In Mexico, a craving for tacos is easily satisfied: there are at least 115,000 vendors of the staple of the Mexican diet.
Furthermore, almost 100% of citizens live not more than 400 meters from a taco stand, according to geographer Baruch Sanginés.
A study carried out by Sanginés focused on the country’s many taquerías (taco restaurants and street stands) using data compiled by the national statistics institute, Inegi.
He found there are more taquerías than schools, of which there are 92,000.
To illustrate that one is never far from a taco, civil engineer Ernesto Miranda measured the distance from some of Mexico City’s most famous monuments to the nearest taquerías. He began at the Monument to the Revolution.
The door of the nearest taquería was 176 meters away.
He repeated the investigation from the Angel of Independence, on Paseo de la Reforma avenue.
“Here we find one 152 meters from the main base of the Angel of Independence.”
Sanginés said the high density of taquerías speaks to “the great food culture we have.”
The taco, of course, is the perfect food for those on the go.
“The advantage of eating tacos is that you don’t waste time,” said chef Rafael Cruz. “It’s a product that is very fast, it’s faster than fast food. American fast food takes much longer to prepare. With a taco, you arrive, the taquero gives you one, and you go.”
Sanginés would like his study to lead to something that would help hungry, hurried citizens find a taco when they need it.
“The idea would be to create an app exclusively for tacos that would give information of interest. For example, which are the best? What kinds of salsas do they have? It’s about giving you the info you need to make the best decision.”
The study revealed that Mexico City has the most taquerías with 18,000. Guadalajara followed with 6,800 and third place went to Monterrey with 4,200.
Source: Televisa News (sp)
