Cheese is not supposed to look like that...
That’s a melted Kraft Single. At least they removed the plastic first.
Edit: Yes, they’re wrapped in plastic. Please don’t burn it.
That’s cheez.
That's not cheese, that's yellow shrink wrap
"imitation pasteurized processed cheese food"
Most of the more or less authentic Mexican food I've had doesn't actually have much, if any, cheese. That shit ain't cotija either.
It's like the recipe went through a game of telephone as it passed each state before reaching Iowa. I'd hate to see what Maine looks like
Yup, I moved to an Iowa town with a lot of hispanic representation and was excited that there was a couple mexican restaurants in my area. The one everyone seems to love isn't THIS bad but its 100% made for white people "mexican" food. Thankfully, the hole the wall a couple blocks away is authentic.
The hole in the wall places are always the best, I think that’s true for most regional cuisines
Honestly, it could be a thousand Iowa towns, but I think you just described Taco Tico in Fort Dodge. Drive thru runs onto the street often.
Didn't know there were Taco Tico restaurants outside of Indiana and Kentucky. Taco Tico is basically Taco Bell. They aren't trying to be authentic Mexican, they are trying to be TexMex.
Lol nope, Perry.
What the fuck
These words were just on my tongue.
The beans and rice bowls look pretty good, although I'll bet they're not spicy enough.
The cheese things... I can't even figure out what's supposed to be in there.
Pretty good ?
This photo reminds me of all the shitty restaurants that put the cheese on top of an omelette instead of inside it. And some of them are even using american slices.
American slices are a food crime in and of themselves already. If it doesn’t even meet the legal definition for being called “cheese”, it has no business going around and pretending.
I’ll make an exception for vegan cheese alternatives if they’re made out of natural ingredients but this shit is literally plastic.
I do sympathize with the hate for Kraft slices, I wouldn’t argue it… but I kind of like them on a burger sometimes. I like the texture and the way it melts.
If I want cheese with a capital C the I’ll go with cheddar or pepper jack or whatever, but if I want gooey cheese product then kraft it is.
Don’t tell me that there isn’t any single trashy food product you enjoy as a guilty pleasure.
https://youtu.be/EIU0hwaiAG8?si=lrJsPnuXDJpsgG4J
Check out this video of someone applying heat to a slice.
American cheese is made from real Americans.
This post is curiously short of details as to where such a feast is found in Iowa. I'll give you a hint: there is a lot of good Mexican food in Iowa. It is usually in hole-in-the wall restaurants that don't look like anything, and are owned by Mexican families. My guess is this food is from some sort of "family" restaurant. And the family is not Mexican or South American in ethnicity.
I am no online detective but I would guess this is from a restaurant called El Patron. There are a number of restaurants with that name in Iowa. As an example of one that claims to be “authentic”, checkout this place in Des Moines:
My guess is that this place is owned by a Mexican family. I bet many other dishes they serve look more appetizing. Even with the crappy American cheese, this dish probably tastes better than it looks.
But what do I know? I am neither Mexican nor American. I have never eaten Mexican food in Iowa.
Edit: the logo matches this place in Waterloo. No website. Google reviews are pretty good. Not sure what expectations the residents of Waterloo have for their restaurants of course…
El Patron Family Mexican 301 East 4Th Street Waterloo, IA 50703 +1 319-287-8110
It's authentically made by a Mexican cook, but that dude fell on his head a lot as a kid.
After moving from Chicago I was stunned at the lack of Mexicans around here, and the lack of food. After Hurricane Ivan we got workers to move here and now I can get legit Mexican.
At first I thought you said TO Chicago and I was like you can't throw a stick without hitting a good mex place in Chi town wtf....ohhhhh
I want to downvote this, but I won't.
You should.
What was ordered?
Google says that's El Patron in Waterloo Iowa, the menu shows "Pollo Fundido" which says it's covered in American cheese, so 🤷
Some other things on the menu look pretty good tho.
The white people platter
The hell? You guys are right next to Wisconsin, you should be able to get some real cheese...
When i go to Tennessee, I usually carry Texas Pete or a jalapeno in my purse because all the food tastes like a biscuit.
LMAO! I bought a bottle of Tapatio last time I was in TN so I'd have something.
I had a friend from ND visit and asked me for the patio sauce. The other 3 of us at the table had no idea until he pointed to Tapatio.
Most south east "white" people food suffers from this lol
This is utter filth and an insult to the fine people and cuisines of Mexico. Fuck Iowa.
that cheese alone is already an insult to cheese
Idk man, the place by my house is really good and and serves nothing like this. The tacos are street tacos, served with verde and rojo. We do have a large Hispanic population in this area tho.
Sad Mariachi noises
You have to remove the plastic wrapping first before microwaving those "objects".
Ah yes, classic balbita queso
Cheese tarps are scandinavian arent they?
Lived in Iowa for a few years, there were a few authentic Mexican places, just not as many as Americanized ones.
"Authentic" Mexican food = Tex-Mex in many places. This looks like it.
For all the "cheese product" hate in here: it has its place in certain foods. My favorite response I've seen to calling it fake with "it isn't cheese" is "is meatloaf meat?" Same concept. Meatloaf isn't fake meat. It's a product made with meat. Just like cheese with emulsifiers added. I think we just have different levels of linguistic classification attachment to different foods. It may not be "a" cheese, but it's "cheese". You're not far off from going after almond/soy/oat milk.
Okay, that’s a reasonable argument. Although meatloaf doesn’t use any chemical additives, it’s traditionally just ground meat, breadcrumbs, and eggs, along with seasonings and spices. And just like the name implies, it doesn’t pretend to be meat, hence the addition of the word “loaf”, which is usually used for bread. It’s a meat product in the same way that American cheese is cheese product.
As for cheese alternatives made from plants, those are not allowed to be called cheese either. They are allowed to wear the names of the cheese varieties they aim to imitate, but it has to be accompanied by the word “style” and never by the word “cheese”, so you get things like “plant-based cheddar style slices” or “dairy-free mozzarella style shreds”.
Breadcrumbs, eggs, seasonings, and spices are all made of chemicals.
Also fair. I won't pretend I'm following USDA or whatever naming rules (the "uncured" labeling is bullshit - oh we didn't use straight potassium nitrate - just celery juice which contains the potassium nitrate), just going with the general language trend I see. YMMV
I did conflate cheese that has built in emulsifiers, "american cheese", with imitation cheese product (likely the plastic wrapped slices melted onto that dish) which also has emulsifiers and has lower fat content and isn't as nice. That's on me, my bad.
tongue-in-cheek, not really ragging it but: "oooooo chemicals" like salt? The potassium nitrate in cured/"uncured" meats? Sodium citrate, one of the most common additives to keep cheese emulsified, is often used in sausage making...and apparently blood banks if wikipedia is to be believed. I know there are horrible things put in processed foods, but "chemicals" is not a useful way to distinguish them. I apologize in advance if I've read a too-unfavorable slant into your use of the word chemical.
That look horrid. In Cedar Rapids there are a few good places. El super burrito is amazing. La cantina in Marion is pretty good.
I'm down.
Bu- my lord,it is doused in your namesake as requested.
My "favorite" party here is just the random slice of tomato. Like... why? What is the person that is going to enjoy this culinary delight supposed to do with a slice of tomato?
Rest his eyes from all that nauseous yellow?
On top of that, it doesn’t even look particularly fresh
What the fuck happened here?
A crime against humanity
Yes we've established this is in Iowa but please answer the question!
I mean this looking pretty good tho
