After a fourteen hour trip from Memphis to Washington we finally arrived yesterday nearly at dawn to Washington D.C. to continue our Taco hunt. Before telling you any story of our taco confrontations in northeastern lands, I must say that in the middle of our trip from Memphis to Washington we were caught for hours in a thunder storm and the beginning formation of a tornado. The experience was extreme, and what really worried me while being in the middle of contingency, was that, believe it or not, the last eating I got was in Taco Bell (read Leah’s last post)…

Yesterday afternoon we went to El Tamarindo. Leah and her friend Patti remembered that they used to go there at the beginning of the decade when they had just graduated from college. What they liked about El Tamarindo is that eating there was a good and cheap way to get rid of alcohol. But since they ended their college studies and in consequence their alcohol consumption decreased, El Tamarindo lost some of their loyal consumers.

Visiting ethnic restaurants among U.S college students is a pretty common practice in comparison with other western countries, in part because of the migratory flows and the commoditization of cultural difference by U.S companies, but also because they are exposed to different ethnic foods in house and school since childhood. (Leah’s note: also because it’s cheap.) In other western countries such as The Netherlands, college students visit ethnic restaurants only in special situations, commonly related with ritual celebrations or special occasions, not with convenience consumption.

Leah and Patti asked for their Tamarindo favorites plate: Combinacion Guanca, a sample of el Salvadoran favorites including; one Pupusa, one Tamale, a fried Plantains, Rice and Beans. By this point you must be a little bit confused about why a couple of Taco hunters was eating in a Salvadorian restaurant. But what is particular about this restaurant is that they offer both kinds of food (or three, taking into account that they promote Tex-Mex food as Mexican) Mexican, Tex-Mex and Salvadorian.

El Tamarindo offers this mix of foods in part because Washington D.C is a city with an important Salvadorian population, but also because Mexican food is already well positioned in the U.S. In this way Salvadorian restaurants target clients from both (or also three), the nostalgic market, the everyday consumers, and the ones who are looking for Coo[c]king cultural confrontations. By offering big Mexican/Tex-Mex and Salvadorian combos, customers are able to try different bites of those food traditions. This is a well-proved common practice of ethnic restaurants to target multicultural consumers: a little bit of everything for a convenient price.

This time I asked for a Salmon Tostada, and what I got was: “A crispy Flour Tortilla filled with Beans and your choice or Beef, Chicken, Salmon or Crab and Shrimp sautéed in a seasoned Tomato Sauce, fresh Lettuce, Tomatoes, Cucumbers, and dressing; topped with grated Monterrey jack and Chedrar cheeses, a dab of Guacamole and Sour Cream. The Thing was huge! It was like 10 inches diameter by 3 inches deep. I liked how The Thing was showing all the colors and ingredients separated in different layers, and the flavor was ok. But I never saw a Tostada like this before, that’s the reason I’m calling it “The Thing”, because to me it was not a Tostada. The only clear reference to the Tostadas I know was the crispy tortilla — but not its shape or the flour as the main ingredient.  So I was wondering why they named this thing a Tostada and not a Mexican flour pail/bucket or something similar.

I wonder what would happen if Tex-Mex food sellers would radically change the name of their food products/creations. Maybe in this way inexperienced consumers would not be so confused about what the differences are between Tacos, Taquitos, Tacos dorados, Flautas, Crispy Tacos, Tostadas…But of course because of a shared history and marketing strategies that’s not so easy, and indeed, maybe it would not be so helpful.

After arriving home, Patti gave Andy the Chimichanga she brought for him. When Andy was finishing the first half I asked for his opinion and what I got for an answer was: “what I do not understand is what the difference is between a burrito and a Chimichanga?”