I can't help asking how you feel about tacos

[Amira]

But "taco" doesn't mean something very specific. It can be filled with chicken or beef or shrimp or fish or beans. There are different recipes for the taco seasoning, some like it spicy, some don't. Some like pico or guac, some don't. People like different cheese on it, some like no cheese. And that's just down in Mexico even!

I agree, "taco" isn't as specific as "pumpernickel," but until Taco Bell, it definitely didn't include a hard shell with ground beef and taco seasoning mix topped with lettuce and shredded cheese. An American friend of mine who was living in Mexico was making food for a big group of college-age people, many of whom were from the border even though they were living in central Mexico at the time. She decided to make hard-shelled tacos - something most Americans would call Mexican - and the Mexicans called it American food.

 

A lot of things can be in a taco, but in most of Mexico, it has to be on a freshly-made tortilla (and that means corn). Many fillings can become a taco with the right tortilla, but not ground beef. Also, I never saw sour cream (or crema), lettuce, or uncooked shredded cheese on a taco there. If there is melted cheese, it has a different name like gringa or vampiro. Yucatan and the northern border are different though. Yucatan has salbutes and paunchos which are similar to tacos, but not tacos. The northern border has flour tortillas and hard shells.

 

Incidentally, the best tacos I have ever had were carnitas de atun in Guadalajara at Boca de Cielo. Second best are the chicharones tacos at the stand on Vidrio and Argentina. They come with a hunk of panela on top.

Edited September 4, 2016 by Amira

[bibiche]

Yep, pickled celeriac.

 

Back home, I'd go to the store and just buy a jar of already pickled ones...

 

 

 

In the US you can order it on amazon. ;)

[bibiche]

. Yucatan has salbutes and paunchos which are similar to tacos, but not tacos. The northern border has flour tortillas and hard-shelled tacos.

 

 

 

Stop that right now!   Salbutes, panuchos, gorditas....   Off to make nixtamal (cheaper than a plane ticket, quicker than the drive).

[regentrude]

I don't have much experience with lacto-fermenting veggies, but I would have thought they would soften if you either chopped them up finely enough or left them to ferment longer. Or is the point of leaving them for a few weeks to infuse rather than ferment?

 

Oh, definitely infuse. They are not fermenting, just soaking up the flavor of the spiced vinegar

[wintermom]

It never occurred to me to add any sugar to a tomato based spaghetti sauce at all. There is sugar in ripe tomatoes (3g per half cup for the diced tomatoes I have in my pantry, probably more for fresh ones)

 

Some Italian Canadians I know add a carrot while making to sauce as the sugar in the carrot helps out the flavour of the sauce. I've tried it, and don't notice a difference. Maybe I need to add more carrots, or their recipe and method is just overall better than mine. ;)

[regentrude]

Have you tried a Chinese bakery for cakes? My dd and DH like these for birthdays because they're much less sweet and they're pretty.

 

No. We have no Chinese bakery - and just one rudimentary tiny store with "ethnic" groceries. Small town, very vanilla white. heck, we don't even have a decent Chinese restaurant (just a couple shady not so good ones)

 

If I want something baked, I make it myself.

[SparklyUnicorn]

One young lady shared a story with us not too long ago.  Her sweetheart just loved his mom's spaghetti sauce, so she wanted to make it for him.  The secret recipe?  One jar of Ragu sauce and add a cup of sugar...

 

Others might like that, but the thought of it makes me gag.  I don't have a sweet tooth.  We're learned to stay away from "Amish" recipes like potato salad and cole slaw too as "Amish" is synonymous with "tons of added sugar."  Fortunately, they keep it out of their pork and sauerkraut and some versions of chicken noodle soup, so we've adopted those, but not the sweet stuff many Americans like.

 

OMG that's really gross.  It probably already has too much sugar in it. 

[SparklyUnicorn]

I like the more Americanized versions of tacos.  Crunchy shells, lettuce, tomato, bit of sour cream, shredded cheddar.  I don't like wheat flour tortillas because I think they are pretty flavorless and the texture turns me off. 

[redsquirrel]

This, a hundred times.

I hate the cloying sweetness of store bought baked goods and have learned to adjust all American recipes by dramatically reducing the amount of sugar.

 

This is something I was railing about on a thread here recently....and probably about 100 times before, lol.

