How to pronounce “gustav” in English

Gustave Landauer was a very interesting anarchist, a German Jewish pacifist who was kicked to death by the German Army in 1919.

Gustavo is the editor of OC Weekly, an alternative newspaper in Orange County, California, and he’s the author of “Orange County: A Personal History”, a frequent commentator for L.A.

Gustavo also writes the very popular and nationally syndicated column “Ask a Mexican” in which he answers any and all questions about America’s spiciest and largest minority.

Gustavo is a long, lifelong resident of Orange County and is a proud son of two Mexican immigrants, one of whom was illegal.

Gustavo Arellano: Thank you, thank you.

Gustavo Arellano: What, the book, “Taco USA” I address that.

Gustavo Arellano: Exactly. When it comes to food there’s always going to be that question of authenticity.

Gustavo Arellano: It is an amazing dish.

Gustavo Arellano: I don’t think it’s ignorance as much as they just haven’t been exposed to it.

Gustavo Arellano: Exactly. Americans, the world really, the world has always been enticed by heat, by spices.

Gustavo Arellano: So Americans, so part of that it’s like they’ve always known that about Mexican food, that it’s super spicy.

Gustavo Arellano: But the, chili, you know, chili cookouts and so forth, but at the same time, again, Americans, when it comes to Mexican

Gustavo Arellano: Absolutely. For Mexicans, hot sauce, it’s really a condiment to use on just, on snacks.

Gustavo Arellano: Somebody gave me the bottle and I threw it in the trash can immediately.

Gustavo Arellano: It is a very bold statement.

Gustavo Arellano: Oh, I love Tepache.

Gustavo Arellano: Novaleon and another one I can’t remember.

Gustavo Arellano: It’s very frothy.

Gustavo Arellano: Yeah, yeah.

Gustavo Arellano: Yeah, I talk about that a lot in my 'Ask a Mexican'' book.

Gustavo Arellano: Oh yeah, that’s awesome.

Gustavo Arellano: What’s happened, I mean, I have my own criticisms of what some people call the gourmet food truck, what I call the lux luncheria scenes, some people might criticize

Gustavo Arellano: What we consider to be, quote unquote, Mexican food, even, quote unquote, authentic Mexican food by definition is inauthentic.

Gustavo Arellano: Mexico City is one of the great cuisine, great food destinations in the world, Mexico City and Tijuana.

Gustavo Arellano: Oh, that’s awesome.

Gustavo Arellano: Corn Michael Brown: In Mexican culture?

Gustavo Arellano: Next to the Virgin of Guadalupe, corn is the most important thing in Mexican society.

Gustavo Arellano: Yeah. Michael Brown: And in the South there’s not a lot of money for proteins and stuff, you know, they’re using nuts and chilies and spices and other things to kind of make

Gustavo Arellano: Yeah. Michael Brown: And I work with a ton of Oaxacan guys in the kitchen and, by far, they are the hardest, most dedicated working group of people from Mexico and yet they get ridiculed

Gustavo Arellano: Oh sure.

Gustavo Arellano: Yeah. Michael Brown: And they really took Oaxacan cuisine because I think it was so different from what they originally understood and brought it to the forefront and put it in their books

Gustavo Arellano: Yeah, he just got an award from the Mexican government for his contributions to Mexican food, or to the promotion of Mexican food.

Gustavo Arellano: Exactly. Michael Brown: Yeah, well I thank you very, very much.

Gustavo Arellano: Don’t be shy.

Gustavo Arellano: A lot of, only until very recently, a lot of Mexican food in this country was made in a certain way cause you didn’t have all the ingredients that you had in Mexico.

Gustavo Arellano: New York Pizza, too.

Gustavo Arellano: No, regulation has historically played a big role, also, in Mexican food.

Gustavo Arellano: We do that so, sh.

Gustavo Arellano: Or what happens is we have all this regulation then an underground economy starts up.

Gustavo Arellano: Yeah, so thank you.

Gustavo Arellano: Absolutely. male #2: I don’t know the number.

Gustavo Arellano: Ugh. male #2: That brought tears to my eyes.

Gustavo Arellano: Yeah. male #2: The other was when I came back to California and went to a Oaxacan Restaurant in Santa Monica.

Gustavo Arellano: Yeah. Thank you.

Gustavo Arellano: No, no.

Gustavo Arellano: Chi-Chi’s will never be remembered for their food, where people had the good time was because of all the margaritas

Gustavo Arellano: The frozen margarita’s not gonna go anywhere cause in the book I talk about the creation of the frozen margarita machine, so there’s always gonna be a market

Gustavo Arellano: But what’s happened, though, Americans, they haven’t gotten tired of the frozen margarita but they’ve realized there’s better margaritas.

Gustavo Arellano: So there’s always gonna be different, there’s always gonna be different levels of Mexican food.