19Z")
> [@InvisibleWombat](#): > > It’s not “authentic,” but it makes me happy and my family likes it, too. That’s how everyone should cook. We’re not the “melting pot” without good reason. ---
**Author:** ![Salazar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbce88/32.png) [@Salazar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Salazar)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2015, 10:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taco-bell-vs-authentic-mexican-food-what-are-the-real-differences/464516/91 "2015-01-18T10:32:32Z")
> [@cckerberos](#): > > Never been to Mexico, but can offer this: > > In Mexico, a “taco” is anything that’s wrapped in a tortilla, and is no more specific a food item than a sandwich is. So burritos are tacos. Actually no, BUrritos are wrapped up like a cilinder, we usuallly make em with beans, meat, and awacate. tacos usually have multiple ingridients, and wrapped in a half circle ---
**Author:** ![Salazar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbce88/32.png) [@Salazar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Salazar)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2015, 10:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taco-bell-vs-authentic-mexican-food-what-are-the-real-differences/464516/92 "2015-01-18T10:35:06Z")
ok well I have personally prefer the tacos of my home but anyway, 1# mexican tacos are cheaper 2# mexican sauce for tacos is actually spicy (taco bells sauce its like sugar to me) 3# Mexican tacos taste better( from my expierence) ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2015, 11:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taco-bell-vs-authentic-mexican-food-what-are-the-real-differences/464516/93 "2015-01-18T11:54:55Z")
> [@cckerberos](#): > > Never been to Mexico, but can offer this: > > In Mexico, a “taco” is anything that’s wrapped in a tortilla, and is no more specific a food item than a sandwich is. So burritos are tacos. There’s the old joke about the little old lady who’s never had Mexican food, and she walks into a Mexican restaurant, goes up the counter and starts to order. \*She asks: Whats a TAY-co? Answer: Meet, beans and rice in a tortilla. OK, she says: What’s a boo-REE-to? Answer: Meet, beans and rice in a tortilla. OK, she asks: What’s a tah-MAY-le? Answer: Meet, beans and rice in a tortilla.\* ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2015, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taco-bell-vs-authentic-mexican-food-what-are-the-real-differences/464516/94 "2015-01-19T00:04:03Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > There’s the old joke about the little old lady who’s never had Mexican food, and she walks into a Mexican restaurant, goes up the counter and starts to order. > > \*She asks: Whats a TAY-co? > Answer: Meet, beans and rice in a tortilla. > > OK, she says: What’s a boo-REE-to? > Answer: Meet, beans and rice in a tortilla. > > OK, she asks: What’s a tah-MAY-le? > Answer: Meet, beans and rice in a tortilla.\* Beans and rice in a tayco? pfft. yeah right… :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2015, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taco-bell-vs-authentic-mexican-food-what-are-the-real-differences/464516/95 "2015-01-19T00:08:21Z")
I’ve always wondered… How do you say ‘taco’ in Spanish? ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2015, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taco-bell-vs-authentic-mexican-food-what-are-the-real-differences/464516/96 "2015-01-19T00:12:48Z")
Q: What do Mexican zombies eat? A: Tacos del sesos! ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2015, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taco-bell-vs-authentic-mexican-food-what-are-the-real-differences/464516/97 "2015-01-19T00:20:41Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > There’s the old joke about the little old lady who’s never had Mexican food, and she walks into a Mexican restaurant, goes up the counter and starts to order. > > \*She asks: Whats a TAY-co? > Answer: Meet, beans and rice in a tortilla. > > OK, she says: What’s a boo-REE-to? > Answer: Meet, beans and rice in a tortilla. > > OK, she asks: What’s a tah-MAY-le? > Answer: Meet, beans and rice in a tortilla.\* Whoever made up that joke has never had a tamale. There are no beans, rice or tortilla. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2015, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taco-bell-vs-authentic-mexican-food-what-are-the-real-differences/464516/98 "2015-01-19T00:23:59Z")
I don’t believe I’ve ever had salsa served to me in a ketchup packet at a Tex Mex restaurant. Even the bad ones. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2015, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taco-bell-vs-authentic-mexican-food-what-are-the-real-differences/464516/99 "2015-01-19T00:39:54Z")
> [@Shakes](#): > > I don’t believe I’ve ever had salsa served to me in a ketchup packet at a Tex Mex restaurant. > Even the bad ones. That’s hot sauce, and it’s pretty common in some of the excellent taquerias I’ve visited in Atlanta. (Not the same brand, obviously.) ---
**Author:** ![Belowjob2.0](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Belowjob2.0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Belowjob2.0)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2015, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taco-bell-vs-authentic-mexican-food-what-are-the-real-differences/464516/100 "2015-01-19T02:53:29Z")
I haven’t been to Taco Hell in years, but as far as I know, they don’t have pozole, birria, tamales, chilaquiles, carnitas, or menudo. Basically, just about anything you can get from [an LA food truck](http://ced.berkeley.edu/bpj/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/2459326111_7a6da4d0f8_z.jpeg), you can’t get at Taco Hell. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taco-bell-vs-authentic-mexican-food-what-are-the-real-differences/464516.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taco-bell-vs-authentic-mexican-food-what-are-the-real-differences/464516.md?page=6)