WEBVTT - José Ralat, Taco Editor

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<v Speaker 1>This is Latino USA, the radio journal of news and

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<v Speaker 1>Kurturre Latino USC Le Latino USA. I'm Maria Inojosa. We

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<v Speaker 1>bring you stories that are underreported but that mattered to you,

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<v Speaker 1>the stories of black and Latino studios United, Latino Front,

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<v Speaker 1>I'm Maria ino Jossa.

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<v Speaker 2>No Hi listener, I am Patricia Subran and as a

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<v Speaker 2>producer for Latino USA, I gather tape and write the

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<v Speaker 2>scripts that later turn into the stories you listen to

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<v Speaker 2>on air. Thank you for your support and happy thirtieth

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<v Speaker 2>anniversary Latino USA.

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<v Speaker 1>Hey Latino USA listener. Here's a show from our archives.

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<v Speaker 1>How many taco editors are there in the United States

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<v Speaker 1>of America.

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<v Speaker 3>Technically just me.

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<v Speaker 1>From Vuduromedia and PRX. It's Latino USA. I'm Maria Rosa.

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<v Speaker 1>Today dacos and how this traditional Mexican dish has become

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<v Speaker 1>a staple food in the American diet. Poser Ralat has

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<v Speaker 1>the kind of job that some foodies dream about. He's

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<v Speaker 1>the taco editor at Texas Monthly magazine. Ralat also has

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<v Speaker 1>a new book out. It's called American Dacos, a History

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<v Speaker 1>and Guide. The book dives into the evolution of tacos

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<v Speaker 1>in the United States and their history in the Borderlands.

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<v Speaker 1>When we think of tacos, we usually think of them

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<v Speaker 1>as a distinctly Mexican food, but according to Ralat, he

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<v Speaker 1>says that's only half of the story. Tacos are also

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<v Speaker 1>as American as apple pie. He says, from the breakfast

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<v Speaker 1>kind to the puffy shell kind. The variety of dacos

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<v Speaker 1>that have sprung up in different regions of the United

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<v Speaker 1>States show that this is also a distinctly American food.

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<v Speaker 1>But the rising popularity of dacos in the United States

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<v Speaker 1>has well made a lot of US connoisseurs. In fact,

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<v Speaker 1>TV shows like Netflix Staco Chronicles have given a different

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<v Speaker 1>light to this simple, yet so complex of a dish.

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<v Speaker 1>Last year, basketball superstar Lebron James went viral when he

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<v Speaker 1>embraced tacos by posting videos of himself eating them enthusiastically

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<v Speaker 1>while stereotypically saying the phrase. Now, according to Ralat, tacos

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<v Speaker 1>have been here long before the hype. They were introduced

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<v Speaker 1>to the United States around the same time as the

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<v Speaker 1>American burger was invented. In his book, Ralat discusses the

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<v Speaker 1>importance of doc documenting the history of docos in the

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<v Speaker 1>United States, and he joins me today to talk about

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<v Speaker 1>their unique identity north of the border. Welcome to let

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<v Speaker 1>you know, USA.

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<v Speaker 3>Thanks for having me to.

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<v Speaker 1>Be like the one and only standing official doco editor

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<v Speaker 1>of the United States of America. That's a big deal. Congratulations,

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<v Speaker 1>Thank you.

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<v Speaker 3>It's it's an honor that I don't take lightly because

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<v Speaker 3>I have the responsibility of not just for writing about

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<v Speaker 3>the food, but writing about the people, and I think

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<v Speaker 3>that's really the most critical part of the job.

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<v Speaker 1>Before we continue, people might be saying, wait, what's going on?

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<v Speaker 1>And so you're very open about the fact that you stutter.

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<v Speaker 1>It is something that happens, and so we might as

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<v Speaker 1>well just say, hey, it happens, and you're you're cool

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<v Speaker 1>with basically saying yeah and moving on right.

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<v Speaker 3>Yes, I am, thank you. Yes, It's a part of

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<v Speaker 3>my life and it's never stopped me from doing things

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<v Speaker 3>like live TV or radio segments.

