[Austin] Tex-Mex

[brucesw]

I've come to the conclusion that the sub-categorizations of "Gringo-Mex" or "Tejano-Mex" are unnecessary.  I just don't think that there is a need for this.  There are more interesting questions to explore. 

One could do better just going through old menus to verify what was traditionally served in a Tex-Mex restaurant, beginning with the early "Original" Mexican restaurants that proliferated after the success of Otis Farnsworth's in San Antonio.  Some dishes have disappeared over the years (example: 'fritoque'). With the closing of Felix's in Houston, doubtful you'll find spaghetti as a side dish on any Tex-Mex menu though at one time it was on most menus.  So, let's take a trip back to the early 1900's and a menu that features  a regular supper of tamales, chile con carne, enchilada, frijoles, tortillas de maiz and sopa de arroz. Or, the special supper that adds ensalada de aguacate and chile relleno (lost forever is whether this was a poblano chile or a bell pepper, we'll never know). 

Gringo-Mex, defined as catering to the general population doesn't work for me.  Nor does Tejano-Mex as the identifier of other restaurants catering to the Mexican population. 

A more interesting study would involve setting up a spreadsheet with all of the dishes currently offered by all the Tex-Mex restaurants here in Texas and try to link each to a region.  One could look at their geographical roots, and ask questions about whether, say a chalupa in Texas bears any resemblance a chalupa in Mexico and further, what area of Mexico.  Or, how does the Tex-Mex combo compare to the traditional plato Tampiqueno of Tampico?  How did spaghetti make its way up to Texas from the menus of Puebla?  What dishes that became popular at Mexican resorts have made their way onto menus in Texas?  Does chile con carne have its roots in the chilorio of Sonora?  Is there a regional cuisine in Mexico that uses cumin as extensively as in Texas?  How does the yellow corn used in Texas result in unique corn products (chips, puffy tacos, etc.) not seen in Mexico? Have guisados always been available at Tex-Mex restaurants?  How did cheddar cheese enter the picture?  Or Quick- Melt?  When did green salsa start showing up in Tex-Mex restaurants? How did the ancho chile puree dipped tortilla ('enchilada') evolve into the red-dyed enchilada tortilla of San Antonio, or into the fried-in-oil-to-soften tortilla (with no chile puree) that is more typical of the Tex-Mex restaurants today?  When did Tex-Mex restaurants shift to paprika instead of ancho chile purees?  When did onions start being boiled rather than grilled for salsas? Etc. etc. etc.

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I'd like to know the answers to some of your questions Jay. I think Kent's dichotomy makes some sense but I can't follow it through since I'm not familiar with the restaurants in Austin that are being referenced. Perhaps we need our own thead about Tex-Mex in Houston - you can lead the way as you undoubtedly know more. You were quoted by Robb Walsh in a review last year observing 'everybody serves everybody else's food' or something to that effect. That makes it even more difficult to analyze the situation. I can hardly think of a taqueria that doesn't have Tex-Mex dishes on the menu, most commonly cheese enchiladas.

I first experienced Tex-Mex ca. 1957 I think, when Monterey House came to our small Texas town. We loved it. Mom cooked all our meals from scratch but she never attempted Tex-Mex and it was virtually our only dining out experience other than when we were traveling - though we always just did take out. I don't think there was any guisado on the menu and I was surprised just a few years ago to learn it's considered a Tex-Mex dish. I assumed it was added to menus post-Diana Kennedy, as Mexican restaurants sought to up their 'authenticity' creds.

Who had the greater influence on Houstonians' perceptions and expectations of Mexican food - Kennedy or Ninfa?

I've been concentrating the last several months on restaurants in the SW quarter of the city, anticipating the coming days of $4 and $5 a gallon gas. I've been amazed at the number of eateries whose names indicate a connection to Jalisco and Michoacan. I understand there was an influx of Jaliscans to the US dating to the 1920s thanks to the bracero program - were there taquerias in Houston offering food en estilo Jalisco as far back as that, perhaps under the radar of Anglo diners? Okay, that's not a Tex-Mex question, but I'd like to know.

Re spaghetti - I haven't been in years and only went once (not a fan of old-style Tex-Mex anymore), but I think Larry's in Richmond had Mexican Spaghetti on the menu?