Why I hate Americans talking about tacos in London
Why I hate Americans talking about tacos in London
From an American who makes tacos in London. Words by Chloe-Rose Crabtree
Good morning and welcome to Vittles!
A Vittles subscription costs £5/month or £45/year. If you’ve been enjoying the writing then please consider subscribing to keep it running — it will give you access to the whole Vittles back catalogue — including Normal Country, London restaurant guides and all new columns.
The Hater is a column dedicated to the art of hating. Each week, a different writer examines something they hate, or observes a trend of hating in the British food world.
This week’s Hater is Chloe-Rose Crabtree.
Why I hate Americans talking about tacos in London
From an American who makes tacos in London, by Chloe-Rose Crabtree
Every American in London has their taco spot. It’s one of the first things they’ll tell you when you meet them; for many, it is the sign that they’ve unlocked London as their new home. Their taco spot of choice becomes a signifier that they have been through the trenches and suffered more cold tortillas than they’d like to remember – all to find the one taco that redeems London as a place they can consider a real food city.
I’ll admit that, as an American, my first reaction to London’s taco scene was disgust. This was mainly because of the Wahaca near my first flat where, when you first entered, you were met with an A-board featuring two arrows. One, pointing away from the restaurant, was accompanied with the words ‘Sombreros and Stereotypes’; the other, pointing towards its entrance, said ‘Authentic Mexican Food’ (the entrance itself featured Frida Kahlo and year-round Día de los Muertos décor). I went once – the food was fine, but I could never shake the way the advertisement made me feel, even after the buzz of a couple margaritas.
Obviously I don’t hate tacos. I don’t think it is even possible to hate tacos – they are a blameless and delicious handheld carb vessel for stewed and grilled foods. But there is a particular type of taco snobbery that I find more insufferable than watching someone using a fork to eat taco filling out of a hand-pressed tortilla. It’s not just that it’s now possible to find good tacos in London, from places like La Chingada in Surrey Quays or Sonora in Stoke Newington. My gripe with taco snobbery, especially when it comes from Americans abroad, is that it showcases an attitude that assumes the American experience should be replicated around the world, while forgetting that respect for Mexican food, especially in the US, has been hard-fought.
Over the last decade, cities in Mexico