On Globalization, Gentrification, and Food

A lot of white Americans have moved to the three fancy but central neighborhoods of Mexico City since the pandemic. I understand why–Roma especially is a fantastic neighborhood. Unsurprisingly, this development has not been received as great by all of Mexico City. Granted, most people live so far away from these neighborhoods that they don’t care one way or another. And I mean, I don’t know what “authenticity” means, but if you want to see how most Mexicans live, you ain’t staying in Roma or Condesa anyway. So let’s stop pretending otherwise.

So this article on how this migration has caused changes in Mexico City’s food culture (or at least in these fancy neighborhoods) and led to consternation from some locals moves me to a combination of sympathy and some eyerolling. The thing that is making Mexicans mad is higher prices (fair), the fact that new types of food are appearing (whatever) and that a lot of taco stands are making their salsas less spicy for white people. Look, gentrification is a thing when people like a neighborhood. Mexico City is a huge place. It’s a blip that mostly affects the upper middle classes that already lived in those places. Even college professors I know in Mexico City don’t often live in those neighborhoods. That people are complaining about new sorts of food is just dumb. I also note that these neighborhoods have by far the most advanced vegertarian taco stands in teh country and that’s an outright good thing.

But here’s my one caveat to all this. If you are going to move to Mexico, a) learn the language and b) don’t bitch about the food being too spicy. If you aren’t going to do those two things, don’t move to Mexico. Other countries aren’t there for you to be a permanent tourist. You do have some responsibilities as an ex-pat. Not complaining about the core ingredients of the food is the second biggest one, the first being able to at least speak a little Spanish to folks you interact with, like the housekeeper you pay for too little to pick up your shit. Here’s a bit:

It started with the salsas.

At some taquerías, locals grumbled that their beloved condiments were less spicy because of the growing presence of foreigners. Then it was pizzerias opening on seemingly every corner. And third-wave coffee shops charging 100 pesos for a croissant.

The boom in global tourism since the pandemic has proved both unrelenting and unbearable to many of the people who live in destinations like Barcelona, Kyoto and Paris. Some have grown so frustrated by the influx of seasonal visitors and the strain placed on city infrastructure that they have marched in the streets and even sprayed tourists with water guns.

But in Mexico City, the visitors came quickly and many never left. Remote workers rushed to chic, central neighborhoods like Condesa, Roma Norte and Juárez seeking less expensive housing and a favorable exchange rate. From 2020 to 2023, the number of temporary residents and renewals of temporary-resident cards from the United States nearly doubled, to about 24,000, according to a report from El País.

U.S. citizens make up less than 7 percent of foreigners living in Mexico City, according to a report in the Mexican newspaper Milenio. Yet their impact has been outsize: whole swaths of Mexico City’s food scene — a point of immense pride — have been remade in the American image.

…

Higher sales, though, can make up for only so much, said Hermelinda Nava Lorenzana, who runs a tlacoyo and quesadilla stand in Condesa. Many American customers act entitled, expecting their every dietary need to be accommodated, she said, while Mexicans who visit the United States are treated like second-class citizens.

The only real thing to say is that when you travel–and especially if you are going to move to a country–don’t be an asshole. If you can’t eat spicy food, move to Costa Rica. Don’t make demands of locals to change their culture for you.