 

People were saying that they find homemade cakes and baked goods 'blah' or bland etc compared to a cake made from a box mix.  I said that that is because boxed mixes are loaded with even more sugar and salt than are in a recipe you would make a home.  They also use flavour enhancers and concentrated vanilla etc.If that is all you are used to eating is store bought or made from a prepared mix, then a cake made from scratch is going to taste flavourless and bland.  There is also the problem that most Americans (and many other counrtries) don't really bake or make any food from scratch, so ingredients such as flour is old and tasteless.  Flour lasts 3-6 months on the shelf or a year tightly sealed kept in the freezer.  If your bag of flour is 4 year old and you make a cake, it's going to taste off. If your baking powder is old it won't lift well. If you vanilla is old it won't taste as good. Add in that most people don't know their oven's actual temperature and you end up with a dry tasteless cake.

 

I haven't had to specifically reduce sugar in my baking recipies except by choice. But I frequently use European cook books, or European influenced, and I haven't noticed that the American ones have more sugar than the others. But, I am usually baking pastry or cakes etc and those tend to be fairly standardized. A Genoise is a Genoise and a choux is a choux. There may be small differences in ratios and techniques, but not a huge amount of range.

 

What I find typically American in baking is sweet on sweet on sweet. The cake will be sweet and the filling will be sweeter, and the frosting will be sweeter still. There isn't a lot of balancing of tastes.  I don't come from the Southern baking tradition, but that unbalanced sweetness, to me at least, is very southern.  All those classic cakes and pies can taste overly sweet to me. But I know PLENTY of people who adore it.  And yes, I know that in Southern baking there are examples of sweet and salty etc, but it can be very sweet. 

 

And then once you factor in those sorts of sweet things...things called 'dump cakes' or other sweet type things..you know...they are made with jello or cool whip or jello and cool whip...well..that is mostly assembling food products, not really baking or cooking. And once you get those into the picture, then of course it is going to have loads of extra sugar.

 

And it does take some searching, but I have had good luck finding store brands of things like pasta sauce with no added sugar of any kind. My kids think Ragu and other jarred sauce tastes like candy. I can't imagine adding more sugar. It would probably caramelize if you heated it up,

[6packofun]

 LOVE homemade tortillas and the tortillas that taste homemade at the local Mom and Pop places here.  

 

What is your recipe?  :)

[OneStepAtATime]

What is your recipe?   :)

I'll have to ask my MIL or my SIL.  I don't make them.  Mine come out lousy.  They make great tamales, too.  :)

[KungFuPanda]

This is something I was railing about on a thread here recently....and probably about 100 times before, lol.

 

People were saying that they find homemade cakes and baked goods 'blah' or bland etc compared to a cake made from a box mix. I said that that is because boxed mixes are loaded with even more sugar and salt than are in a recipe you would make a home. They also use flavour enhancers and concentrated vanilla etc.If that is all you are used to eating is store bought or made from a prepared mix, then a cake made from scratch is going to taste flavourless and bland. There is also the problem that most Americans (and many other counrtries) don't really bake or make any food from scratch, so ingredients such as flour is old and tasteless. Flour lasts 3-6 months on the shelf or a year tightly sealed kept in the freezer. If your bag of flour is 4 year old and you make a cake, it's going to taste off. If your baking powder is old it won't lift well. If you vanilla is old it won't taste as good. Add in that most people don't know their oven's actual temperature and you end up with a dry tasteless cake.

 

I haven't had to specifically reduce sugar in my baking recipies except by choice. But I frequently use European cook books, or European influenced, and I haven't noticed that the American ones have more sugar than the others. But, I am usually baking pastry or cakes etc and those tend to be fairly standardized. A Genoise is a Genoise and a choux is a choux. There may be small differences in ratios and techniques, but not a huge amount of range.

 

What I find typically American in baking is sweet on sweet on sweet. The cake will be sweet and the filling will be sweeter, and the frosting will be sweeter still. There isn't a lot of balancing of tastes. I don't come from the Southern baking tradition, but that unbalanced sweetness, to me at least, is very southern. All those classic cakes and pies can taste overly sweet to me. But I know PLENTY of people who adore it. And yes, I know that in Southern baking there are examples of sweet and salty etc, but it can be very sweet.

 

And then once you factor in those sorts of sweet things...things called 'dump cakes' or other sweet type things..you know...they are made with jello or cool whip or jello and cool whip...well..that is mostly assembling food products, not really baking or cooking. And once you get those into the picture, then of course it is going to have loads of extra sugar.

 

And it does take some searching, but I have had good luck finding store brands of things like pasta sauce with no added sugar of any kind. My kids think Ragu and other jarred sauce tastes like candy. I can't imagine adding more sugar. It would probably caramelize if you heated it up,

How on earth could anyone make flour last 4 years? That can't be typical.

[redsquirrel]

How on earth could anyone make flour last 4 years? That can't be typical.

 

you only buy it because you think it should be in the house. You make a pie crust at thanksgiving and maybe use a half a cup to make gravy at thanksgiving. That would make your bag of flour last a very, very long time. Or you bought it to make that one batch of brownies and it's been sitting in the pantry every since.

