Thanks for your Mexican recipes, but it’s time for you to go back to your country

In recent years, the emigration of Mexicans to Ireland has significantly increased. Academic offers to study English, undergraduate degrees, and master's programs are one of the main attractions for those who want to come to the country, as they also provide the possibility to work while studying, with the condition that the student can work a maximum of 20 hours per week. However, with this limited number of hours and earning minimum wage, students can barely afford a room in Dublin.

 

My first job when I arrived in Ireland was as a kitchen porter.

 

The necessity of survival on the island drives students to seek a second job, which is sometimes paid in cash. This implies that such jobs occur in unequal conditions, paying less than minimum wage. Without a contract, the person is left unprotected, “in God’s hands.” An additional option is seeking opportunities in the informal market. The main communication channels are Facebook pages, where newly arrived Mexicans to Ireland sell essential products, such as corn flour, dried chilies, achiote, chamoy, and even tequila and mezcal. Prices vary depending on demand, with the most popular items being Mexican sweets, tequila, and dried chilies.

Another way to make a living is by running micro-businesses that sell Mexican food, which often offer a wider variety than the regular Mexican restaurants in Dublin. These micro-businesses include desserts like arroz con leche, pan dulce, and tacos de birria. In October, for example, there has been a growing supply of Panes de Muerto, with recipes and styles that reflect the diversity of Mexico. This trade remains in the shadows, outside the radar of food critics and, of course,  from Revenue, which has not yet implemented sufficient measures to tax these businesses.

 

The Pan de Muerto that we baked last year and offered at one of our events.

 

Readers might wonder if these entrepreneurs can take the next step: formalizing their business. The answer is no. Unless the person has a European passport, the Visa that allows students of English, undergraduate, or master's programs to enter does not permit them to engage a business. Therefore, these ventures are often temporary, becoming a way to resist the limitations imposed by the immigration system that only allows 20 hours of work per week. Additionally, this practice represents an ethos that transgresses pre-established rules, finding cracks in the system and seeking creative solutions in the face of labor precariousness.

 

If the outlook for those who have formal food businesses in Dublin is bleak, for Mexicans dreaming of starting their own business, the possibilities are almost nonexistent. They face not only the language barrier but also the need to stay hidden in a system that does not allow them to regularize their activity. In the best-case scenario, an experienced cook gives up their dream of formalizing their business and settles for a job that allows them to pay the bills and travel. In other cases, they manage to find work in a gourmet restaurant, where they must obey the head chef and remain silent. It is likely that if investigations were conducted into who works behind the scenes in Dublin's restaurant kitchens, one would find some of these individuals who, while washing dishes, cutting avocados, or wrapping burritos, are still holding onto the hope that their European dream will come true.

What is this European dream? The Mexican who emigrates to Ireland, often with a bachelor’s degree and professional experience, is forced to take on precarious jobs. The cheap labor that the average Irish person no longer wants to do is covered by Latin-Americans without European passports. The most common roles are cleaners and kitchen porters, jobs that are frequently in demand because it is well known that we endure any job, no matter the circumstances. In the culinary field, it is only when a manager or restaurant owner recognizes the worker's potential that they are promoted, though this comes with minimal pay improvement and a much heavier workload.

In an interview conducted by Newcity Resto with Lily Ramirez, considered one of the pioneers of Mexican food in Dublin, she was asked what the biggest challenges are in preparing Mexican food in Ireland. Lily responded:

"The major challenge for most restaurants is the cost of authentic ingredients and labor. Traditional Mexican food is labor-intensive. That’s the reason why tamales don’t figure in any of the restaurant menus. Ingredients are also expensive. Between supply-chain issues, transport costs, administration, and import taxes, ingredients don’t come cheap, and that all adds up. There is also a lack of knowledgeable staff. The Mexican community in Ireland is small, but Ireland is hungry for more Mexican restaurants."

In the interview, Lily also highlighted the rise of Mexican restaurants in Dublin and the growing interest in more authentic Mexican cuisine. However, this opinion is debatable. I've described in previous articles, I believe we need to analyze what is meant by 'authentic Mexican food. A key issue is that some restaurant owners and managers, keen to offer Mexican dishes, turn to Mexican staff to prepare or teach the recipes, but without fully immersing themselves in the cuisine. In some cases, these owners exploit the economic and immigration vulnerabilities of Mexicans, extracting their culinary knowledge without providing fair compensation or opportunities for long-term professional growth.

An example of this is a restaurant that recently opened in Dublin. The owner, obsessed with Mexican food—although he has never even traveled even to Cancún during spring break season—paid a friend of mine €50 to teach him how to make salsas that he would later serve in his "high-end Mexican cuisine" restaurant. When I asked my friend why he agreed, he confessed that at first, he didn't realize the magnitude of what he was doing. Not only did he give recipes to a stranger, but he also passed on knowledge that had been handed down from generation to generation; those recipes had been taught to him by his mother and represent a historical, cultural, and identity-rich heritage.

Although it is true that the demand for Mexican restaurants in Dublin has grown, this does not mean that the Mexicans who emigrate to Ireland benefit from this boom. As long as we continue to be seen as workers for specific, low-paid roles with few or no opportunities for medium- and long-term growth, this rise in Mexican cuisine will only benefit a few. I can picture that restaurant owner telling his Mexican staff when their work visa expires, "Thanks for your Mexican recipes, but it’s time for you to go back to your country."