Gustavo Arellano’s Taco USA was a great way to familiarize yourself with Mexican food literature and history. He brings a proactive and vivid account of the impact of Mexican food on American Culture. With a journalistic background, Arellano’s inherent persuasiveness allow the reader to develop a respect for the pioneers of Mexican food. In other words, those who inadvertently remained in America after the Mexican-American War. The explosion of Mexican food in the west leads to American putting their own twist on the food, and eventually capitalization. Arellano also uncovers what the American people do not know, like the process of nixtamalization, and how Taco Bell got its false start. Most importantly, he reveals the long and grueling competition amongst “Mexican food chefs” in the United States and stories of some Mexicans who were able to enter the competition. Arellano’s goal is to illuminate how much America’s food culture depends on the foodways brought from Mexico.
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What I like best about Arellano’s style is how he moves between history, pop culture, and then sarcastic social commentary, all within a single breath. Also, some of his descriptions of the foods, even some that might seem gross, are vivid and even poetic. You can tell he had lots of practice writing about food, and that’s actually how he got his start in the journalism business.
So all that goes to say, writing about food is a way to become a professional writer, to get your foot in the door, and maybe to move on to different things. This was the case for Arellano, but he also maintained his interests in foodways.
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