Americans Want to Trick you into Drinking ‘Nopal Water’

What on Earth is 'True Nopal?'
What on Earth is ‘True Nopal?’

The US$5.99 ‘Cactus water’ promises to be 100 percent natural and gluten free. But let me clue you in on a little secret: We don’t really drink “Nopal water,” and even if we did, we wouldn’t pack it inside Tetra Pak and then claim it’s all natural.

Remember: Nothing lives in Tetra Pak without some delicious NaC₇H₅O₂ (aka sodium benzoate.)

Just sayin’

Photo: Laura Martínez

Google’s Latino-Specific Web Domain has Mexicans Talking

Google this month launched a new Web domain – .soy – that is “intended to create a place online for the Hispanic community,” because apparently, we have nothing to do with the whole .com community (or, as I like to call it, the regular Internet.)

But while the new domain has had its detractors and its share of criticism, I can assure you at least my Mexican friends are taking the whole thing very seriously.

To wit.

soycomosoy

Gracias, @elementoL2

What Else Were you Going to call a Mexican Restaurant?

Call me crazy, but I think calling your Mexican restaurant Illegal Pete’s might not be a super terrific idea. Still, founder Pete Turner seems unaffected by the “fury” of about 50 people demanding a name change.

I’m sure it must be difficult to embark on a name change, especially if your name is Pete and you already has several restaurants open and many more to come. But, how about Undocumented Pete’s?

Just an idea!

Via: CBS Denver

Some Dude Claims to be an Expert in ‘Double-Decker Tacos’

Tyler Kord (right) is an expert double-decker-tacos (whatever those are)
Tyler Kord (right) is an expert double-decker-tacos (whatever those are)

You might not know who Tyler Kord is, but according to The Cooking Channel, Tyler Kord is the go-to dude for making double-decker-tacos, an abnormal concoction, which I’m sure is very popular in Tyler Kord’s kitchen and among Tyler Kord’s friends and readers of Tyler Kord’s cooking books.

¡Dios mío!
¡Dios mío!

But what on heavens is a double-decker-taco? … Well, I am glad you asked, because that is the very question being asked by the host of  The Cooking Channel: Basically, a double-decker taco is a tortilla wrapped in a hard-shell “taco” using black bean hummus as glue.

And why would anyone do that?

Because, as everybody knows, the world is coming to an end, we’re all close to extinction and nothing makes sense anymore.

Watch the following video below (WARNING: IT’S 5 MINUTES LONG) cringe, but –more importantly– do not try this at home.

Sombrero tip: @Bathtubmedia

Sir Richard Branson Will not be Making you Tacos [Thank God]

No, Sir Richard Branson will not be making you tacos
No, Sir Richard Branson will not be making you tacos

So much for the VTG (Virgin Taco Gate).

Virgin, Virgin Mobile and Sir Richard Branson himself vehemently — and hilariously– have denied any involvement with the upcoming taco chain known as Virgin Tacos.

Virgin Mobile Mexico’s press release was actually funny and included some reference to the Virgin Taco Gate:

Unfortunately, we really suck at cooking Mexican food; however, we are very good at treating our customers as rockstars. […]

The “Taco confusion” has led to a series of hilarious tweets by both, Virgin Mobile Mexico and Sir Richard Branson himself, who incidentally was in Mexico this week.

Beware the Salmon Cannon; it Could Inspire a MexiCannon

A close up of the Salmon Cannon, which could serve as inspiration for the MexiCannon
A close up of the Salmon Cannon, which could serve as inspiration for the MexiCannon

Behold the Salmon Cannon, a contraption that shoots salmon upstream, as this has become increasingly difficult because we humans just cannot leave fish and nature alone.

In a nutshell, the Salmon Cannon uses pressure to suck up a fish, send it through a tube at up to 22 mph and then shoot it out the other side, reaching heights of up to 30 feet. The contraption was used recently to move hatchery fish up a tributary of the Columbia River in Washington.

All this is great, of course, but knowing how “creative and entrepreneurial” the U.S. border patrol can get, I just hope it will not inspire any whacky ideas to start sending my people back to the other side of the Río Bravo.

A MexiCannon, anyone?

Hat tip: Kent German, Taco & Fisheries correspondent.

It’s Retro Thursday: Meet Salma Hayek in Her Very Beginnings

Salma Hayek de Pinault was not always rich, fabulous and sophisticated. She used to make TV commercials in her native Mexico, like this one (my personal favorite) for the sadly extinct Burger Boy chain. Enjoy!

Translation: “I am Little Red Riding Hood, and I’m off to see my granny. I will buy her a hamburger; I will bring her to Burger Boy.”

(Who the heck is the man in the cape, anyway?)

Texas State University to Offer a Mariachi Postdoc… ¡Ajúa!

Mariachis

Tired of having your parents scolding you for not going to college? Law and Medicine are not your thing?

Worry no more! Now you can earn a ‘mariachi postdoc,’ thanks to an upcoming summer program at the State University of Texas in San Marcos.

According to this AP story, starting this summer the Latin Music department at STU will offer a summer postdoc in mariachi, which requires a total of 15 credits and courses in vihuela and guitarrón, among other relevant instruments.

The school already offers a Mariachi Teaching Certificate and a few other specialized music courses, including salsa and ranchero.

Who said college in America was boring?

Coffee Mate Preps Telenovela, Because Why the Hell Not?

CremaNot content with bringing my people (the Hispanics) a line of Latin-inspired creamers, Nestle’s Coffee Mate tonight is premiering a telenovela: Crema con aroma de café, presumably because only a good, steamy drama will compel us to put chemically-processed stuff into our café sin leche.

Coffee Mate’s webnovela premieres tonight at 9PM EST/6 PM PST somewhere on Facebook.

This blogger might be busy doing other, equally important, things (i.e. looking for a date  on Walter Mercado’s new dating site.) But, heck, don’t let me stop you.

Here’s a preview. Enjoy!

DISCLAIMER: I kind of love the name of this thing, though. There, I said it.

Quick! Someone Tell Fresh&Co this is NOT what Poblano Food Looks Like

PueblaVegan
This photo has been shamelessly stolen from my friend’s FB wall

If you happen to walk around New York City these days, you’ll likely find huge signs advertising the latest “vegan” creation from Fresh&Co.: The Puebla Vegan Grilled Cheese, a “black bean & corn salad, smashed avocado, vegan cheese sandwich on sourdough bread.”

And while it’s tempting to think you’ll be enjoying a delicious, healthy meal from the state of Puebla –which is actually ground zero for amazing Mexican food– well, you wouldn’t.

I’m sorry to disappoint y’all, but this is what food from Puebla actually looks like:

puebla