NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — One professor at St. John’s University in Queens has found an interesting way to wrap history, economics, culture and more … into a course on tacos.
Steven Alvarez teaches the course Taco Literacy at the university and told WCBS 880 that the idea came to him because everyone knows something about tacos.
“Whether you are an astute taco fan, or you prefer Taco Bell, I don’t care what kind of tacos you like, you know something about tacos and that’s where we start,” he said.
By the end of the semester, he hopes students learn geography, history, literature, language and so much more.
He noted the course will get into the origins of “colonialism, neo-colonialism, and economics that are fundamentally at play today.”
Alvarez said while the course is fun, with plenty of field trips to taco eateries around Queens, studying food to learn about a culture is nothing new.
“It’s as old as ancient Greek culture, ancient Chinese culture, ancient Indian culture. Think about Indian food: all the layers of flavors and history and genius that comes throughout history that we can still taste. It’s the same with Mexican food,” he said.
Some students may jump at the prospect to eat tacos in class, but Soannie Maldonado – who took the class last time it was offered, said it is not as easy as it may seem.
“It’s the culture. It’s the people. It’s the way you interact with things. Or even just how you get your food,” she said. “It’s the simple things that I think we don’t talk about, think about, or in some cases, care about.”
Still, our Mike Sugerman, who met up with Alvarez at a Mexican eatery in Jackson Heights, said the topics you learn about in the class are better when you can chew it over with tacos.