Tex-Mex vs. Oz-Mex vs. Mex-Mex

Some Sydney restaurants focus on what in Texas we called “Interior Mexican” cuisine.  Which is fine.  Love it!!! But ever since Diana Kennedy started poo-pooing Tex-Mex and Cal-Mex and border variants as inferior to “authentic” Mexican food, a lot of places are following suit and talking down about “Americanised” dishes.

I like Tex-Mex, mostly, but I don’t like Tex-Mex with melted cheese.  I don’t like ground beef in tacos.  I don’t like fried tortilla shells and nachos.  I’m nuts about flavours from Oaxaca and Yucatan, but don’t think of them as more “authentic” than anything else.

Hey, if you’re in Sydney, Australia and you’re cooking Mexican food, it’s “Australianised”. You can’t help it, it’s hard or impossible to get the same ingredients and flavors, and you’re going to have to adapt to the local palate.  This is normal and natural and how cuisine evolves.  Otherwise we should get picky about Spanish influences in Mexican food, or heck, Mixtec influences in Aztec food!

I love regional variations on Mexican food. Except Cal-Mex, that sucks.  And the unfortunate “Southwest Cuisine” that was rampant in the 80’s.  And Mexican food in New York City.

But the rest is great.  All of it.  Viva la diferencia!!