this post was submitted on 24 Jul 2024
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Sure they advertise it that way, but no one really believes it anymore. They've been doing that since they opened in the 60s, when Mexican food wasn't nearly as ubiquitous as it is now. They just keep on keeping on and no one really cares. At least the food is based on Mexican fare.
But eating at TB is not about "authentic". It's about taste. And price to some small extent. The TB near me (South L.A. area) has 3 Mexican spots within a block, as well as a Salvadorean place across the street. There's two street vendors who sell next to the TB on alternating nights. With all that, the TB is still busy with Latinos. Some people just like it.
I've read that Taco Bell was largely responsible for popularizing Mexican food back when it was seen as exotic.
I can see that. When I was real little (late 70s/early 80s), the only way you were getting traditional Mexican food was either from a Mexican friend/family or at a restaurant and those were typically owned/run by Mexicans. If someone lived in a city with few to no Mexicans, it was unlikely to have a restaurant so I think people missed out in many places until Taco Bell got there.
Side note - west coast road trips when I was a kid usually consisted of diners and other American food restaurants. Very little variety at all. Once we left L.A./SoCal, Mexican and Asian food basically disappeared.