1.158

12 (Sat) June 2010

Chicken Fajitas (WHAT)

3.0

by me

at home

-Oksu (Joongang Heights Apts), Seongdong, Seoul, Korea-

with the Family

The fajita is a Tex-Mex dish.  Strips of beef and/or chicken and/or shrimp and/or onions and/or bell peppers, marinated in spices, pan-grilled, served on a sizzling platter, self-wrapped in flour and/or corn tortillas, along with choice of salsa and/or guacamole and/or sour cream and/or cheese and/or refried beans and/or hot sauce.  The term derives from “faja (strip/belt)” in reference to beef strip steaks that were originally used to make the dish.  While the general practice of eating meats and toppings with tortillas is classically Mexican (e.g., tacos), the restaurant dish was invented in and around Texas sometime in the 1970s then popularized by national chains in the 1990s.

When I was a college student in the States during the early ’90s, fajitas were the must-order item at chain family restaurants, such as TGI Fridays, Chili’s, Applebees, Chevy’s.  For some reason, the DIY nature of the dish made it seem more sophisticated.