On this episode we talk with Jason Stanford, former chief of communication and community engagement for the Mayor of Austin, Steve Adler.

We speak to him about the Great Breakfast Taco War, the book he co-authored, Forget the Alamo, and other taco wars.

We begin with José telling us how Texans take everything personally. Especially as it relates to food.

That character trait or flaw, whatever you’d like to call it, occasionally causes a big to-do. One of those occasions occurred in February 2016. That’s when Eater.com writer Matthew Sedacca’s story about Austin being the birthplace of the breakfast taco. Many San Antonioans lost their minds and took to social media. A  tongue-in-cheek Change.org petition to ban Sedacca from Texas was also published.

Eventually, Eater quietly revised the text to state Austin popularized the breakfast taco. But the writer’s misunderstanding of the Texas staple remained.

In his story, the journalist writes, “The recipe is simple: take a tortilla, and stuff with desired breakfast ingredients—eggs, processed yellow cheese, pork, etc.”

Anyone who has glanced at a breakfast taco menu in San Antonio and South Texas knows this is untrue. The range is great, including carne guisada, barbacoa, pork chops. The diversity is greatness.

Soon after, Texas radio stations got involved, TV stations threw in their hats too. Then the mayors got involved. The vitriol was palpable. Austin Mayor Steve Adler didn’t help things. He held rallies where he shouted the bona fides of Austin tacos and even in a fervor declared he would lead a march on San Antonio.

It was never known if that claim was scripted but there were scripted takes on the breakfast taco war and other things. The person behind that was Jason Stanford.

Stanford’s newsletter explained that San Antonio didn’t understand that Austin’s mayor was joking at the time. Like many of Austin’s moves, it was a PR stunt with a sprinkling of cynical humor. San Antonio was ultimately a punchline.

FACO: “Remember The Alamo” is a phrase sprinkled with racism. It’s a dog whistle.

TAQUOTE: “The odds always favor the tortillas like the salsa flavors of the taco.”

SOCIAL MEDIA

Jason Stanford: https://twitter.com/JasStanford

Isidro Salas: https://twitter.com/10ktacos

José R. Ralat: https://twitter.com/TacoTrail

LINKS

https://austin.eater.com/2016/2/19/11060078/breakfast-taco-austin-history

https://www.change.org/p/city-of-austin-texas-exile-matthew-sedacca-from-texas-for-taco-negligence

https://www.texasmonthly.com/the-daily-post/can-any-texas-city-claim-the-breakfast-taco-as-its-own/

https://www.vice.com/en/article/d7kxaj/the-real-texas-breakfast-taco-history-involves-cannibalism-ted-cruz-and-war

https://www.amazon.com/Forget-Alamo-Rise-Fall-American/dp/1984880098

https://jasonstanford.substack.com/p/for-the-first-time-heres-the-real?s=w&utm_medium=web

* This episode was originally broadcast on Fireside.