Mexican food for the uninitiated

Funny things happen to Mexican food when it has to be explained to “unacculturated” gringos. And I can only applaud the creativity (I would even say, the poetry) behind some of those efforts.

The owners of Santa Fe restaurant in tiny Tarrytown, NY, pitch their eatery as the only place in town serving “authentic Mexican food” (i.e. no burritos, chili con carne and your Taco Bell-type fare). But serving the real thing has its challenges, especially when you have to deal with an overwhelmingly white crowd.

The owners of Santa Fe found a way around it and left things in a nondescript manner for the uninitiated: cochinita pibil becomes “Mayan Barbecue,” in the English-language portion of the menu, while menudo is merely described as a “delicious Mexican spicy soup” (no word on the tripes.)

After all, if you want to try the real thing you’d better be ready to venture into grasshopper territory. Otherwise, you’ll be stuck with the usual tasteless Tex-Mex food, such as the one served at The Alamo (in the picture) whose owners at least have a sense of humor … and history! (Click on the picture to read the restaurant’s slogan)