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<v Speaker 1>I love that, I gotta say, I really do. I

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<v Speaker 1>completely love that. So what you may not know is

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<v Speaker 1>that I've been a taco fanatic since probably before you

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<v Speaker 1>were even born. I'm Mexican. I grew up with this stuff,

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<v Speaker 1>you know. I mean my mom made that goes. Alita

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<v Speaker 1>made that goes. But you're Puerto Rican. You were growing

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<v Speaker 1>up with this stuff. So what's the story as to

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<v Speaker 1>why this Puerto Rican dude ends up falling in love

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<v Speaker 1>with docos?

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<v Speaker 3>Growing up in the States. I knew about doc was

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<v Speaker 3>generally speaking as a fast food product, but doc was

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<v Speaker 3>as a Mexican food item. Wasn't Brooklyn from it a chicana?

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<v Speaker 3>And I don't know who I fell in love with first,

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<v Speaker 3>the woman or the food.

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<v Speaker 1>So before we get to talking about tacos, which again

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<v Speaker 1>we could talk about forever, one of the things that

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<v Speaker 1>stood out to us is from the beginning of your book,

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<v Speaker 1>and this is where you refer to something you call

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<v Speaker 1>the abualita principle and having just mastered Jose, You'll be

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<v Speaker 1>proud of me finally having just mastered my abulita, Like

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<v Speaker 1>I finally figured it out. I'm just like, oh my god,

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<v Speaker 1>I can't believe it. I unlocked it. What is this

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<v Speaker 1>thing about the abuelita principle when it applies to tacos.

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<v Speaker 3>So whenever people talk about Mexican food, eventually the conversation

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<v Speaker 3>rolls around two. Well, Maya Wilita made the best Mexican food.

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<v Speaker 3>She made the best gizos, Her lingua was the best,

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<v Speaker 3>or her molley was the best. And for them, that's

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<v Speaker 3>as far as Mexican food goes. Nothing else counts as Mexican,

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<v Speaker 3>which is unfortunate because Mexico is a large country with

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<v Speaker 3>microregions and different cuisines. It's not that simple. We shouldn't

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<v Speaker 3>box it in. Boxing it in is misguided at best

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<v Speaker 3>and racist at worst. Uh could also be maybe so

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<v Speaker 3>and so's grandmother wasn't a good cook. I know that's sacrilegious.

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<v Speaker 3>I know it's sacrilegious. Okay, but my grandmother was a

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<v Speaker 3>terrible cook too, and.

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<v Speaker 1>He takes down at what he does as well.

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<v Speaker 3>Not everyone can cook.

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<v Speaker 1>You know this notion of like when people get that

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<v Speaker 1>hard taco shell and you know, people kind of eating

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<v Speaker 1>it and he's always falling apart in your hands. I

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<v Speaker 1>was like, do you guys don't understand? And I always

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<v Speaker 1>was concerned about the American tacle, like is this a problem?

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<v Speaker 1>Basically that the hardshell taco is the American taco? Is

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<v Speaker 1>it the American tackle? Or am I really being dismissive

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<v Speaker 1>of you know, commercialized American tacos and I'm being again

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<v Speaker 1>a taco elitist, and that there is actually an extraordinary

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<v Speaker 1>experience of an American tacle.

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<v Speaker 3>It certainly is the most iconic American taco. It's also

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<v Speaker 3>a gateway taco for people it hopefully these other people

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<v Speaker 3>to try other tacos. But you know, let's face it,

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<v Speaker 3>Taco bell is historically significant. It helped popularize the taco.

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<v Speaker 3>It was a gateway taco and with that it I

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<v Speaker 3>probably wouldn't have this job.

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<v Speaker 1>And you know what you've also like, for example, the

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<v Speaker 1>last time that I was in Miami, I don't know

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<v Speaker 1>where I ended up, but oh my god, I was

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<v Speaker 1>eating some daco fusion that was like knocking my socks off.

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<v Speaker 1>And again, you write about Kosher tacos, you write about

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<v Speaker 1>West Indian tacos, you write about Korean tacos. So what

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<v Speaker 1>is all of this in your view in this moment,

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<v Speaker 1>No matter what you know, no matter what people are

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<v Speaker 1>saying about Mexicans and what we represent, what in fact

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<v Speaker 1>does the reality of tacos in our food in the

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<v Speaker 1>United States. Say about the integration of tacos as a

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<v Speaker 1>mainstream food, it.

