I. What is a Taco, Anyway?

“I am looking rather seedy now while holding down my claim, And my victuals are not always of the best—”

—“THE LITTLE OLD SOD SHANTY” (AMERICAN FOLK SONG)

A Mericans Eat Badly. Our Food is Over salted, full of sugar, full of fat. Much of it is highly processed to the point of being artificial—filled with emulsifiers, extenders, preservatives, and dyes—and even when it’s not, it’s often canned or frozen into insipid mush. Our bread is like cardboard, our cheese is like plastic, our fish is two weeks old. We care more for speed and convenience, both in our home kitchens and in our restaurants, than for flavor. Worst of all, we scarcely notice how bad our food is and probably wouldn’t mind much if we did notice, because we have no real appreciation for the art and romance of gastronomy.