The Rising Ubiquity of Mexican Cuisine in the American Food Scene

Mexican Cuisine
Image: allrecipes.com

A native of Santa Barbara, CA, James P. Knell entered the real estate industry in the 1970s, initially acquiring numerous residential properties in Santa Barbara area, the Pacific Northwest, and the southeastern United States. In 1984, he founded SIMA Corporation to manage and redevelop these acquired properties. An avid traveler who considers Mexico among his favorite destinations, James P. Knell has developed a taste for Mexican cuisine.

Although described by Anthony Bourdain as undervalued, Mexican food has become a ubiquitous presence in the American food scene. In fact, it is currently one of the most famous cuisines in the United States. But just how famous is it, really?

The Washington Post reports that there are at least 40,000 Mexican restaurants in the country – almost the same number as that of Chinese restaurants. Moreover, a 2015 survey by the National Restaurant Association found that out of 1,000 respondents, at least half of them eat Mexican food at least once a month.

The National Restaurant Association also found that in the Western United States, where a large majority of the population has Mexican heritage, 62 percent of the respondents claim that they eat Mexican food at least once a month. On the other hand, Americans in the northeast where the Mexican heritage isn’t so pronounced, a respectable 36 percent still claim to eat Mexican food regularly.

Moreover, there are signs that the Mexican food habit has become more ingrained in the eating habits of Americans. The same National Restaurant Association survey found that among respondents ages 44 years old and below, a greater percentage prepared Mexican food at home compared to those who ate out in restaurants.