# Why does Mexican (or Tex-Mex) food suck so bad in most of America? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 25, 2004, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-mexican-or-tex-mex-food-suck-so-bad-in-most-of-america/226022 "2004-01-25T18:19:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2004, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-mexican-or-tex-mex-food-suck-so-bad-in-most-of-america/226022/61 "2004-01-29T15:38:37Z")
**Slortar** : I don’t know about Escanaba, but I can tell you that there are no Mexican restaurants in Marquette atm. There used to be one right downtown but they’ve been closed for many years now. The best we get is the aforementioned “Border Grill” and Mexican night at the local Greek place. **look!ninjas** The really funny thing about the pasty story is that I know people who probaby don’t really know what a burrito is, and “Mexican Pasty” would probably get the idea across. Although empenadas are more like Mexican Pasties. Speaking of MichMex, there is one advantage: Trout and whitefish actually make pretty damn good fish tacos! ---
**Author:** ![Wumpus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8c91f0/32.png) [@Wumpus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wumpus)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2004, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-mexican-or-tex-mex-food-suck-so-bad-in-most-of-america/226022/62 "2004-01-29T17:04:43Z")
Nitpick: Pastys aren’t Polish burrtitos, they’re Cornish burritos. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![CaptBushido](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a88e4f/32.png) [@CaptBushido](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaptBushido)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2004, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-mexican-or-tex-mex-food-suck-so-bad-in-most-of-america/226022/63 "2004-01-31T06:31:37Z")
Just out of curiosity, seeing as how I’ve lived in Texas all my life and (if you count California) I’ve never really been outside of the Southwest US: What are some of what you Northerners and Midwesterners (and possibly Southerners, though I haven’t yet seen anyone comment on the state of Mexican cuisine in the south) consider inferior Mexican chain restaurants? Not counting fast food like Taco Bell, of course. Real sit-down, order from a waiter establishments that apparently serve these sad replicas of real Tex-mex. I’m rather curious. The only one’s food that I’ve ever found to be consistently crummy is “Casa Ole”. Do you have those? Is that a national chain? “El Chico” and “On the Border”, on the other hand get my thumbs up. They’re nothing ORGASMIC like you sometimes find at independently owned local places, but they’re alright. Do those sound familiar. “On the Border” seems to have the smack of an “Olive Garden”-like national chain. Is it? ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2004, 7:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-mexican-or-tex-mex-food-suck-so-bad-in-most-of-america/226022/64 "2004-01-31T07:32:07Z")
> [@edwino](#): > > After sampling “Tex-Mex” in places like Baltimore and Northern California (yeeurrrrrrgh), here are my 3 reasons why Tex-Mex sucks everywhere else: You might actually know this better than I ( since I’ve never been south of Tiajuana ) but NorCal, or at least the SF Bay Area, I suspect tends to show a little more of a Central American influence than Tex-Mex, which just isn’t native ( well, I know you can at least get pupusas a few places around here, anyway ). In fact I think San Francisco is the only county in CA where Central and South ( but mostly Central ) American-origined Latinos outnumber Mexican-origined Latinos ( out of about a commbined total of maybe 15% of the population ). I must say that I prefer the local style to the Tex-Mex I’ve had ( I’ve never been a fajita fan ), but to each their own :). - Tamerlane ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2004, 7:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-mexican-or-tex-mex-food-suck-so-bad-in-most-of-america/226022/65 "2004-01-31T07:37:04Z")
> [@DogsLunch](#): > > New Mexican cuisine is distinctly different from Mexican or Tex-Mex. I think the latter are heavier while New Mexican is lighter and much hotter. Here in Long Beach, CA we have a place called Sante Fe Station. It serves New Mexican cuisine. I absolutely love it. However, it’s not a very popular place and is in danger of going under. ---
**Author:** ![Carnac\_the\_Magnificent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Carnac\_the\_Magnificent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carnac_the_Magnificent)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2004, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-mexican-or-tex-mex-food-suck-so-bad-in-most-of-america/226022/66 "2004-01-31T15:12:32Z")
> [@Trunk](#): > > Well, since you lumped Baltimore in with the original post, I’ll defend it a bit. Basically, I’ve found 4 types of “mexican” in this town. > > [snip] > > It’s the same slop in all of them: beans, rice and meat either in burrito form, chimichanga form, enchilada form, etc. The same Tex-Mex that’s everywhere. I’ll chow it from time to time but not really appreciate it. Well said: slop. But you forgot the grated cheddar cheese. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2004, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-mexican-or-tex-mex-food-suck-so-bad-in-most-of-america/226022/67 "2004-01-31T17:31:41Z")
I’ve located an excellent Mexican restaurant in my local town…the guy is mexican, and he uses real mexican stuff, like mexican cheese, etc. His chile rellenos are excellent. One weird thing though-he doesn’t make his own salas! He uses canned salsa-that’s the only detraction from his food! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-mexican-or-tex-mex-food-suck-so-bad-in-most-of-america/226022.md?page=3)