 

My mom can take years to go through a 5bl bag...easily....and then she wonders why no one will eat her once a year apple pie. 

 

[lynn]

TAco Friday's at our house. Keep them simple from the taco dinner box and add cheese, lettuce and taco sauce. I lived in Tucson and did not like the authentic Mexican place where the corn tortillas are quickly fried. I did find two Mexican places I did like there but not tacos. I do like fish tacos that a lot of places sell now.

[Daria]

This thread inspired me to go out for tacos tonight, and they were sold out!  I had to order something else, and it wasn't nearly as yummy.  Think that the taco truck thing made too many people want tacos? 

[wintermom]

If you've ever tried to cut out sugar from your diet, you'll know how frequently sugar pops up as an ingredient in foods you wouldn't expect. Potato chips, gravy mix, soup mix, mayo, and some pickles and mustards, just to list a few. It helps balance out the flavour of the massive amounts of salt added for preserving purposes (and taste). It's hard to eat a cup of salt, but if you add a cup of sugar it makes it a whole lot easier.  

[Runningmom80]

I love tacos and anyone who brings more of them into my life.

[alisoncooks]

This thread is the reason I have a crock pot full of pinto beans right now.  Bean burritos for dinner tonight -- whoo!

 

[coralloyd]

Well, according to my family, I makes the best tacos in the world. I fry the shells myself, make the shredded beef, my own guacamole,  & pico de gallo. They are the #1 asked for thing on special days, around here. We have even considered having them for Thanksgiving.

[ktgrok]

Ok, question about corn tortillas. I thought I didn't like them, but maybe they were done wrong? I had them at a friends's house during a party, and they were cold and tasted raw. Maybe they didn't know to fry them first? Or do you sometimes not? They were gritty and just not good. Like raw corn, lol. 

[Amira]

Ok, question about corn tortillas. I thought I didn't like them, but maybe they were done wrong? I had them at a friends's house during a party, and they were cold and tasted raw. Maybe they didn't know to fry them first? Or do you sometimes not? They were gritty and just not good. Like raw corn, lol.

At the very least, they should be warm. Frying is just one way to rewarm them, but they don't have to be fried at all. I don't fry tortillas. The more recently they were made, the better they'll be. Grocery store tortillas are packaged to last a long time and are never sold warm. Tortillas should go bad in a day or two if they're good ones. I honestly think that the main reason a lot of Americans don't like tortillas is because they've only had sorry imitations.

 

I think just about any flatbread needs to be eaten as soon as possible after cooking. There's a much bigger difference between 6-hour-old flatbread and just-cooked flatbread than the same gap in most loaf breads. I think it's best to freeze flatbread, including tortillas, as soon as they cool if you're not planning on eating them within an hour.

[wintermom]

Can I just admit that I've never been to Mexico, nor eaten authentic tacos. We eat the store-bought hard or soft shells, packaged seasoning and plastic baggies of salsa. Total commercial and about as un-authentic as you can get, but we still love them. We are going to be blown out of our minds when we finally get the opportunity to have real, proper, homemade tacos.  :laugh:

[SparklyUnicorn]

In culinary school we did make several authentic dishes.  I did like most of them, but some of it is just more work than I want to do regularly (like homemade tortillas). 

 

 

[wapiti]

Every time I glance over this thread title, I see "I can't help how you feel about tacos." And start laughing while the music for "It's raining tacos" begins.

 

We went for Mexican the other night to a further restaurant and now I realize that their tortillas are not fresh as they're nowhere near as good as the closer place.

[Zinnia]

We ate "dirty Mexican" this weekend because of this thread.  :)  You know the style...chips and salsa, cheese dip on half the dishes, refried beans on every plate.  It's a very specific kind of food, and my kids adore it.  This one was pretty good for us, too.  

 

But I still want some real tacos.  I'll go buy some tortillas this week and make some.  :)

[wintermom]

In culinary school we did make several authentic dishes.  I did like most of them, but some of it is just more work than I want to do regularly (like homemade tortillas). 

 

This is the issue in most cases with homemade food; it takes a lot of time and effort (and skill!) to make the delicious food. It's way easier to buy pre-packaged stuff. 

 

I love perogies, but have neither the time nor desire to make them. I willingly pay more for homemade ones at a local shop, rather than eat the doughy tasteless ones ones from the grocery store. If I didn't have access to homemade perogies I might have to break down and buy the doughy things. ;)

 

I believe that this is often the case with special foods; people don't have the time, skill, or ingredients to make the "real things" so they settle for what they can get. 

