There are a lot of foods on the menus of Mexican Restaurants in the U.S. that are considered “foreign” in Mexico, like nachos, chimichangas, yellow cheese and tomato based sauces. Rice is not native to Mexico or Central America. It was introduced there by the Spaniards 500 years ago. Although the general population does consume rice, its not as much as you may think: in terms of world consumption, Mexico isn’t even in the top 15. The true Mexican diet is based on corn/masa, beans and squash. 
Well, if you insist!
Actually, although this is a zombie thread, it allows me to share that when I was in Mexico last year I found out that they totally have Chili’s there. I didn’t get a chance to eat there, but from the outside it looked exactly the same (except for the mandatory Virgin of Guadalupe statue.)
But Mexican folks don’t eat the soupy, mushed beans that restaurants here serve. They are pots of beans cooked all day with garlic and pork chops.
Sesos!
Pozole is not a side dish but a stew made from of hominy and pork and it is a main dish. Sometimes tacos dorados are served on the side but typically when you order pozole it doesn’t come with a side dish.
Also irrelevant. Peanuts and chilis were introduce to the Thais about then, and you can’t imagine Thai food without either one today. Working the other way imagine what British food would be like without the potato. Whether or not a food is “native” makes no impact on what is considered “native” cuisine. Otherwise anything more complicated than “Me kill mammoth. Eat.” wouldn’t qualify.
Beans and rice are on combo plates because that’s what us pasty folk expect.
Mexican meals are rice and beans. They come with tacos or the like.
Wow…I find it difficult to imagine that I once didn’t know how to cook nopalitos! I make them at least once a month now.
And ya’ll were wrong, by the way. After that first time, I learned the REAL authentic way to clean nopales…For 99 cents, you buy a pound of freshly cleaned, cut up *nopales *which the Mexican grocery store workers have packed in an unlabeled ziptop bag next to the whole pads. Way too much work (and too much yummy cactus lost) when a noob tries to clean cactus! 
I like to cook them in a skillet with a little squirt of olive oil, some chopped onions and, if I’m feeling punchy, a diced jalapeno. Some diced tomato tossed in for color at the last minute, and kosher salt to taste. Awesomeness.
I dunno 'bout Mexicans but us Puerto Ricans don’t consider it dinner unless it has rice and beans. I also want to share this totally true story. Me and my girlfriend went out with her sister and her sister’s children (they were and are Ecuadorian). We stopped at a McDonald’s and ate. Later on we were all at her sister’s house and her son 7 year old son asked when was dinner. Mom replied that dinner was already eaten, what did he think we were doing at McDonald’s. His reply, “That wasn’t dinner! Where’s the rice?! Where’s the beans?!”
Everyone agreed the kid was right.
Very appropriate for a zombie thread, though.
Heh.
I was in Mexico for the last 10 days visiting family. We were invited to friends’ one day for a cookout. They grilled some beef for tacos and served…rice and beans on the side (well, the beans also went in the tacos, but still…)
When I was growing up, we had refried beans as part of supper pretty much every night when we were at my grandmother’s. She also served rice several different ways as a sopa seca (dry soup) for the main meal quite often. She lived in Mexico City, FWIW.
Mushed up watery beans r whole beans?
squash and/or potato is a very common side dish
and pickled chiles, carrots, and onions
sometimes radishes
So what are nopales then? Same thing, just not cut? (yes, I realize that nopailitos is the diminutive of nopales).
I’ve mostly seen nopales as the term, but I have seen nopalitos as well.
And… you don’t have to flood rice to grow it; the main reason you flood the paddies is because rice will sprout and grow like that, while most weeds will not.