Bedrockgames
I post in the voice of Christopher Walken
Eh, until relatively recently, the "Mexican" food many Americans grew up with was Taco Bell. So people who have only known that, living in Wisconsin or something, aren't under any sort of onus to seek out fish tacos or torta or (deep end of the pool) lengua.
Now, if you grew up in Albuquerque, on the other hand, they should put you in jail if your choice for Mexican food is Taco Bell. (New Mexican vs. Mexican food is a whole other discussion, of course.)
I don't get why people go to Olive Garden or Dominoes, but if they like it they like it.
Where I live we have good taco places. When I was younger we didn't have them. But now the places we have are as good as the places I remember having in Southern California and in Mexico.
That said, those are still restaurants. I think chasing authenticity in food is sometimes too much of a fetish for people. I don't understand why people seem to see finding the best taco or the most authentic pad thai, to be an achievement. But if you want authentic, eat at someones' table. Restaurants are all selling product. That is why Italian food always is off at restaurants to me (even ostensibly authentic places). No restaurant is ever going to taste like home cooked food. Same with other cuisines. I've worked in a lot of restaurants. None of them taste much like the stuff my wife makes at home