Edited September 6, 2016 by wintermom

[Lady Florida.]

This is the issue in most cases with homemade food; it takes a lot of time and effort (and skill!) to make the delicious food. It's way easier to buy pre-packaged stuff. 

 

I love perogies, but have neither the time nor desire to make them. I willingly pay more for homemade ones at a local shop, rather than eat the doughy tasteless ones ones from the grocery store. If I didn't have access to homemade perogies I might have to break down and buy the doughy things. ;)

 

I believe that this is often the case with special foods; people don't have the time, skill, or ingredients to make the "real things" so they settle for what they can get. 

 

It's not always a bad thing, really. When my great grandmother made ravioli, she made the pasta, she made the cheese, and she stuffed her homemade pasta with her homemade cheese. My mother said you could only eat 2 and you were stuffed.

 

When I "make" ravioli, I pour a bag of Celentano frozen ravioli in a pot of water. And they're delicious. So is my sauce, which isn't made from fresh tomatoes unless I'm making pomodoro sauce.

 

I'm simply not going to do what my great grandmother did and I'm not going to apologize for it. Just like I won't apologize for not using a ringer washer to wash my clothes.

Edited September 6, 2016 by Lady Florida.

[shawthorne44]

I too love tacos.   I loved the ones we ate as a kid in Minnesota with ketchup.  I loved the authentic ones we've had a parties in Texas where we were the token gringos.  I loved every one I've had.   Since often you add your own extras, they are hard not to love.  

 

Never really liked hard shells, just because so messy.  

 

eta:  I love tortillas so much that my parent's bought the tortilla maker from my wedding registry.   It flattens and cooks.  Maybe I need to bring that thing out tonight.  

Edited September 6, 2016 by shawthorne44

[creekland]

Can I just admit that I've never been to Mexico, nor eaten authentic tacos. We eat the store-bought hard or soft shells, packaged seasoning and plastic baggies of salsa. Total commercial and about as un-authentic as you can get, but we still love them. We are going to be blown out of our minds when we finally get the opportunity to have real, proper, homemade tacos.  :laugh:

 

You might be surprised.  Humans are very good at associating foods with flavors, so your brain might tell you that authentic doesn't taste as good when you try it.  It merely doesn't match what "taco" is supposed to taste like.

 

I've seen that happen with many (adults and kids) when they grow up with boxed mac and cheese, canned ravioli, white bread sandwiches, Hamburger Helper, and other standbys.  When I've pointed this fact out to most of them and told them to open their mind to the flavor without a "name," then they like it.  They learn that canned ravioli has one flavor (they like) and fresh ravioli has another (that they also like).  They're just different flavors and need different neurons in the brain.  

 

Now if one doesn't like a flavor associated with a name - say, peas, and has only had them canned, then they can try frozen or fresh lightly cooked and be surprised that they DO like them.  The flavors are different, but there's a negative value to what was on that neuron and it's being replaced by a positive value.

 

After a while, one can also decide they no longer like canned ravioli after having been exposed to fresh and finding they prefer that newer flavor, but that can happen with any similar recipe replacing a former one.  The brain starts to weigh the options.  It's just when we're predisposed to liking something, we're pretty set on keeping it (probably an evolutionary advantage from way back when).

[AMJ]

I like tacos.  I prefer non-crunchy, though I will eat crunchy.

 

My friend and I have been wrapping all sorts of stuff up in tortillas and other flat breads long before "wraps" became the thing to do.  We will put together anything we like, and not worry about nationalities.  We also happily eat authentic Mexican tacos at a small restaurant near my friend's home when I visit -- they make wonderful homemade tortillas fresh throughout the day.

 

I must say, though, a good tamale gets me every time.  I once read a description of everything involved in homemade tamales, and when I was working I would gladly pay any price to the gals who occasionally stopped by to take tamale orders for delivery later.  Now I have no good source for tamales, and I feel deprived.

 

As for destroying American culture, please!  Our culture is a melting pot, a hodge-podge of so many different cultural elements, plus some we devised here in the USA.  Adding more good food to it can only make it better!

 

Oh, and I have never been able to properly stuff a tortilla.  There are too many yummy things to put inside, and I always end up with 'way too much "inside".  I need lessons.

[AMJ]

It's not always a bad thing, really. When my great grandmother made ravioli, she made the pasta, she made the cheese, and she stuffed her homemade pasta with her homemade cheese. My mother said you could only eat 2 and you were stuffed.

 

When I "make" ravioli, I pour a bag of Celentano frozen ravioli in a pot of water. And they're delicious. So is my sauce, which isn't made from fresh tomatoes unless I'm making pomodoro sauce.

