I love Tex-Mex. Having lived in Texas my whole life, I was practically raised on it, and in fact had some sort of Tex-Mex three times this weekend. We make tacos, enchiladas, and fajitas on a regular basis for dinner, and consider it the ultimate comfort/hangover food. It is so tasty!
There are all kinds of very common ingredients–tomatoes, onions, cilantro, jalapenos, charro beans, cheese, tortillas, and more that I haven’t mentioned. But one thing I haven’t seen ever in Tex-Mex? Cranberries. When I hear about cranberries, I think Thanksgiving, Fall, family dinner….. not the Rio Grande, enchiladas, or anything else related to Texas or Mexico. And yet, when I was in Florida a few weeks ago, the menu at one of the restaurants included Tex-Mex Quesadillas, with mushrooms, onions, and…… cranberries. Wait, what? Cranberries, really? I almost ordered it, but decided I would rather have fish, seeing as I was at the beach.
Readers, have you ever seen a restaurant or other place completely botch a cultural reference?
Isn’t regional cuisine usually based on stuff grown in that region? What part of Texas or Mexico has cranberries?
Next we’ll have jicama or yucca in New England clam chowder
A Philly cheesesteak is never really as good or authentic as the real thing in anywhere but Philadelphia.
One time I ordered Almond Enchiladas in Michigan. I thought it was funny, much like your cranberry story.
People always mess up Cajun food. A chicken breast with some pepper on it is not Cajun food!
The Hard Times Cafe in Rockville, MD has the Texas flag hanging upside down inside. I took my old TX driver’s license to show them, and they still hadn’t changed it last time I was there. They’ve got it hanging in a Texas themed display, trying to recreate some of the steakhouses I’ve been to in Fort Worth.