A New York Times reporter interviewed a Houston Press reporter for a story that appeared in the NYT yesterday. Which Press reporter was it?
a) Craig Malisow, foreskin expert
b) Chris Vogel, dancing-naked-men expert
c) Rich Connelly, ferret expert
d) Robb Walsh, Tex-Mex-cuisine expert
If you guessed d), we owe you a burrito.
Longing for meat, cheese, gravy, tortillas and refried beans, the NYT’s Joe Drape traveled to Texas to visit what he calls the “tamale triangle” — San Antonio, Dallas and Houston — to sate his cravings.
For the resulting article, Drape asked Walsh (who, besides being our badass food critic, wrote The Tex-Mex Cookbook) about the debate surrounding the “authenticity” of Tex-Mex. “Tex-Mex isn’t Mexican food,” Walsh said. “It is an American regional cuisine. So why do we have to apologize to Mexico for it?” You tell ’em, Robb!
Drape followed his print story with an entry in the NYT’s Diner’s Journal blog. Turns out, the man is still craving the Tex-Mex, and he makes a few recommendations of where the poor souls who live outside the tamale triangle can get it. He also consults The Tex-Mex Cookbook for Walsh’s picks – including Tex-Mex restaurants in Mexico itself, Paris and Bangkok! – Cathy Matusow
This article appears in Oct 25-31, 2007.
