DEAR MEXICAN: I live in New York, where taco trucks are a fairly recent addition to the urban landscape. I've noticed they always serve their tacos with double tortillas. Why? I'm a longtime lover of Mexican food (the REAL stuff) and own several Mexican cookbooks, but the recipes never call for this. Also, what is the “right” way to eat a double-tortilla taco? I generally split the filling between the two tortillas, since there is so much of it, but I have no idea whether I'm just making a fool out of myself.
Gourmet Gringa
DEAR GABACHA: “Actually, double tortillas are common in Mexico!” says Lesley Téllez, author of the awesome nuevo book Eat Mexico: Recipes From Mexico City's Streets, Markets N Fondas, as well as a Puebla York resident herself. “Lots of Mexico City street vendors serve their tacos on two tortillas, or they'll ask if clients want one or two, in case they're watching their waistlines. . . . Particularly with a liquidy filling like a guisado, the first tortilla breaks. So the second tortilla serves as back-up. How you eat your taco is up to you, so load it with two salsas, divide it in half—como quieras.”
Good job, Lesley! The Mexican will only add that you shouldn't add peas to your tacos. . . . HA!
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DEAR MEXICAN: Here's a spicy tamale for you: Why do Mexicans tear one another down? Why do they hate to see another Mexican doing better than themselves? They see a fellow Mexican climbing to the top, and rather than cheer him or her on, they throw stones, grab at their ankles and drag them back down. Yes, I'm a Mexican (and a proud one) with an education. I have a strong work ethic, and I work hard to get what I have, yet I feel despised by fellow Mexicans who think that I think I'm better than them. One of my former Mexican supervisors didn't like it because I could communicate and articulate with gabacho supervisors on their level. He verbally berated me and called me a suck-ass in front of a group of employees. Could have been a nice EEO complaint, but I just said, “Adiós, and besa mi culo” and walked out. Even the local drunks in my barrio look at me dirty because “I don't talk to them.” Is it because they would rather see me drunk and belligerent with them all day behind the local icehouse?
I have no tolerance for stupidity, be they black, white, Mexican or other. I sell aluminum cans to supplement my income, so no, I don't think I'm better, especially when I'm diggin' in a trash can for a few cans. Okay, Mexican, thanks for letting me get that off my chest. I wait in earnest for the wisdom of your response.
Just Another Mexican
DEAR POCHO: You know who hates Mexicans more than Donald Trump? Mexicans. I wish there were a punch line for this, but there ain't. Crabs in a bucket, cabrones: cangrejos en una cubeta.
