Spring Break
"Planet Taco" invades Oregon State
Jeffrey Pilcher delivers lecture to crowd of OSU students, staff, high school students
Shyla Crawford
Issue date: 1/28/08 Section: News
A crowd of over 100 university and high school students, staff and Corvallis community members gathered Thursday evening in LaSells Stewart Center to listen to one of many in a series of Horning Lectures presented by the History Department.
Jeffrey Pilcher, a professor at the University of Minnesota, enlightened his audience and tempted their taste buds with his presentation, "Planet Taco: The Globalization of Mexican Cuisine".
"We wanted someone to talk about food and cultural identity," said Mary Jo Nye, the History of Science Graduate Program Chair at OSU. "And Pilcher did just that."
While introducing Pilcher to his audience, Nye was pleasantly surprised at how large the crowd had grown to be.
"I had to come as part of a Biology class requirement," said Matt Grause, a student at Crescent Valley High School.
Although some people did not attend the lectures by choice, Rebecca Farrin, a GTA in the Spanish department, came because she's part of a group investigating foods that Latinos eat in America.
"I wanted to know why it changed," Farrin said, referring to Mexican food changing from its origins.
Pilcher began his presentation by introducing how the globalization of Mexican cuisine has become a recent phenomenon.
The crowd giggled as pictures of authentic Mexican cuisine, such as ceviche, were shown, comparing it to modern day Taco Bell
Pilcher pointed out that Mexican food was globalized through localization, a process where countries alter foreign products to more similarly match their own.
Pilcher has been to five continents, eating Mexican food while comparing and learning about different countries' versions of what they consider authentic Mexican cuisine.
In a short interview before the presentation, Pilcher mentioned how authentic Mexican cuisine is difficult to find globally.
"Mexican food outside of Mexico is not what Mexicans would consider Mexican cuisine," Pilcher said. "It's just Tex-Mex."
Through his travels, Pilcher began to explore how things changed from authentic Mexican food to what Americans have turned into Tex-Mex.
According to Pilcher, the transition from authentic Mexican food to Tex-Mex began when white American businessmen created things like Old El Paso taco kits.
Two places Pilcher feels provide authentic Mexican cuisine can be found at Anahuacalli in Paris, and La Bamba in Japan. Of course, the best Mexican food can be found in Mexico itself.
Shyla Crawford, guest writer
news@dailybarometer.com, 737-2231
Jeffrey Pilcher, a professor at the University of Minnesota, enlightened his audience and tempted their taste buds with his presentation, "Planet Taco: The Globalization of Mexican Cuisine".
"We wanted someone to talk about food and cultural identity," said Mary Jo Nye, the History of Science Graduate Program Chair at OSU. "And Pilcher did just that."
While introducing Pilcher to his audience, Nye was pleasantly surprised at how large the crowd had grown to be.
"I had to come as part of a Biology class requirement," said Matt Grause, a student at Crescent Valley High School.
Although some people did not attend the lectures by choice, Rebecca Farrin, a GTA in the Spanish department, came because she's part of a group investigating foods that Latinos eat in America.
"I wanted to know why it changed," Farrin said, referring to Mexican food changing from its origins.
Pilcher began his presentation by introducing how the globalization of Mexican cuisine has become a recent phenomenon.
The crowd giggled as pictures of authentic Mexican cuisine, such as ceviche, were shown, comparing it to modern day Taco Bell
Pilcher pointed out that Mexican food was globalized through localization, a process where countries alter foreign products to more similarly match their own.
Pilcher has been to five continents, eating Mexican food while comparing and learning about different countries' versions of what they consider authentic Mexican cuisine.
In a short interview before the presentation, Pilcher mentioned how authentic Mexican cuisine is difficult to find globally.
"Mexican food outside of Mexico is not what Mexicans would consider Mexican cuisine," Pilcher said. "It's just Tex-Mex."
Through his travels, Pilcher began to explore how things changed from authentic Mexican food to what Americans have turned into Tex-Mex.
According to Pilcher, the transition from authentic Mexican food to Tex-Mex began when white American businessmen created things like Old El Paso taco kits.
Two places Pilcher feels provide authentic Mexican cuisine can be found at Anahuacalli in Paris, and La Bamba in Japan. Of course, the best Mexican food can be found in Mexico itself.
Shyla Crawford, guest writer
news@dailybarometer.com, 737-2231
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