23 Sep 2014

Dining:

Celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month With a Taco

Fish tacos at a Santa Barbara restaurant, consumed by the author. Photo by María Helena Carey

Fish tacos at a Santa Barbara restaurant, consumed by the author. Photo by María Helena Carey

When I moved to the Hill from the West Coast, one of the things that struck me was the dearth of Mexican food. I was pointed to a few places that were adequate, but the flavor was just not the same. I had been spoiled in California, with handmade tortillas made by first- and second-generation people from south of the Border, who can look at corn and nixtamalize it into pliable, soft perfection.

Of course, things have changed here in DC. For starters, food no longer has to taste like an ashtray, a welcome piece of legislation that hails from 2006. DC’s food and cocktail scene is not just “happening” –to abuse that poor gerund some more. It’s thriving and taking strong root: District residents are cultivating discerning palates, and the explosion of new restaurants is proof-positive of this development. Within this revolution, Mexican and Mexican-inspired food in the District — especially on the Hill — is thriving. Gone are the days where Taco Bell and a couple of other choices were the only ways to get the sunny flavors of the great country of Mexico into your stomach. (Often by way of El Salvador, which could be geographically confusing.)

Every evolution, however, incorporates existing elements and refines them. Salvadoran establishments have supplied a great need in the Atlantic seaboard, and their take on the standards has been often delicious. All of Latin America, and specifically Hispanic America (that is, the countries in the Americas that are not the United States and which speak Spanish, such as my native Colombia) is in great cultural debt to Mexico: thanks to its physical proximity and the community-oriented values of its people, many other immigrant groups have been able to keep up with their own traditions and feel a connection with their own culture. For an expatriate, the little but important things like Univisión (founded by Mexican-Americans) can mean that a piece of what you left behind is always with you.

Therefore, I am happy that there is a month that not only celebrates the independence of several countries (Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Belize, and Chile), but that also appreciates the contributions that we, Hispanic Americans, have brought to the United States. Enough of sappy recollections: what you need to know is that, out of all the Mexican foods, the dearest to me is the simple yet complex taco. Its history is fascinating: the taco started as a food for skilled laborers. Although it’s deceptively simple –a filling and a dressing, encased in some sort of bread– things like the switch from corn to flour tortillas belie a past fraught with socioeconomic turmoil. This even explains why most corn tortillas tend to taste awful. What better way, then, to celebrate the complex ethnic and cultural richness of my people, than by eating tacos? The cross-country burrito quest is well covered by Five Thirty Eight: for me, the taco quest across the Hill will do. I will be bringing you weekly posts on the best tacos you can find in and around the Hill. If you have a place you think I should try, leave it in the comments.

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