TikToker Turns Hot Dog Into ‘Sausage Taco’ In Tasty Twist on Cultural Appropriation

If you hear the term “cultural appropriation” and roll your eyes, 1) you’re clearly not part of a marginalized community and 2) you need to watch more TikTok videos. If that social media platform sounds like the last place a person would go to “get woke,” well, think again. That’s because a Mexican American TikToker is flipping the script on cultural appropriation using some of your favorite “American” foods, including the humble hot dog.

Her name is Daniela Rabalais, and she recently posted a vid in which she took the beloved American food item otherwise known as the hot dog and redefined it as a “sausage taco.”

“Hi guys! Today I’m going to show you my newest obsession. I call these my sausage tacos,” she said in a video that has since gone viral – to the tune of over 682K likes. “I made it up all by myself and they’re so good.”

@danielarabalais If BIPOC appropriated foods like people do to our cultural foods #culturalappropriation #spawater #bipoc #foodtiktok ♬ original sound – Daniela Rabalais

Of course Rabalais didn’t make the hot dog up. She’s taken something that’s existed in the food space forever and is trying to make it seem like she invented it – much like many white people, especially in the food industry, do when they cook and serve food from other cultures yet fail to credit where it came from.

In the vid, Rabalais renames hot dog buns “fluffy tortillas,” dubs mayonnaise “an American kind of crema,” and reimagines ketchup as “salsa de tomate.” Then she gets so bold as to call the creation her own recipe.

And she doesn’t stop with hot dogs, either. Oh, no. She’s coming for your hamburgers, too – or as she calls them, “’torta de carne molida.” (“Ground beef patty” for those who flunked out of Spanish.)

@danielarabalais Pt. 3 of appropriating/gentrifying American food. #culturalappropriation #spawater #bipoc #foodtiktok ♬ Aesthetic – Gaspar

Not even chicken nuggets and mac ‘n’ cheese are safe from this counterintuitive cultural appropriation!

@danielarabalais Make sure you tag me if you try this at home! #culturalappropriation #spawater #bipoc #foodtiktok ♬ Aesthetic – Tollan Kim

Why is she doing this? To get all the culturally appropriating knuckleheads to rethink the ways they culturally appropriate – and often gentrify – the way we eat.

“Culture is a beautiful thing. It’s something that should be shared and celebrated,” Rabalais told Today. “Unfortunately, it can sometimes even lead to the original people who have been making these dishes, being priced out of them.” (We’re looking at you, avocado and mango eaters.)

“These are dishes and foods that, growing up, a lot of us were maybe bullied for. I know I was,” Rabalais continued. “Now all of a sudden, it’s popular and trendy just because white people decided that it’s OK. That’s where the issue lies.”

So before you get all uppity and say you discovered those tapas, maybe do a bit of research into where you food comes from. Celebrate what you love to eat, just make sure you give kudos to the cultures where it came from.

Cover Photo: TikTok