In My Mother's Kitchen: Tacos
If pizza was my favorite food as a kid and spaghetti and meatballs was number two, number three was probably tacos.
As it happens, M loves tacos, and we make many different varieties of them for dinner. In 2020 we've already made two new variations of tacos and countless more last year. Heck, we had tacos for a big lunch today. However, growing up, the tacos my mother made were pretty much always the same. The table would have:
- A bowl of ground beef with a spice mix featuring cumin.
- Shredded cheddar cheese
- Lettuce
- Tomatoes
- Hot sauce for Dad.
- Soft corn tortillas, heated up in the microwave.
- Beans. In my memory, these were baked beans, which doesn't make much sense for tacos, but that's what I remember.
Needless to say, this didn't turn up in the cookbook my mom and sister put together for me, although a fajita recipe I never remember my mother making did turn up. I've never made it exactly like this since, although sometimes I've come close. In particular, lettuce almost never turns up on our tacos, and M loves various salsas and sour cream so those always make an appearance. Depending on preference we do chicken, fish and vegi tacos with an assortment of cheeses and toppings.
It's sort of remarkable how far along Mexican food has come in popularity since the 1980s. While there were a few "authentic" Mexican joints, even in North Dakota, now it seems like every other restaurant either has Mexican food or at least a new spin on "Modern Mexican." Even just in the suburb I live in now I can think of three Mexican restaurants, the inevitable Taco Bell, the taco place attached to the Mexican grocery store (they catered a birthday party I went to a few years back), at least two more dedicated taco joints plus several other places that have tacos at least occasionally (usually Tuesday, amirite?) and several other places that are at least taco adjacent. All the tacos places have a variety of different flavor combinations. Things have changed since I was a kid, and when it comes to food, they've mostly changed for the better.
EDIT: Mom says she used baked beans because refried beans were not available in the grocery stores at that time. She says once you could buy refried beans she switched and never went back.
As it happens, M loves tacos, and we make many different varieties of them for dinner. In 2020 we've already made two new variations of tacos and countless more last year. Heck, we had tacos for a big lunch today. However, growing up, the tacos my mother made were pretty much always the same. The table would have:
- A bowl of ground beef with a spice mix featuring cumin.
- Shredded cheddar cheese
- Lettuce
- Tomatoes
- Hot sauce for Dad.
- Soft corn tortillas, heated up in the microwave.
- Beans. In my memory, these were baked beans, which doesn't make much sense for tacos, but that's what I remember.
Needless to say, this didn't turn up in the cookbook my mom and sister put together for me, although a fajita recipe I never remember my mother making did turn up. I've never made it exactly like this since, although sometimes I've come close. In particular, lettuce almost never turns up on our tacos, and M loves various salsas and sour cream so those always make an appearance. Depending on preference we do chicken, fish and vegi tacos with an assortment of cheeses and toppings.
It's sort of remarkable how far along Mexican food has come in popularity since the 1980s. While there were a few "authentic" Mexican joints, even in North Dakota, now it seems like every other restaurant either has Mexican food or at least a new spin on "Modern Mexican." Even just in the suburb I live in now I can think of three Mexican restaurants, the inevitable Taco Bell, the taco place attached to the Mexican grocery store (they catered a birthday party I went to a few years back), at least two more dedicated taco joints plus several other places that have tacos at least occasionally (usually Tuesday, amirite?) and several other places that are at least taco adjacent. All the tacos places have a variety of different flavor combinations. Things have changed since I was a kid, and when it comes to food, they've mostly changed for the better.
EDIT: Mom says she used baked beans because refried beans were not available in the grocery stores at that time. She says once you could buy refried beans she switched and never went back.