What Makes Authentic Mexican Restaurants Different

Here in America, there are not that many authentic Mexican restaurants.  There are plenty of Tex-Mex places to eat, but very few places that are true to the culture.  For some reason, every country other than Mexico has made a stereotype of this culture and its fine cuisines and stuck with it.  At every fast food Tex-Mex place that people go, they will see the bright colors and sombrero statues.  Authentic Mexican restaurants are definitely different from the places here in our country.  The looks and atmosphere make a Tex-Mex place different, but it is also the food.  The meals have a flair that is more to the liking of the people in this country. 

Stop and think about if for a little bit and anyone can envision what all of the Tex-Mex places are like. The first thing that probably comes to mind is the colors.  The colors are usually very bright and vibrant. People will see plenty of orange, yellow, brown and green.  Of course, there is good reason behind why these colors are so prominently displayed.  When a person thinks of Mexico, they tend to think about the heat and the sun which creates the heat.  The sun is depicted as yellow and orange, just like fire. Green is seen often due to the fact that a lot of spices and peppers are used in the dishes.  Brown reminds us of the sand.  Authentic Mexican restaurants often do not have this bright display of colors.  If a person were to travel there right now, they would find ordinary eating establishments just as one would see in American or anywhere else. 

The decor is the next obvious difference between authentic and Tex-Mex.  Most Tex-Mex restaurants will have decorations creating an atmosphere that will keep the customers coming back.  There are many places that will have giant statues of cactus or mariachi bands.  All of these things are supposed to remind people of the Spanish culture.  The funny thing is they are often overdoing it as many eating places in Mexico will not have these extravagant decorations.   Authentic Mexican restaurants will keep everything pretty normal compared to the Tex-Mex north Americans are used to.

There is one major difference when it comes to Tex-Mex and authentic style restaurants of this culture. The difference is the food itself.  In most cases, if a person has grown up with Tex-Mex, then they will most find authentic Mexican restaurants to be very different in the types of dishes that are offered.  It is hard to believe that these two styles can be so different from each other when they are meant to be the same. Tex-Mex tends to focus on just a few key items because they want everyone to like their dish rather than staying true to the culture.  Owners want their food to be universally liked and enjoyed, so they have taken some of the more popular dishes and ingredients and turned them into something that is much more appealing to the average resident of the United States. A real Mexican eatery actually has a great variety of dishes such as shrimp, chicken, soups and more, using fresh sliced avocados, goat cheese and other toppings that are indicative of the culture and the area.