When you think about Mexican food, you probably imagine what most Americans do: burritos, enchiladas or quesadillas. These dishes are not considered "true" Mexican food by the country's citizens, and one Somerville restaurant spent this past week trying to change the misconceptions.
The National Fund for Culture and the Arts of the Mexican government invited 47 restaurants in the U.S. and Canada to promote real Mexican food.
Tu y Yo - located in the Powderhouse Rotary - was one of the chosen restaurants. As part of the program, "Three-Nation Celebration of Mexican Gastronomy," the restaurant changed its menu daily. The program started last Sunday and runs through this Sunday, Nov. 6.
Epi Guzman, who immigrated to the U.S. from Mexico 30 years ago, owns Tu y Yo and seven other Mexican restaurants in the Boston area, all of which are participating in the program. "You want cheap salsa, you can go somewhere else," he said, "This is real Mexican food."
Spanish Professor Mark Hernandez, who specializes in Mexico, said the program was a good idea. "Many people don't know very much about Mexico," he said. "It is a large country with many states and languages, and there are a lot of differences in the regional cuisine."
Freshman Eleanor Gonzales, who takes Spanish, liked the idea as well. "Having visited Mexico before and tasted real Mexican food, it's really completely different than what we eat over here," she said.
