Drama, drama and more drama! Just recently, Argentine chef Maru Botana decided to take on her interpretation of a taco recipe, record it and post it on her website so her fans could add it to their cookbooks. But never in a million years would she have expected the massive backlash it got from Mexicans all over the world. People tore her apart on social media and on her own site, questioning her credibility as a chef and mocking her "tacos." Many of them first ridiculed her and then gave their personal recipes, pointing out the million ways why Botana was wrong. However, looking at the video with a fresh set of eyes, before knowing that it was being torn apart by outraged defendants of Mexican cuisine, all she was trying to do was provide a fun way to make her kids eat vegetables.
Mexican food in general is exciting. Many consume it as comfort food, others as a gastronomic experience. Everybody loves it and it's the best option while hosting a get together or house party because you can prepare all the ingredients and let people mix them and create their own personal dish. It can bring friends together, it can bring families together. It doesn't matter if you're Mexican or not, it's very thrilling to enjoy that cuisine. However, the fact that an Argentine chef took on the traditional dish came as an insult for Mexicans who thought she was the one who "ridiculed" what tacos really are.
It all started when Botana prepared a chicken salad that she used as the taco filling. She did explain that it was a great way of making children eat their veggies because who could say no to a taco? She later cooked all the veggies and the chicken in a wok, which became the biggest insult ever because woks are commonly used in Asian cuisine. In an attempt of making the tortillas from scratch, she mixed the same amount of wheat flour and corn flour, adding later 10 spoons of oil, which isn't commonly used in making the tortillas. However, what drove Mexicans crazy was how Botana used the tortilla maker because she needed to use plastic sheets so the tortillas could come out easily. She did make a mistake, though, she claimed the "authentic tortillas" were the ones she was making, but you don't mix wheat and corn flours. It's either corn or wheat. Never both.
The amount of people who felt offended over the video was amazing, and classified it as a parody of Mexican cuisine, and "borderline ridiculous." Mexican Chef Alejandro Corral, however, was more diplomatic and offered a guide on how to make "real" tacos. He also asked her to take the time to research before making a Mexican recipe. Maru was even named "Maru Bin Laden" by another Mexican chef for committing "a terrorist act against our food." Isn't that more offensive? As for her, Botana finally spoke on Twitter, writing, "I'm sorry if I made a mistake in the taco recipe. Not everyone is perfect."
This backlash is another proof that nowadays people take everything way too seriously. No one can think outside the box and look for an alternate version of probably the most popular food on Earth. Why isn't it possible to express oneself without being scrutinized? As far as what I saw in the video, she wasn't hurting anyone. She just took a popular recipe and made it her own so her kids could eat their veggies without complaining, and she shared it in case there were any other concerned parents that were looking for fun ways to cook them. So I guess this means that now if I want to make a sandwich and God forbid I add an egg to it, I'll be offending all the food gods that stated that a sandwich is only made with ham and cheese. The beauty of cooking is that you can make it your own. So yes, if you would like to put dulce de leche in your asado, go ahead and enjoy it.
What do you think? Are people overreacting or was Maru Botana's recipe a real insult? Sound off in the comment section below!
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