How is a Gringo Supposed to Order a 'Wetback Burrito'?

I'm not really sure why you'd want to eat a burrito like a salad in the first place, but if you are so inclined, Taqueria Cancún's 6th and Market outpost has just the thing for you: The Wetback Burrito.  It's just like the wet burrito you're accustomed too, only sprinkled with language rarely used outside of Texas.

So, how are the well-to-do Caucasian clientele supposed to order such a thing without getting a black eye? DIVE Food (a blog that sadly no longer sees updates) gives us a peak into what ordering a wetback in 2006 looked like:

Something about asking for a “wetback burrito” from a taqueria worker who may or may not have once dipped his gams in the Rio Bravo del Norte is a little unsettling, especially to a fragile, politically-correct gabacho like myself.

For a second, I thought about ordering the “er, uh, the you know, ahem, w-e-t back burrito”, but I just bucked up and said what I wanted, wetback and all. At that point, the guy behind the counter, apparently not amused with my reluctance, gave me a look so cold it could freeze blood.

I know he was thinking “Oh yeah? A wetback huh? Let's see who's a wetback after I bitch-slap your punk ass.”

I just know it. [link]

Ouch.

Is this thing just a joke put on the menu so the cashier can watch customers stammer and squirm as white guilt takes over?  Perhaps just a way to see if people are shitty enough to actually order something with “wetback” in its name?

No matter what the reason, don't hesitate while ordering, unless you want your punk ass bitch-slapped.

[Pic by SF Citizen]

Comments (5)

Well, at the 19th and Mission Cancun, they call the same thing the “mojado” burrito, so I guess that might work.

My mom used to have a recipe for “Wetback Enchiladas” and she went around calling them that for years and years until about 5 years ago when a co-worker let her know it was a racist slur. She honestly didn’t know.

Why not just order a Burrito Mojado, which is what they are called (as clearly evidenced in the picture you took.)

Well, most menus translate “mojado” literally as “wet”, rather than slangily as “wetback”, so just order that. It’s a burrito doused in sauce. It’s a wet burrito. Simple.

Well, I just got accused of being racist after saying that I’d had a “wetback” burrito at Taqueria Cancun.

Crap.