Taco Bell to open restaurants in Mexico
MEXICO CITY ‚Äö√Ñ√Æ It sounds like a fast-food grudge match: Taco Bell is taking on the homeland of its namesake by reopening for the first time in 15 years in Mexico. Defenders of Mexican culture see the chain’s re-entry as a crowning insult to a society already overrun by U.S. chains from Starbucks and Subway to Kentucky Fried Chicken…. “It’s like bringing ice to the Arctic,” complained pop culture historian Carlos Monsivais. The company’s branding strategy ‚Äö√Ñ√Æ “Taco Bell is something else” ‚Äö√Ñ√Æ is an attempt to distance itself from any comparison to Mexico’s beloved taquerias, which sell traditional corn tortillas stuffed with an endless variety of fillings, from spicy beef to corn fungus and cow eyes.
In a move that could really only be charitably likened to selling refrigerators to Eskimoes, Taco Bell is getting into the Mexican fast food market. Hey, we’ve given them Starbucks, KFC, and Lord only knows what else, so why not some good, old-fashioned, absurdly poor imitation of the local cuisine done up American-style? How long it will take before cow eyes are on the menu will be anyone’s guess, I suppose.
Yo quiero Taco Bell…or not….
