crunchy, crispy, meaty sailboats of spicy chemical flavor
March 30, 2015 10:18 AM Subscribe
[E]ven though the restaurant's cartoonish decor bordered on offensive, it was still a temple to a people and a cuisine that America couldn't ignore. Taco Bells were everywhere. In every strip mall. Off every highway exit. Even the racists, the immigrant-haters, the people who'd laugh at my elementary-school stand-up comedy routine would run for the border.John DeVore writes about finding the "unexpected, self-affirming solace" of home... at Taco Bell.
You can laugh or sneer at Taco Bell. Shake your head at its high fat and salt content. Go ahead and lecture on what true Mexican food is. My mom would probably just roll her eyes at you, and take a broken yellow shard of crispy taco shell and use it to scoop up the pintos, cheese, and salsa.
More from Eater's ongoing Life in Chains series, "where writers share the essential roles played in their lives by chain restaurants—great and grim, wonderful and terrible..."
- How to Achieve Teenage Immortality at Perkins by Chris Clayton: "If it's true you always hurt the ones you love, then we must have really loved Perkins."
- Giving Thanks at Cracker Barrel by Cari Wade Gervin: "Even if you can afford to buy a turkey, even if you have the time to cook and are healthy enough to do so, even if you have a family large enough to eat all the leftovers, making a Thanksgiving dinner is still seriously a pain. Of course people are eating Thanksgiving at Cracker Barrel! Why wouldn't they? Why wouldn't everyone?"
- Beginning and Ending at TGI Fridays by Sara Benincasa: "I pushed my food around my plate and I didn't eat it, but it was okay because we were at TGI Fridays, where nobody bothered you about finishing your meal or asked you if you’d finished your art project or how your mother was. At TGI Fridays, you could be the you you wanted to be, and that day I wanted to be anonymous."
- When Flight 370 Vanished, I Was at the Beijing Airport Starbucks by Anne Burt: "When everything is chaos, a cup of coffee helps."
jamaro: "I miss those 80 cent Enchiritos with the three olives on top* a lot. "
Oh, man, serious flashback looking at that photo. I had totally forgotten about that look the TBs had back then. And the electro-mechanical cash register. What a treat!
posted by InsertNiftyNameHere at 10:54 AM on March 30, 2015
Oh, man, serious flashback looking at that photo. I had totally forgotten about that look the TBs had back then. And the electro-mechanical cash register. What a treat!
posted by InsertNiftyNameHere at 10:54 AM on March 30, 2015
In my experience, old Taco Bell buildings with new independent Mexican restaurants in them tend to be really, really good. La Estación in Burien, WA, El Sabor in Shoreline!
posted by Fnarf at 11:09 AM on March 30, 2015 [4 favorites]
posted by Fnarf at 11:09 AM on March 30, 2015 [4 favorites]
I can only imagine the shit the first author flipped upon learning Taco Bell now just flat-out serves biscuit tacos and fried chicken quesadillas.
posted by Clueless in Crocodilopolis at 11:15 AM on March 30, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by Clueless in Crocodilopolis at 11:15 AM on March 30, 2015 [3 favorites]
I find that Taco Casa is a really good flashback to old school Taco Bell. Cheap food, lots of it, and they even have an enchirito type product.
I have to fess up that Taco Bell was by far my favorite restaurant as a young kid and even into my high school ages. I could get mountain dew and couple of bean burritos and be completely fat, dumb and happy.
posted by vuron at 11:20 AM on March 30, 2015 [1 favorite]
I have to fess up that Taco Bell was by far my favorite restaurant as a young kid and even into my high school ages. I could get mountain dew and couple of bean burritos and be completely fat, dumb and happy.
posted by vuron at 11:20 AM on March 30, 2015 [1 favorite]
Taco Bell definitely isn't Mexican. It's not even Tex-Mex. Given their fondness for sour cream and their Irvine home base, Cal-Mex is probably closer to the mark. But it's not bad and there's nothing more filling for the money via fast food. My wife and I regularly munch our way through Fiesta Taco Salads several times a month...
posted by jim in austin at 11:24 AM on March 30, 2015
posted by jim in austin at 11:24 AM on March 30, 2015
My folks moved to Wisconsin in the 70s from Santa Rosa. I always had tacos (soft shelled) as a kid, not realizing that most likely this was not a common thing in the Wisconsin area.
A few years ago, mom told me that when they first moved here, she made her own tortillas, because there weren't any stores here that carried them (I'd assume in larger cities there was, but I went to what was known colloquially as "cowpie high" so that should give you an idea of our exposure to outside culture).
