Here in San Diego, some stranger had the chutzpah to correct how I say “birria.”

Fine, but I physically can’t make a rolled “rr” sound.

And not only that, why am I not allowed to Anglicize some Spanish words to make it easier to communicate?

Nobody pronounces “spaghetti” like an Italian does.

Or says “chow mein” like a Cantonese speaker.

We don’t walk around saying “croissant” like we’re auditioning for a Parisian mime troupe either.

It’s called language drift. It’s normal. It happens everywhere.

So why is it suddenly a crime to order tacos without performing a full phonetic homage to the motherland?

I’m not disrespecting the food. I’m ordering it. I’m eating it. I’m paying for it. That should be enough.

Correct me if I call it “beef stew.” Don’t come for me because my tongue doesn’t do linguistic gymnastics on command.

It’s birria. Beer-ya. That’s what my mouth can do. Deal with it.