Dinner Diplomacy: Like the Country Itself, Mexico’s Cuisine is Diverse and Misunderstood

Dinner Diplomacy: Like the Country Itself, Mexico’s Cuisine is Diverse and Misunderstood

Javier Diaz de Leon, consul general of Mexico in Atlanta, introduces chefs from Merida at Atlanta's No Mas Cantina. In 2010, traditional Mexican cuisine received UNESCO World Heritage designation as a cultural treasure, but the joints that serve most Americans must not have gotten the memo.Many serve a half-baked version featuring beef and chicken as the main proteins, accompanied by cheese, tortillas, rice and beans in a dizzying array of combinations labeled numerically to make ordering simpler. Burrito chains bring another uniquely American dimension, and while they may be wildly successful from a commercial . . .