Tim Walz is boring.
Not since the massive success of the first Weezer album can I recall a public figure using their blandness and dweebiness to curry such favor with the general populace.
The Minnesota governor/Kamala Harris running mate is every joke and jibe about basic and bland White folk come to fruition, and he revels in his beige tendencies.
In an era of politics where most campaigning resembles more of what one might expect from a WWE cage match, Walz’s calm, collectedness is either a yawn-inducing snoozefest or a breath of fresh air, depending on which side of the binary to which one’s brain responds. Recently, his self-deprecating turn at his Whiteness resulted in many far-right heads collectively exploding over, get this: his taste in tacos.
Getting to know a politician’s gustatory preferences helps to make them more human/relatable/likable and could result in more votes. Think about Joe Biden with his ubiquitous ice cream cones, or Donald Trump’s well-publicized daily intake of McDonald’s burgers.
Last Thursday, in a video released to social media from the Harris/Walz campaign, the current VP ribbed Walz about his non-adventurous tastebuds after he copped to making (and enjoying) “White guy tacos.” For those not in the know, White people tacos are typically thought of as the bottom rung of the taco ladder among connoisseurs but are the kind of tacos most all of us grew up eating. Browned ground beef+taco seasoning, topped with shredded cheese, lettuce, sour cream and served within the confines of a hard tortilla shell = White people tacos.
I’m not an expert on the subject of tacos, but A.) I am a Texan and B.) I did use this very space to essay on what I believe to be some of the best tacos in the state several years ago. All tacos are beautiful when prepared with loving care, and yes, even White people tacos made in Minnesota can be things of culinary awesomeness, however, everyone should know that the best tacos are found here in Texas.
No less an authority than the great Lyle Lovett once said that no one should ever eat Mexican food east of the Mississippi or north of Dallas. So, so true.
Some of the response to the Walz and Harris exchange was amusing, and some of it downright puzzling. Ben Shapiro posted “See, folks, it’s funny that white people hate spices! Not racist at all! Just funny!,” while Sen. Ted Cruz cryptically weighed in with “Hispanics are not tacos.”
Mike Cernovich kicked it up a notch and accused Walz of lying about not using any spices (he told Harris that black pepper is the top of the spice hierarchy in Minnesota) and, curiously, tied that alleged lie into his supposed deployment dodging during his service in the National Guard.
The midwestern palate is beyond bland, and that’s okay. I enjoy spicy things and various types of hot peppers, but even some fellow Texans around me can’t take the heat. I might kid them about having the tastebuds of toddlers, but it’s all alright. None of us all like the same things as one another.
I’m able to, as a straight White guy, laugh about the boring and basic stereotypes that come with such tags, although I, personally, don’t own a pair of Dockers, a Don Henley record, and I do enjoy dancing…and barbacoa tacos on a soft corn tortilla with lots of onion and cilantro. I have also enjoyed many White people tacos in my day.
I also laughed out loud in the exchange between the two politicians when Harris asked Walz if “White guy tacos” were “tuna and mayonnaise.”
If I were, however, a Republican member of Congress, I would likely be, at this moment, attempting to compel a House committee to launch an investigation as to what actually goes into “White guy tacos” and to find a link between their consumption and Communism.
Comment
Comments