Eleventh International Conference on Food Studies

Abstract

Wes Avila, owner and chief of Guerrilla Tacos in Los Angeles, CA, insists that the only authentic aspect of taco making is its “inauthenticity.” A taco, he claims, is a “blank canvas.” This approach to cooking and eating has revolutionized both the L.A. food truck scene and how Mexican food is being perceived, prepared, and presented. In the past few years, Mexican food in Southern California has engaged in the local production of food in ways it has not been in recent memory in part because of COVID-19. The Los Angeles region has been one of the hardest hit by the pandemic, and restaurant owners feel the pressure to be innovative and resilient. This paper explores how taqueros (or taco makers) have remained resilient by innovating “traditional” dishes that are often meat-based to vegan and vegetarian. Under COVID-19, meat and dairy have become expensive for many restaurants to purchase. The move to vegan and vegetarian has helped chiefs lower the cost of food and may improve the health and wellbeing of their communities. COVID-19 only further perpetuates the food inequalities already experienced in low-income and communities of color. However, as chiefs transition to COVID cooking norms, their everyday creative and meaningful engagement with food must also change. The “blank canvas” of the taco is being remade every day. This interpretive research explores how the human experiences and social contexts normalized under COVID-19 shape the social reality of taqueros and their patrons.