Why tacos are as 'American' as apple pie

Code Switch

NPR

Society & Culture

4.6 • 14.5K Ratings

🗓️ 28 May 2025

⏱️ 32 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

The hunger for Mexican food in the U.S. is longstanding — from the conquistadors' love affair with chocolate, to the classic San Francisco burrito. This week, we're exploring the history of Mexican food in the United States, and asking what it takes for a cuisine to become quintessentially "American."

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Transcript

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0:00.0	What's good? You're listening to Code Switch, the show by Reese and Identity from NPR.
0:05.9	I'm Gene Demby. And I'm Christina Kala.
0:08.4	Christina is a Code Switch senior producer. You've heard her work on the show before.
0:12.5	But today, Christina is on the side of the mic again to talk to us about who? What are we doing?
0:17.3	We are going on an adventure, Gene. I am taking you. Drum roll please for your favorite place in the world.
0:24.1	We're going to Taco Bell. Let's go. Let's go. I love Taco Bell, yo. I love Taco Bell. It's an actual. It's actually a problem.
0:33.1	We also have our producer, Jess Kung, here today. Say hi, Jess. Hi.
0:38.3	And how do you feel about Taco Bell?
0:40.3	I'm 80% sure that Taco Bell is why I have this job.
0:44.3	Wait, say more please.
0:46.3	Yes.
0:47.3	In my cover letter to be an intern, I told a story about how, this is a real story.
0:52.3	In high school, I used to just like, I got out of school earlier than other people because
0:56.3	of how my schedule was and I had a car.
0:58.6	So I would get Taco Bell and just drive around at like 2 p.m.
1:03.7	listening to a podcast and eating Taco Bell.
1:06.4	Leah told me later that she had me down as the Taco Bell intern.
1:09.7	Leah Dinella, our senior editor.
1:11.6	Taco Bell is perhaps why I have this show.
1:14.4	Cover letter as Taco Bell person.
1:16.2	So Code Switch has some Taco Bell lore to live up to today.
1:20.0	So awesome.
	...

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