My Mom was from Syracuse, New York. It's from her that I learned that it is properly New York City, and not just New York, as that is demeaning to the entire rest of the state.
That having been said, I would still like to know why my favorite dishes from her kitchen were Mexican cuisine? She made great tacos, great chili, great enchiladas. These were the dishes we asked for, when we wanted something special. For that matter, another of her specialties was another Californian dish, the Hangtown Fry, a concoction of scrambled eggs and oysters that originated from the Gold Rush era. But I've never cared for oysters, so that wasn't high on my favorites list.