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<v Speaker 3>Says a lot. Hey, daco is a reflection of its

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<v Speaker 3>time and place. It is created from populationshifts, and the

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<v Speaker 3>people who make it. For example, KMX in the nineties,

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<v Speaker 3>you had this huge wave of immigration from Korea and

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<v Speaker 3>they settled in southern California next to Mexicans. And what

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<v Speaker 3>happened These people traded ingredients.

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<v Speaker 1>What do you think is next for the taco? I mean,

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<v Speaker 1>is there a frontier? Is there a border? Is there

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<v Speaker 1>a border wall that the taco is going to crash through?

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<v Speaker 1>Can it evolve further?

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<v Speaker 3>Yes? And I've often said that eventually everything makes its

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<v Speaker 3>way into a tortilla. But then I countered this Flan

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<v Speaker 3>taco and I looked at it and I said, that's

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<v Speaker 3>not what I meant. This is I did not consider

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<v Speaker 3>flann as making its way into a tortilla.

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<v Speaker 1>Should I be horrified or excited about this?

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<v Speaker 3>Will say, oh, excited because it's so delicious. It was

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<v Speaker 3>mind blowing because I never imagined that this was possible.

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<v Speaker 3>But it worked. It worked so well. I went back

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<v Speaker 3>for thirds.

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<v Speaker 1>I'm kind of feeling it, you know, I'm definitely I'm like,

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<v Speaker 1>I'm like, maybe I could try to make that at home,

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<v Speaker 1>but maybe not. But it's intriguing. So look, the truth

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<v Speaker 1>is that right now the whole world is living through

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<v Speaker 1>the COVID nineteen pandemic. You know, what are your concerns about,

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<v Speaker 1>you know, tacos and making it through this pandemic and

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<v Speaker 1>what we might lose or gain because of this moment

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<v Speaker 1>that we're living through.

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<v Speaker 3>So I think that that the that will survive and

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<v Speaker 3>thrive once more. I think that ideas are uniquely positioned

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<v Speaker 3>because that they are usually family owned, small operations that

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<v Speaker 3>can adapt quickly to their customers' needs. I think that

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<v Speaker 3>Mexican food as a whole is unstoppable. Mexican food always wins.

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<v Speaker 1>Not that there was a fight or anything going on,

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<v Speaker 1>but you just declared Mexican food always wins.

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<v Speaker 3>Okay, yeah, Well, because it'll come back. These businesses will

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<v Speaker 3>come back as long as the landlords are flexible. We

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<v Speaker 3>should get almost everyone back. At least that's what I

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<v Speaker 3>hope and that's what I believe.

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<v Speaker 1>Thank you Jose for sharing your taco stories and taco

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<v Speaker 1>love affair.

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<v Speaker 3>With us.

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<v Speaker 1>We really appreciate it.

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<v Speaker 3>Thank you, Maria, this has been an honor.

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<v Speaker 4>Joel is Gone Primeravez Masa Minos fara do mil Kings,

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<v Speaker 4>Jose Puerto rican Ya and Latino or USA and Contrea

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<v Speaker 4>Puerto Rico and contre Arguing, Sanava tell Ristoria Puerto Rico,

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<v Speaker 4>Demi hintid Lacentia, Solita Como Latinasnidos e Latino Usami Compana

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<v Speaker 4>and Silo Unavos, Mararijosa Sarre Latino As serving Celebrando con

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<v Speaker 4>su Trenthaniel Leo, Muchos Mucosanio's math in no tengo Duda.

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<v Speaker 1>This episode was produced by Juan Diego Ramirez and edited

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<v Speaker 1>by Luis Trees. The Latino USA team includes Andrea Lopez Cruzado,

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<v Speaker 1>Marta Martinez, Mike Sargent, Daisy Contreras, Victoria Estrada, Renato Leanos Junior,

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<v Speaker 1>Patricia Sulbaran, and Elizabeth enthal Torres. Our editorial director is

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<v Speaker 1>Fernando Santos. Our director of engineering is stephanel Lebau. Our

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<v Speaker 1>senior engineer is Julia Caruso. Our associate engineers are Gabriel

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<v Speaker 1>Lebas and j J. Corubin. Our marketing manager is Luis Luna.

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<v Speaker 1>Our theme music was composed by Zane Ruinos. I'm your

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<v Speaker 1>host and executive producer Maria join us on our next episode.

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<v Speaker 1>You can also find us on your social media and

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<v Speaker 1>Taco snob No, I know the worst, the worst