Then I don’t see why you even responded at all. This is literally all I was saying. Its the base argument against the concept of authenticity in food. Tex Mex is authentically Tex Mex in its own right. American Chinese is authentic in its own right. Neither is automatically inauthentic by comparison to a different, related food.
At no point was I aguing that Tex Mex is some how the authentic Mexican food. My whole point is that authenticity is largely a dead end. Whatever you think of a Mexican food isn’t the Mexican food either. There are a few dozen distinct regional cuisines there.
So is Mexican Mexican food. So is all food.
You might be surprised to learn that American chili powder is not much a feature of Tex Mex. And isn’t much compromised in the sense that we normally think of. Its mostly powdered ancho chilis, sometimes it has cumin or coriander in it. Its a convenience spice blend originally meant for making chili, and goes along with Chili bricks in time line. There’s nothing involving altering an existing spice blend, or some how neutering an already mild chili.
That’s exactly the sort of thing I’m talking about. A modern mass market product gets a just-so story about its reason for being, almost always one of being altered for “American” palates. Then it gets back dated into something essential and definitive for the culture it grew out of. That replaces the actual, continual history of cultural exchange involved with easy stories about branded goods and compromise.
You just seem to be discussing this from the same assumptions you’re apparently arguing against.
You’re against the very concept of authenticity, which is fine.
A lot of minds have gone that way.
It’s a subjective quality so it’s always possible to say that it’s abstractly a meaningless quality. But it has a lot of subjective truth for a lot of people and there’s many a situation where ordering an American grilled cheese sandwich in a random country on a random continent would cause you to think that maybe it didn’t taste like a super-duper authentic grilled cheese sandwich, even though it was absolutely an authentic American grilled cheese sandwich of that place. For your subjective taste, in your individually-limited subjective life.
FWIW I ordered a hamburger in Zurich, when I was 8, because I recognized that word on the menu. I received a hamburger, but with a fried egg where the top bun would’ve been (had I ordered it in the USA). Not what I was expecting, but not bad!
(P.S. this was 40 years ago, not sure if McDonald’s et al had yet extended their tentacles into Switzerland although my parents would’ve probably talked me out of that anyway, “you could get that at home” etc.)
A friend of mine goes to Germany (Munich area) for business fairly often, and complains that the “Mexican” and “Tex Mex” style restaurants there, which he says are surprisingly frequent, substitute paprika for chili powder or any chile peppers at all. It’s hard for me to picture Mexican food spiced exclusively with paprika but I’m intrigued (and would not expect much).
Wait, wait, I think I know now, how you’re supposed to feel about this.
It’s Authentic German TexMex, and since it’s derived from Mexican food culture, you should think of it as similarly authentic (as itself) as anything you’ll find in Mexico City.
I love trying out the local American owned chains because they frequently have been localized. You never quite know what you are in for. Last thing I had was a McAloo Tikki burger in Bangalore.
If you want to scratch the itch for post-beers late night Mexican food in Germany you should skip anything labeled Mexican and go find Turkish street food.
When in Amsterdam, or at least the Schipol Airport, be sure to try the McKroket, a Dutch bitterballen sandwich. Picture deep fried sausage gravy and you’ve got the general idea.