 

I'm simply not going to do what my great grandmother did and I'm not going to apologize for it. Just like I won't apologize for not using a ringer washer to wash my clothes.

 

 

Sometime I really need to make my Mom's spaghetti sauce (SOOO not Italian!) for my family.  It's very different, and for years I wouldn't eat spaghetti in restaurants because they "didn't make the sauce right".  Now I use jarred sauce as a time-saver.  But I still dream about Mom's sauce.

 

 

I loved ringer washers.  My Grandpa had one in the basement of his bungalow in South Dakota.  I loved watching him run his laundry.  I also once worked at a guest ranch in the mountains where the further out laundry house had only one machine operable (after I fixed the handle) -- a ringer.  One coworker and I could knock out more sheets and bedding using that one ringer washer and the clothesline than twice our number of coworkers could do with 3 automatic washers and 3 dryers, and the guests loved the fresh air smell.  By the time we had a second load washed and ready to hang the first load was dry and ready to fold.

 

Now I live in a hot, humid location full of bugs and allergens.  No clothesline for us here, darn it!

[AMJ]

You might be surprised.  Humans are very good at associating foods with flavors, so your brain might tell you that authentic doesn't taste as good when you try it.  It merely doesn't match what "taco" is supposed to taste like.

 

I've seen that happen with many (adults and kids) when they grow up with boxed mac and cheese, canned ravioli, white bread sandwiches, Hamburger Helper, and other standbys.  When I've pointed this fact out to most of them and told them to open their mind to the flavor without a "name," then they like it.  They learn that canned ravioli has one flavor (they like) and fresh ravioli has another (that they also like).  They're just different flavors and need different neurons in the brain.  

 

Now if one doesn't like a flavor associated with a name - say, peas, and has only had them canned, then they can try frozen or fresh lightly cooked and be surprised that they DO like them.  The flavors are different, but there's a negative value to what was on that neuron and it's being replaced by a positive value.

 

After a while, one can also decide they no longer like canned ravioli after having been exposed to fresh and finding they prefer that newer flavor, but that can happen with any similar recipe replacing a former one.  The brain starts to weigh the options.  It's just when we're predisposed to liking something, we're pretty set on keeping it (probably an evolutionary advantage from way back when).

 

 

Very well said.

 

 

My mom made the world's most wonderful mac & cheese from scratch.  I simply cannot stand boxed, though I have eaten it when desperate for something very quick to fix.  I've made Mom's mac & cheese for the family and they like it, though they happily eat the boxed stuff, too.

 

When I was about age 8 or so I loved pickles.  Then I had a growth spurt that coincided with me eating some pickles I did NOT care for, and I thought my tastes had changed (I had heard that could happen).  It took me 2 years to find out that there are different TYPES of pickles, and the DILL pickles I still liked!  It was the sweet pickles that didn't taste right to me.  (Though now I like them on sandwiches.)

[AMJ]

This is the issue in most cases with homemade food; it takes a lot of time and effort (and skill!) to make the delicious food. It's way easier to buy pre-packaged stuff. 

 

I love perogies, but have neither the time nor desire to make them. I willingly pay more for homemade ones at a local shop, rather than eat the doughy tasteless ones ones from the grocery store. If I didn't have access to homemade perogies I might have to break down and buy the doughy things. ;)

 

I believe that this is often the case with special foods; people don't have the time, skill, or ingredients to make the "real things" so they settle for what they can get. 

 

 

When I was in college I did a term paper on Hungarian food (for Food & Culture class).  I went to the local Hungarian restaurant and asked the owner/chef if she would talk to me about Hungarian food for my paper -- when I showed up at the agreed upon time dressed for a commercial kitchen (I had worked food service and knew my way around a commercial kitchen, so I came prepared) she put me to work and taught me to MAKE some of the dishes.  Heaven!  Real Hungarian food!  From scratch!

 

I still think real Hungarian gulyas (not "goulash"!) is to die for, possibly my all-time favorite soup/stew.  Mmmmmmmmmm........................................

[wintermom]

It's not always a bad thing, really. When my great grandmother made ravioli, she made the pasta, she made the cheese, and she stuffed her homemade pasta with her homemade cheese. My mother said you could only eat 2 and you were stuffed.

 

When I "make" ravioli, I pour a bag of Celentano frozen ravioli in a pot of water. And they're delicious. So is my sauce, which isn't made from fresh tomatoes unless I'm making pomodoro sauce.

 

I'm simply not going to do what my great grandmother did and I'm not going to apologize for it. Just like I won't apologize for not using a ringer washer to wash my clothes.

 

I'll have the homemade food, and all the love that she put into the hours of work in the hot kitchen, over frozen stuff anyday of the week.