One of my first jobs was at Taco Bell - they called me Chilito Man when I was a regular customer, before being hired. Chilitos were my comfort food back in the day. I averaged 2/day. I worked there 3.5 years or so.
I try to limit my intake, and they've made some sketchy choices over the years, and they need to bring back the Rancho Steak Burrito someday, damnit. And while I'm glad they brought back the Chilito (sorry "Chili Cheese Burrito") for a short period, they did away with it again and wtf is wrong with people? Why are they not ordering enough of those to make sure they're in demand always?
Anyways, for a white boy growing up in Rural Wisconsin, Taco Bell was pretty much all we had access to, and that was in the 90s! If I hadn't had parents who'd come from California, I would have never even heard of such a thing, probably, certainly never had a chance to try it. So mock the Bell all you want.
It might not be the best, Taco Johns might taste more "fresh" and there might always be more authentic places out there, but it's what brought "Mexican"(Tex-Mex?, but shouldn't it be "Cali-Mex" since it started in California, Taco Bell?) to the masses.
posted by symbioid at 11:24 AM on March 30, 2015
A few years ago, mom told me that when they first moved here, she made her own tortillas, because there weren't any stores here that carried them (I'd assume in larger cities there was, but I went to what was known colloquially as "cowpie high" so that should give you an idea of our exposure to outside culture).
One of my first jobs was at Taco Bell - they called me Chilito Man when I was a regular customer, before being hired. Chilitos were my comfort food back in the day. I averaged 2/day. I worked there 3.5 years or so.
I try to limit my intake, and they've made some sketchy choices over the years, and they need to bring back the Rancho Steak Burrito someday, damnit. And while I'm glad they brought back the Chilito (sorry "Chili Cheese Burrito") for a short period, they did away with it again and wtf is wrong with people? Why are they not ordering enough of those to make sure they're in demand always?
Anyways, for a white boy growing up in Rural Wisconsin, Taco Bell was pretty much all we had access to, and that was in the 90s! If I hadn't had parents who'd come from California, I would have never even heard of such a thing, probably, certainly never had a chance to try it. So mock the Bell all you want.
It might not be the best, Taco Johns might taste more "fresh" and there might always be more authentic places out there, but it's what brought "Mexican"(Tex-Mex?, but shouldn't it be "Cali-Mex" since it started in California, Taco Bell?) to the masses.
posted by symbioid at 11:24 AM on March 30, 2015
symbioid: "they called me Chilito Man"
Hah! I was "Beefy Burrito Man" at my local TB back in the late 80s. And I join you in mourning the passing of the chilito. Those were good.
posted by InsertNiftyNameHere at 11:29 AM on March 30, 2015 [1 favorite]
Hah! I was "Beefy Burrito Man" at my local TB back in the late 80s. And I join you in mourning the passing of the chilito. Those were good.
posted by InsertNiftyNameHere at 11:29 AM on March 30, 2015 [1 favorite]
jamaro: I don't miss their old logo which was of a guy wrapped in a serape and wearing a sombrero sleeping under a cactus. Oy.
It looks like the Taco Boy is still present in the lobby of Taco Bell headquarters in Irvine, California. He comes from the era of the Frito Bandito, another retired "Mexican" mascot. I was listening to a public radio piece on someone who grew up in a major US city and felt a kinship to the Frito Bandito growing up, as she saw no other Mexican characters on TV, which was an interesting take on the historic role of these cartoon mascots. I can't find the piece now, unfortunately.
posted by filthy light thief at 11:33 AM on March 30, 2015
It looks like the Taco Boy is still present in the lobby of Taco Bell headquarters in Irvine, California. He comes from the era of the Frito Bandito, another retired "Mexican" mascot. I was listening to a public radio piece on someone who grew up in a major US city and felt a kinship to the Frito Bandito growing up, as she saw no other Mexican characters on TV, which was an interesting take on the historic role of these cartoon mascots. I can't find the piece now, unfortunately.
posted by filthy light thief at 11:33 AM on March 30, 2015
See also: Mexican People Try Taco Bell For The First Time (a Buzzfeed video on YouTube), in which reactions range from "this isn't Mexican food," to "I would eat it again" (but still not supporting the claim of the food being particularly Mexican).
posted by filthy light thief at 11:35 AM on March 30, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by filthy light thief at 11:35 AM on March 30, 2015 [1 favorite]
I love to cook.
But I also love the occasional "the meal's not over until I hate myself" Taco Bell binge.
The Taco Bell of my youth was featured in Bowling for Columbine. It wasn't set up for a drive through, so late at night they had a walk-up window. This naturally attracted bored high school kids.
