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When I was an exchange student I had a Mexican friend from Puebla and one from... some small place near the north of Mexico, forgot which one. They cannot see

When I was an exchange student I had a Mexican friend from Puebla and one from... some small place near the north of Mexico, forgot which one. They cannot see eye-to-eye over whether burritos are "real" Mexican food. Obviously, being the good friend I am, I liked to poke and prod this.

umanwizard 9y ago
To resolve the debate: I've been to Mexico dozens of times and burritos are very popular among the locals of the places I've been to. Burritos are Sonoran food and Sonora is part of Mexico.
- lazyasciiart 9y ago
  How do you think "I've been to Mexico" is going to make your answer authoritative to the two people having the debate, given they are both Mexican?
  - umanwizard 9y ago
    What makes you think people from a country know everything about every part of their own country, especially one as large and culturally diverse as Mexico? Sometimes outsiders can know something they don't. Many Americans might not have heard of "crawfish étouffé" and therefore assume it's not American food. A foreign tourist who has visited New Orleans could (quite authoritatively) correct them. Btw, I'd be willing to bet that I have more contact with people from Sonora than the typical person from Puebla has.
    - DoreenMichele 9y ago
      The foreign tourist might happen to be correct this one time, but "I'm a tourist who has been there" is not anything I have ever heard gives one power to be quite authoritative. Visiting one or more times is not remotely on par with "I have a PhD in the subject."
      - erezyehuda 9y ago
        I'm not sure I'd say "one or more times" really sums up going dozens of times, as umanwizard said they have. While I'll give you that we don't know if they have a PhD (which, sure, would be more definite authority), evidently they have the means to travel extensively, which could well put them in more diverse areas than someone from Mexico would go.
        DoreenMichele 9y ago
        I already acknowledged they may be correct. I will further formally acknowledge they may even be highly knowledgeable. The problem is that citing "I'm a habitual tourist" is not really a credential anyone can verify. Maybe "I'm a travel blogger as well and here is a link to my 10 year long blog and here are the posts about the many times I went to this place, so you can check the depth of my knowledge if you desire." would work. The phrase quite authoritative suggests credentialing. I am extremely knowledgeable about a number of subjects. I even have 6 years of college. But I have a serious problem with trying to get taken seriously in part because a lot of my credentials are akin to "I'm a habitual tourist." Maybe you really are a habitual tourist. Maybe you are more knowledgeable on the subject than the world's foremost expert with two PhDs. The problem is that "I'm a habitual tourist" simply fails as a verifiable credential as a stand alone thing without something to back up your claim of depth of accurate knowledge.
        erezyehuda 9y ago
        I get the feeling that you misunderstood what they were trying to communicate and prioritized literal word usage over context. They should not have said "quite authoritatively". Using "quite correctly" would have been better. "Authoritatively" was a sloppy substitute for emphatic correctness.
        DoreenMichele 9y ago
        I acknowledged upfront that the tourist could well be correct. That addresses the possibility that it was merely sloppy wording with that intended meaning.
- vanderZwan 9y ago
  Maybe you misread my message: the debate was between two Mexicans. I think the "Tacos only!" guy was mainly being anti-USA though
- deleted 9y ago
  [deleted]
galdosdi 9y ago
It depends on your definition but FWIW Flour tortillas, which burritos require, were only invented very recently, after Europeans brought wheat to the americas. Wheat tortillas have caught on in some parts of mezixo, primarily near the UsA border but are barely seen in other parts. Corn tortillas are the older more universal staple and have a revered place in mexican history and culture that wheat products do not. Time marches on and maybe burritos are a regional cuisine but they are surely not a general national cuisine. As a comparison, pizza is a USA national dish. Scrapple on the other hand is more of a Philadelphia area regional dish, even if Philadelphia is indeed inside the USA. Use whatever words you want, I'm just sayin'...
- vanderZwan 9y ago
  That is an unexpectedly insightful take on what at first appears to be a very petty squabble, thanks!

umanwizard 9y ago

To resolve the debate: I've been to Mexico dozens of times and burritos are very popular among the locals of the places I've been to. Burritos are Sonoran food and Sonora is part of Mexico.

lazyasciiart 9y ago
How do you think "I've been to Mexico" is going to make your answer authoritative to the two people having the debate, given they are both Mexican?
- umanwizard 9y ago
  What makes you think people from a country know everything about every part of their own country, especially one as large and culturally diverse as Mexico? Sometimes outsiders can know something they don't. Many Americans might not have heard of "crawfish étouffé" and therefore assume it's not American food. A foreign tourist who has visited New Orleans could (quite authoritatively) correct them. Btw, I'd be willing to bet that I have more contact with people from Sonora than the typical person from Puebla has.
  - DoreenMichele 9y ago
    The foreign tourist might happen to be correct this one time, but "I'm a tourist who has been there" is not anything I have ever heard gives one power to be quite authoritative. Visiting one or more times is not remotely on par with "I have a PhD in the subject."
    - erezyehuda 9y ago
      I'm not sure I'd say "one or more times" really sums up going dozens of times, as umanwizard said they have. While I'll give you that we don't know if they have a PhD (which, sure, would be more definite authority), evidently they have the means to travel extensively, which could well put them in more diverse areas than someone from Mexico would go.
      - DoreenMichele 9y ago
        I already acknowledged they may be correct. I will further formally acknowledge they may even be highly knowledgeable. The problem is that citing "I'm a habitual tourist" is not really a credential anyone can verify. Maybe "I'm a travel blogger as well and here is a link to my 10 year long blog and here are the posts about the many times I went to this place, so you can check the depth of my knowledge if you desire." would work. The phrase quite authoritative suggests credentialing. I am extremely knowledgeable about a number of subjects. I even have 6 years of college. But I have a serious problem with trying to get taken seriously in part because a lot of my credentials are akin to "I'm a habitual tourist." Maybe you really are a habitual tourist. Maybe you are more knowledgeable on the subject than the world's foremost expert with two PhDs. The problem is that "I'm a habitual tourist" simply fails as a verifiable credential as a stand alone thing without something to back up your claim of depth of accurate knowledge.
        erezyehuda 9y ago
        I get the feeling that you misunderstood what they were trying to communicate and prioritized literal word usage over context. They should not have said "quite authoritatively". Using "quite correctly" would have been better. "Authoritatively" was a sloppy substitute for emphatic correctness.
        DoreenMichele 9y ago
        I acknowledged upfront that the tourist could well be correct. That addresses the possibility that it was merely sloppy wording with that intended meaning.
vanderZwan 9y ago
Maybe you misread my message: the debate was between two Mexicans. I think the "Tacos only!" guy was mainly being anti-USA though
deleted 9y ago
[deleted]

galdosdi 9y ago

It depends on your definition but FWIW Flour tortillas, which burritos require, were only invented very recently, after Europeans brought wheat to the americas. Wheat tortillas have caught on in some parts of mezixo, primarily near the UsA border but are barely seen in other parts. Corn tortillas are the older more universal staple and have a revered place in mexican history and culture that wheat products do not. Time marches on and maybe burritos are a regional cuisine but they are surely not a general national cuisine. As a comparison, pizza is a USA national dish. Scrapple on the other hand is more of a Philadelphia area regional dish, even if Philadelphia is indeed inside the USA. Use whatever words you want, I'm just sayin'...

vanderZwan 9y ago
That is an unexpectedly insightful take on what at first appears to be a very petty squabble, thanks!