Edited September 6, 2016 by wintermom

[AMJ]

I'll have the homemade food, and all the love that she put into the hours of work in the hot kitchen, over frozen junk anyday of the week.

 

 

My DH's grandmother used the same potato masher for 70 years to mash potatoes and other foods as she made loving meals for her family (including us).  I have it now -- she gave it to me when moving out of her house, because I asked her if I could have it when she was finally done with it.  I don't mash potatoes or other foods very often, but when I do I use that masher.  At Thanksgiving time I make my BIL use it, too, when he mashes potatoes, because that way Grandma B is still involved.

 

My kids know full well the significance of that masher.  That is one utensil that will never end up in a thrift store or the trash can as long as I am alive.

[wintermom]

You might be surprised.  Humans are very good at associating foods with flavors, so your brain might tell you that authentic doesn't taste as good when you try it.  It merely doesn't match what "taco" is supposed to taste like.

 

I've seen that happen with many (adults and kids) when they grow up with boxed mac and cheese, canned ravioli, white bread sandwiches, Hamburger Helper, and other standbys.  When I've pointed this fact out to most of them and told them to open their mind to the flavor without a "name," then they like it.  They learn that canned ravioli has one flavor (they like) and fresh ravioli has another (that they also like).  They're just different flavors and need different neurons in the brain.  

 

Now if one doesn't like a flavor associated with a name - say, peas, and has only had them canned, then they can try frozen or fresh lightly cooked and be surprised that they DO like them.  The flavors are different, but there's a negative value to what was on that neuron and it's being replaced by a positive value.

 

After a while, one can also decide they no longer like canned ravioli after having been exposed to fresh and finding they prefer that newer flavor, but that can happen with any similar recipe replacing a former one.  The brain starts to weigh the options.  It's just when we're predisposed to liking something, we're pretty set on keeping it (probably an evolutionary advantage from way back when).

 

Yup. It's amazing how our taste buds like the salt and sugar of processed, packaged food. 

[AMJ]

One young lady shared a story with us not too long ago.  Her sweetheart just loved his mom's spaghetti sauce, so she wanted to make it for him.  The secret recipe?  One jar of Ragu sauce and add a cup of sugar...

 

Others might like that, but the thought of it makes me gag.  I don't have a sweet tooth.  We're learned to stay away from "Amish" recipes like potato salad and cole slaw too as "Amish" is synonymous with "tons of added sugar."  Fortunately, they keep it out of their pork and sauerkraut and some versions of chicken noodle soup, so we've adopted those, but not the sweet stuff many Americans like.

 

When I make spaghetti sauce (starting with tomatoes), I only use a teaspoon of sugar (4 grams) for a large batch (used with 2lbs of pasta) and that's to cut the acid in the tomatoes a little bit.  When we buy canned I look for the varieties with very little sugar, then we add more tomatoes and other veggies (green peppers, onions, mushrooms, etc).  We were told there's a "Made in PA" brand (DelGrosso)and I like supporting local, so thought I'd get some until I looked at the sugar content (8g per half cup serving)... more than what the high sugar national brands have.  Sugar is the 4th ingredient listed.  I couldn't bring myself to buy any as I know we wouldn't like it.

 

 

I don't think my Mom's sauce had any added sugar.  Lots of veggies, ham, bacon, all finely diced, and canned tomatoes.  But no sugar.

 

It made for a rather runny sauce, but so tasty!  (Definitely not Italian.  I wonder if it is unique to South Dakota?)

[Lady Florida.]

 

 

 

I loved ringer washers.  My Grandpa had one in the basement of his bungalow in South Dakota.  I loved watching him run his laundry.  I also once worked at a guest ranch in the mountains where the further out laundry house had only one machine operable (after I fixed the handle) -- a ringer.  One coworker and I could knock out more sheets and bedding using that one ringer washer and the clothesline than twice our number of coworkers could do with 3 automatic washers and 3 dryers, and the guests loved the fresh air smell.  By the time we had a second load washed and ready to hang the first load was dry and ready to fold.

 

Now I live in a hot, humid location full of bugs and allergens.  No clothesline for us here, darn it!

 

My grandmother had a mangled hand thanks to a ringer washer. I'll take a safer machine over romantic nostalgia any day.

 

I'll have the homemade food, and all the love that she put into the hours of work in the hot kitchen, over frozen stuff anyday of the week.

 

I'll have the time to spend with my family and the love we share by spending time together instead of being too tired from spending hours working and sweating in a hot kitchen, any day of the week.

[creekland]

Yup. It's amazing how our taste buds like the salt and sugar of processed, packaged food. 

