ODE TO THE TACO

Since I arrived to work in the United States, I've met people from all over the world, from Peru to Mongolia, passing through India and Germany, Kazakhstan and Argentina. And every time I introduce myself as Mexican, the first thing they say is, "Oh! So you eat tacos!"

At first, I felt a bit attacked because this happened with every possible nationality, reflecting a cliché idea that the word "taco" is synonymous with "Mexico". I would spend the next ten minutes trying to explain that Mexican cuisine is not just about tacos, describing dishes like pozole, menudo, and mole. Since this was in English, it was often tedious and complicated.

It wasn't until a friend from Argentina asked me to cook for her birthday (she obviously requested tacos) that I made tacos a personal mission. I took it upon myself to teach Mexican cuisine to my friends through tacos.

For me, cooking for the people I care about is another way to express my love for them. It combines the two things that move me most in life: love and cooking. And even though this sounds romantic, it doesn't take much—sometimes all you need are some really amazing tacos.

That's why this post is more than just a love letter to tacos. It's also a way to introduce you to the variety of this simple food that can be as complex as you want it to be.

Let's start with the basics. Let's say you want something simple. You're walking down the street and you see a taco stand. You've just finished work and you want some tacos. So you go for something simple—a taco al pastor, steak, chorizo, or grilled beef. Maybe you'll order a mixed one, or if you're lucky, you might still get one with tongue. The taquero, who calls you "güero", serves them to you on a plate wrapped in a plastic bag so you don't have to wash it. There are no chairs to sit on, so you prepare your tacos with cilantro, onion, four very dry limes, and the salsa that the taquero told you is the spiciest (because if it's not spicy, it's not salsa). You have a cold soda in a glass bottle, you pay, and you leave.

Ah, but what about when you're at home and you have some leftovers from the day before? You decide to make some tacos dorados filled with potato. If you have guests, you present them as flautas. Your friend from Zacatecas brought some tacos called "envenenados", a special recipe from her mom, and your friend from Baja California made Baja fish tacos, turning this into a sudden taquiza where you're eating traditional northern Mexican tacos you never knew existed.

Maybe you woke up with a hangover from the night before and you eat some barbacoa, birria, or carnitas tacos to help you. You notice how tender the meat is because it's been cooked for over four hours, and you go home feeling happy and rejuvenated. Or you see a basket taco stand on your way to work and order egg, pressed pork rind, and bean tacos.

Or let's go for something more complicated. You're going out with someone and you want to take this person to a high-end restaurant to make a great first impression. You look at the menu and see pulled pork al pastor tacos, bone marrow with esquites (you can add ant eggs for an extra 90 pesos), grasshopper tacos, or even confit tongue (which happens to be the cheapest). You see accompaniments like chicatana ant, adobo-style venison tacos, and even deconstructions that make you think, "Is this really a taco?!"

And in all of this, what is a taco? A taco is not just about piling ingredients recklessly on a corn tortilla. Every taco you've ever eaten starts with the idea of flavors that can complement each other. They are preparations that take hours to marinate and even more hours to cook fully. It's about thinking which salsa pairs best with the type of taco you're making, the accompaniments it should have, and how to cook them so they work together. It's even about pairing them with drinks.

Yes, globally, Mexico is synonymous with the word "taco". So the next time you meet someone who only talks about tacos and Cancun when you say you're Mexican, don't get upset. Just say yes, and give them a list of 10 tacos that are different from al pastor. I guarantee that with the preparations you mention, you'll have at least an hour-long conversation explaining Mexican cuisine starting from just one dish: the taco.