Fronteras: Going beyond the taco — ‘Tacos of Texas’ podcast returns for season seis

Norma Martinez (0:04)

Welcome to Fronteras, a program that explores issues at the border and beyond through the lens of arts, culture and history. I'm Norma Martinez with Texas Public Radio in San Antonio.

There are as many stories about tacos as there are tacos, and those stories run deep. They are rooted in immigration, history, and generations of tradition passed down in the kitchens of tías and abuelas. Taco journalist Mando Rayo has been sharing these stories in the podcast, The Tacos of Texas, now in its sixth season. Episodes this season have taken us inside the kitchens of an unconventional San Antonio abuela and a mom living in Texas without legal status. Episodes have also explored why an Austin taquero now only sells halal ingredients and the numerous hand-held masa cousins of the taco.

Rayo explains why he's passionate about sharing the stories behind the food.

Mando Rayo (1:05)

Part of what I do is uncover stories. We start with a taco, right? And where does that conversation take us? Sometimes it takes us to the roots of the food. Sometimes it's about generational stories. And sometimes it's about how it fits within current themes around immigration. And so for us, when we started Taco Journalism, we're now on our sixth season. But before that, there was a book with a namesake. And then we had a national show called United Tacos of America. We had a show on PBS as well.

And the idea is to have a discussion around taco and taco culture, and the meaning behind the food. They're basically, they're not food reviews.

But what they are, are people's stories. And so for us, it's super important that we put out the information, not only to educate people around the issues revolving the food, but also have some fun with it too, you know? And some shows are lighthearted. Sometimes they go deep, and sometimes they impact family members in our own communities that are dealing with some hardships. And so, you know, I think when you think about the Tacos of Texas podcast, you know, it's a way that we tell the stories and we go, definitely we start with a taco, but we go beyond that and just try to understand how people are connected or maybe not as connected to the food and the culture.

Norma Martinez (2:38)

Well, I wanted to also before we start talking about some of these stories, tell us a little bit about being a taco journalist. You're not the only taco journalist. There are other taco journalists. I know some people who might be familiar with your job. People might think, Mando, you've got the best job in the world. You probably just go all around the world just eating tacos, which is probably right, but it's a serious job description.

Tell people what you do as a taco journalist and others like you as well.

Mando Rayo (3:13)

Yeah. I think the idea around taco journalism, I've been doing this for, gosh, definitely almost 20 years. And so as I mentioned, I always say it's an overnight 20 year success story.

But for me, taco journalism is going beyond what you see in your plate, right? And it's about digging into the stories and seeing kind of where the stories take you and asking hard questions, you know, of what does it mean to have something culturally important to your community taken away, for example? What does it mean for children and families being detained and given terrible food and conditions in detention centers?

What does it mean to be able to afford a taco that's, what we kind of think of as $2, but now tacos are like $8 each in certain markets? And so what does that mean for people that can't afford that taco, right? And so taco journalism at its core, it's about the layers, right? And like an onion peeling away the layers of that onion and see kind of what's at the root of it, what's at the core of it. And so for me, it's personal because I am Mexican, I'm Latino growing up in Texas, and wanting to see my culture represented in a way that honors our communities. Yeah, for me, that's taco journalism at its core.

Norma Martinez (4:52)

Well, I thought the first episode of this most recent season was really impactful because you're not necessarily going out to a restaurant or a commercial kitchen. You are in somebody's kitchen. You are in the kitchen of an unconventional San Antonio Abuela. You're in the kitchen of a mom who is living in the US without documentation and she speaks to you pretty freely about not being able to really leave her home. And they also both cook for you. So it's got to be something really special to be able to be invited into the homes of people and have them make something for you. Because I know that is part of, I think, the special sauce that makes up the Tacos of Texas. The fact that you really get into the personal connections that we have with food and you can't get more personal than when somebody is making you a taco.