 

Not necessarily.  It works the other way too.  Someone who was raised on homemade foods thinks of those as the "right" flavors and won't like the others at first - even homemade others - if they like the version they're used to.  It seriously takes an open mind to allow more than one "right" flavor for a "named" food if one likes what they are used to.  Salt/sugar/processed don't matter in these situations.  We have our ideas of how things should be ingrained in our neurons.

 

I don't think my Mom's sauce had any added sugar.  Lots of veggies, ham, bacon, all finely diced, and canned tomatoes.  But no sugar.

 

It made for a rather runny sauce, but so tasty!  (Definitely not Italian.  I wonder if it is unique to South Dakota?)

 

Look on the label of most canned tomatoes.  Sugar or high fructose corn syrup is there for many brands.  You can even google images to check.

[ktgrok]

 

 

Look on the label of most canned tomatoes.  Sugar or high fructose corn syrup is there for many brands.  You can even google images to check.

 

ugh, i found that out the hard way. I bought some to put in something, can't remember what, and was SO grossed out when I tasted them and they were sweet! 

[Amira]

I must say, though, a good tamale gets me every time. I once read a description of everything involved in homemade tamales, and when I was working I would gladly pay any price to the gals who occasionally stopped by to take tamale orders for delivery later. Now I have no good source for tamales, and I feel deprived.

I love tamales so much. I'll take a tamale over a taco any day.

 

They're actually not as hard to make as people say. I was in the hospital one time in Mexico, watching cooking shows because I wasn't allowed to eat, and the woman made a small batch of tamales in a few minutes, except for the cooking time. I had no idea that tamales were doable for a regular dinner, but when I got home and could eat normally again, I I learned how to make them, including how to crockpot them because they require less attention that way. We often have them for dinner and they take me about thirty minutes of active prep time.

 

And there are a huge variety of tamales in Mexico. Only the ones made with a fairly limited number of fillings and one type of masa wrapped in dried corn husks has made it north of the border, at least for most Americans. I hope Americans get to discover all of the tamales someday.

[AMJ]

My grandmother had a mangled hand thanks to a ringer washer. I'll take a safer machine over romantic nostalgia any day.

 

 

I'll have the time to spend with my family and the love we share by spending time together instead of being too tired from spending hours working and sweating in a hot kitchen, any day of the week.

 

It's not just romantic nostalgia. The ringer my grandfather had and the ringer my coworker and I used had safeties, and we always made sure they were in good working order (something Grandpa taught me). The machines cleaned bedding and clothes more thoroughly with less water in less time than the automatic machines, and when used properly they caused less damage to the fabrics than the agitators in the automatic machines.

 

Just because people remember certain things from the past fondly and voice an appreciation of, even a preference for, such things doesn't mean they are simply being romantically nostalgic. We often have good reason to look back fondly and remember. Remembering the good helps us figure out how to preserve it (or get it back) in our modern lives. It helps drive creativity, ingenuity, and invention.

 

As for the food: yes, quick meals from the freezer can give you some precious minutes with your family that would otherwise be spent cooking from scratch. However, I have learned the hard way a very solid lesson on the long-term cost of too much reliance on such convenience meals -- I am now diabetic and have hypertension, both recently diagnosed. Had I fought to preserve the cooking time (and exercise time) I had just a few years ago I could have avoided things getting this bad. Now I have no choice but to spend more time shopping, cooking from scratch, and exercising than I did just a few years ago because that is what it will take to improve my health. If I don't do this my deteriorating health will become an increasingly heavy burden on my family as well as me.

 

If you want more time to spend with your family get them involved in cooking with you. That way they learn important life skills, everyone can eat healthier meals than store-bought frozen foods, and you still get quality time with the family. I know it takes work and effort, but you can start with simply one night a week being cook-together night, then add in more as you get the hang of it. In the long-term you all can benefit more. And once multiple members of the family are skilled enough in the kitchen they can take turns being head chef, allowing you to put your feet up and visit while they cook for you.

[mommyshanti]

another socal girl here. taco shops on every corner in San Diego. No fancy places for me. Tacos come on real corn tortillas, soft or fried. oh I'm so hungry. Every place here says Authentic Mexican Food w/ a pic of taco bell taco shell. Kills me everytime. 

[Amber in SJ]

We love tacos at our house.  Here in the Bay Area everyone has their favorite taqueria (Mine is Abuelos in Willow Glen, the only place whose carnitas are as good as mine.)  When my mom passed my siblings & I got together and laughed that Mexican food is our comfort food.  I like al pastor, carnitas street style, American style with ground beef, grilled tilapia, carne asada style, chile verde, fajita grilled chicken.  I buy corn tortillas & I make flour ones (masa.)  Avocado & a squeeze of lime.  Fresh pico or salsa verde.  Mangos.  The only thing we rarely put on our tacos is dairy so no sour cream or shredded cheese, although I sometimes sneak on a little cojita.  We have something resembling tacos or enchiladas or fajitas once a week.  And we have tamales at Christmas.  

