A Word on Planet Taco

Usually, if someone mentions, their line of work is the Taco industry, they would laugh, and say that it’s “not a serious profession.” But Jerry M. Pilcher’s Planet Taco proves otherwise. Through his well-crafted words and fact-based delivery, Picher allows the reader to take tacos seriously. Compared to Taco USA, which has more of a journalistic approach, Pilcher takes on a historic approach. The book itself is divided into chapters with subsections that delve deeply into each topic. Pilcher’s book is centered on the question “What is Mexican food?” And explores this question by writing about the Aztecs in ancient Mexico, contending that tortillas are one the oldest foodways in the world. He demonstrates the various influences on Mexican from the Spanish inquisition to the brief but impactful French colonization. He takes the readers through Mexico’s gradual tradition of relying on corn to elevating the use of flour as the more prestigious way of making tortillas. Also, he focuses on Mexico’s strong influence on American cuisine as more taquerías begin to appear in the American Southwest, changing the flavors of the region forever. Further, he points out how globalization has been used to elevate traditional Mexican cooking (using corn) in a restaurant operated by people influenced by Mexican cuisine or Mexican’s that have migrated. And conversely, Pilcher touches on how Mexico has turned against the more traditional ways of cooking to accept more modern methods. Overall even though the language is dense, Pilcher makes sure that no small detail is missed or sugar-coated