The word is going around that President Trump is very indecisive when it comes to tariffs. His timidity has led to a new nickname TACO that is the acronym for “Trump Always Chickens Out.”
I am not worried about the nickname. I am worried however, about how the acronym that spells out a foundational word in Latino heritage can damage its meaning.
That is to say that President Trump’s tariff policies in action have created another victim. This time it is the taco, a cultural icon of the Latino community.
Over the last few years, I have developed the habit of every time I land in Mexico City, going immediately to a favorite eatery and ordering a half dozen tacos. There is nothing more immediately delicious after a day of travel than two longaniza, two suadero and two al pastor tacos with onion and cilantro.
Soft tacos have always been a mainstay of Mexican street food and other popular places. Not so in the beginning here in the United States.The taco is a product of a corn culture. The American diet tends toward wheat, flour and bread.
It can be said to a point that the history of the taco in this country got caught in the transition between the Mexican and American cultures. I remember our tacos in Texas and on the migrant stream that were made with flour tortillas and some even had meat and gravy.
Those flour tortilla tacos is what I took to school and ate out of the bag rather than put them on the table because of the embarrassment of having them seen by other students. They were a symbol of poverty of the Latino underclass.
I was in college when I began to hear about the “California taco” with its hard corn shell that began to spread across the country as a fast food. To me, it was a strange phenomenon because just the name took me back to a world associated with a difficult life.
Later, I did take my turn eating the Taco Bell brand of food with its ground beef base and added it as a choice when I wanted a change from the other fast foods. Yet, I knew that the generally bland taste of the food was not really Mexican.
The corn taco has reached its zenith in America with the cuisine brought by Mexican immigrants. The soft taco delicacy is in great demand especially by those from all races and ethnicities that demand authenticity and know what a good taco should taste like.
Studies are showing that among the favorite foods served in the 50 largest cities in the United States Mexican food is ranked number 1. One of the best dishes is tacos de carne asada.
The legacy of the Mexican taco is being besmirched by its association with the failings of an anti-immigrant President whose favorite food comes from McDonalds. I wish there was another way to express those failings rather than using the term taco President.
The Mexican taco is derived from an ancient heritage associated with dozens of native corn varieties in the country. It came to the United States as a humble distortion of the real thing.
However, in America the taco has won back its authenticity and achieved a popularity second to none. Its legacy as an American food has to be cherished and respected.
Associating the President and his failings with the taco is an affront on several levels. Most are obvious to everyone.
The views expressed by David Conde are not necessarily the views of LaVozColorado. Comments and responses may be directed to News@lavozcolorado.com.
