Going on a food tour of the US Southwest is like taking a trip into history. You will come face to face with a lot of traditions and customs. You will look at America’s past and see how rich its legacy is. Moreover, you will get a taste of great food and cuisine, and you will come to a better appreciation of what it means when you say “Southwest Style Cooking.” After all, the Southwest is not just about burritos and quesadillas, nor is it about Mexican food that overflows with meat and beans. There is so much more to the Southwest than meets the eye, which is why you will need to remember a few customs when you go on a food tour of the Southwest.
First, you need to remember that when in the Southwest, you are not going to be in just one kind of city: in fact, you will be confronting many different customs and cultures because you will be in touch with both large cities and rural areas. You will come into contact with the Mexican culture, a slice of America, some Native Americans, and even migrants from Asia and Europe. This part of the U.S. is filled with so many different cultures, so you need to do your research on the unique cultural norms that you will encounter.
Moreover, be careful not to blanket all of the Southwest, and especially not southwestern cuisine, under one term. When people say Southwestern cuisine, they are actually referring to many different kinds of cuisine that include combinations of American Indian, nueva Latina, Tex-Mex, border, and Mexican. Woe be to you if you come across a chef and carelessly talk about Southwestern cuisine! Moreover, the American Southwest is not just a small batch of land that includes California and New Mexico. It actually covers Texas and Arizona, as well as some parts of Colorado and Oklahoma. Southwestern cuisine and Southwestern culture are more diverse than you think!
Because of its diversity, you will need to do a lot of research on the cultures of Southwestern America before you even plunge into the fray. Moreover, do a lot of research on Southwestern cuisine. You will find that what determines the complexity of Southwestern cuisine is not the number of dishes that go into one dish. In fact, most of Southwestern cuisine is very simple but still very flavorful. The complexity of the dishes come from the ingredients that its specialists use. For instance, over two hundred wild herbs are cultivated by Native Americans in the Southwest and are routinely used in their cooking. Over three hundred varieties of corn exist and are used in Southwestern cuisine, and these kinds of corn can be different only to the seasoned palate.
When in the American Southwest, also avoid lumping Native Americans together. Make no assumptions: these tribes were present even before any Caucasians made their way to American shores, and these hundreds of tribes all have their own unique customs and traditions. Do a lot of research on what these customs and traditions are or you risk classifying them all into one group - a sign of discrimination and lack of consideration on your part!
The Southwest US is also not your office, so don’t rush through your food tour. Enjoy it for every single bite that you get, and don’t forget to enjoy the view! The US Southwest also has one of the world’s cleanest atmospheres, so you can see thousands of stars at night, not to mention great sunrises and sunsets!
The key to knowing customs is to do research, so read a lot and talk to a lot of people. In the end, your knowledge will allow you to enjoy your food tour better.
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