 

Guess what?  We also eat a stir fry/ thai food at least once a week.  We eat pizza once a week.  I make a slap-your-Nonna good Bolognese sauce and tonight I tried a chicken schawarma recipe that was so good my kids stood around the pan after dinner was over and ate the leftovers out of the pan until there was none left.  None of us has been harmed by exploring foods from ethnicities not our own.

 

How could exposure to different types of food damage American society?  How could the entrepreneurial spirit embodied by those who sell a great product from a food truck harm our economy?  It is craziness.

 

More tacos trucks, not fewer taco trucks!

 

Amber in SJ

[Lady Florida.]

As for the food: yes, quick meals from the freezer can give you some precious minutes with your family that would otherwise be spent cooking from scratch. However, I have learned the hard way a very solid lesson on the long-term cost of too much reliance on such convenience meals -- I am now diabetic and have hypertension, both recently diagnosed. Had I fought to preserve the cooking time (and exercise time) I had just a few years ago I could have avoided things getting this bad. Now I have no choice but to spend more time shopping, cooking from scratch, and exercising than I did just a few years ago because that is what it will take to improve my health. If I don't do this my deteriorating health will become an increasingly heavy burden on my family as well as me.

 

If you want more time to spend with your family get them involved in cooking with you. That way they learn important life skills, everyone can eat healthier meals than store-bought frozen foods, and you still get quality time with the family. I know it takes work and effort, but you can start with simply one night a week being cook-together night, then add in more as you get the hang of it. In the long-term you all can benefit more. And once multiple members of the family are skilled enough in the kitchen they can take turns being head chef, allowing you to put your feet up and visit while they cook for you.

 

Frozen ravioli and homemade ravioli both have the carbs that diabetics should avoid so no, serving frozen ravioli and dried pasta instead of making my own will not prevent health problems. And in case you're thinking all great grandmothers used whole wheat flour you'd be incorrect. When things like white flour became affordable to the masses poor people like my ancestors were happy to buy it. It made them feel rich. White flour is for rich people and now we can eat like rich people too. Of course they didn't know better, but we often think our grandparents/great grandparents ate healthier than we did when it's often just the opposite. This is especially true for those whose families were poor and lived in large cities.

 

I know how to spend time with my family. I've raised two boys, spent a lot of quality time with them, and one is now raising his two boys. 

 

As for ringer washers, there's a reason they were nicknamed "the mangler". 

 

I grew up in the 1950s and 60s. My mother grew up in the 30s and 40s. When I see/hear of nostalgia for those eras I laugh and shake my head. I lived through some of the time people think was so great, and heard about the times before from my mother and grandmother.

Edited September 7, 2016 by Lady Florida.

[shawthorne44]

Not necessarily.  It works the other way too.  Someone who was raised on homemade foods thinks of those as the "right" flavors and won't like the others at first - even homemade others - if they like the version they're used to.  It seriously takes an open mind to allow more than one "right" flavor for a "named" food if one likes what they are used to.  Salt/sugar/processed don't matter in these situations.  We have our ideas of how things should be ingrained in our neurons.

 

..,

 

I noticed that as a kid, and I called it the "Lasagna Theory".   Every kid claimed that their family made the best lasagna.  I loved lasagna.   I ate a lot of really disgusting lasagna at other people's houses.   (I never let them know that I thought it was disgusting).   Most were edible only because I was hungry.  Of course, my dad makes the best lasagna.  Those other people think that theirs is the best, because that is what they grew up with.  

[AMJ]

I grew up in the 1950s and 60s. My mother grew up in the 30s and 40s. When I see/hear of nostalgia for those eras I laugh and shake my head. I lived through some of the time people think was so great, and heard about the times before from my mother and grandmother.

 

 

You and I are of an age, and our parents were of an age.  How about we agree to disagree?  We can each choose what we wish to remember and commemorate about the past without tearing down others' memories.

 

 

 

To return to the thread's original discussion regarding tacos:  I was so ignorant of (unexposed to) Mexican food the only tacos I knew growing up were fast food, once our town got a Taco John's.  People came from surrounding towns to eat there because it was so new and different to the region at the time.  My first visit to Wyoming I encountered a tortilla and had no idea what I was supposed to do with it; flat breads were something I had never grown up with.  One thing I loved about college was the exposure to lots of different foods from lots of different cultures.  Now there's greater variety everywhere, it seems, and even the region in which I grew up takes such culinary exposure for granted nowadays.