Devore's description is just so bang-on: Taco Bell tacos are crunchy, crispy, meaty sailboats of spicy chemical flavor.
I'll also have you know that - as a person who was lacto-ovo vegetarian for ten years - that during that time, TB was the go-to fast-food outlet if you didn't eat meat*. You could ask them to sub beans for meat in just about anything.
The seven-layer burrito, at least in its Canadian chain incarnation, was meat-free from the get-go.
* It's entirely possible that there was lard in the refried beans, but I adhered to a strict DADT policy when it came to a Taco Bell excursion during my vegetarian years.
Also, growing up in a border city, there was much rumour and conjecture about the provenance and quality of the meat at US Taco Bells vs. the meat used in the Canadian chain locations. I can't attest either way - the only memory I have of excursions to Michigan Taco Bells was being awed by how much cheaper it was, even factoring exchange. I mean, it was cheap in Canada, but even cheaper stateside.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 11:38 AM on March 30, 2015 [3 favorites]
But I also love the occasional "the meal's not over until I hate myself" Taco Bell binge.
The Taco Bell of my youth was featured in Bowling for Columbine. It wasn't set up for a drive through, so late at night they had a walk-up window. This naturally attracted bored high school kids.
Devore's description is just so bang-on: Taco Bell tacos are crunchy, crispy, meaty sailboats of spicy chemical flavor.
I'll also have you know that - as a person who was lacto-ovo vegetarian for ten years - that during that time, TB was the go-to fast-food outlet if you didn't eat meat*. You could ask them to sub beans for meat in just about anything.
The seven-layer burrito, at least in its Canadian chain incarnation, was meat-free from the get-go.
* It's entirely possible that there was lard in the refried beans, but I adhered to a strict DADT policy when it came to a Taco Bell excursion during my vegetarian years.
Also, growing up in a border city, there was much rumour and conjecture about the provenance and quality of the meat at US Taco Bells vs. the meat used in the Canadian chain locations. I can't attest either way - the only memory I have of excursions to Michigan Taco Bells was being awed by how much cheaper it was, even factoring exchange. I mean, it was cheap in Canada, but even cheaper stateside.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 11:38 AM on March 30, 2015 [3 favorites]
You can get into some pretty hairy fights over Taco Bell/Taco Johns around here.
Sometimes the only was you can avoid the fight is to compromise on Taco Time. Or say the hell with it and go to Chilies, because booze makes everyone happy. )
posted by BlueHorse at 11:40 AM on March 30, 2015
Sometimes the only was you can avoid the fight is to compromise on Taco Time. Or say the hell with it and go to Chilies, because booze makes everyone happy. )
posted by BlueHorse at 11:40 AM on March 30, 2015
Taco Bell was my first job too! Though in the area of Canada where I'm from, Taco Bells were by no means ubiquitous (and still aren't even to this day); the one in my town was one of two in the whole province of BC for quite some time. It was definitely my gateway to my current love of Mexican food and of hot sauce.
My go-to was the bean burrito with many of those little hot sauce packets (preferably in Fire, but Hot was fine too). I also got my job there because I ate at Taco Bell so frequently, mostly during my last two years of high school. Now I can't eat gluten, so most of Taco Bell is out, but I try in vain to find a duplicate the red chili sauce they use in their bean burritos, and would totally eat a bean burrito if I could.
posted by urbanlenny at 11:40 AM on March 30, 2015
My go-to was the bean burrito with many of those little hot sauce packets (preferably in Fire, but Hot was fine too). I also got my job there because I ate at Taco Bell so frequently, mostly during my last two years of high school. Now I can't eat gluten, so most of Taco Bell is out, but I try in vain to find a duplicate the red chili sauce they use in their bean burritos, and would totally eat a bean burrito if I could.
posted by urbanlenny at 11:40 AM on March 30, 2015
These essays are great. It's good to be reminded that TGI Fridays doesn't always mean endless cheese sticks.
posted by infinitewindow at 11:41 AM on March 30, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by infinitewindow at 11:41 AM on March 30, 2015 [1 favorite]
I'll also have you know that - as a person who was lacto-ovo vegetarian for ten years - that during that time, TB was the go-to fast-food outlet if you didn't eat meat*.
True. The vegetarians were allllll over Taco Bell while I worked there. There was a vegan couple I knew who always came in and Taco Bell was one of the only fast food restaurants they could eat at. I'm not sure if that means there wasn't lard in the beans.
posted by urbanlenny at 11:43 AM on March 30, 2015
True. The vegetarians were allllll over Taco Bell while I worked there. There was a vegan couple I knew who always came in and Taco Bell was one of the only fast food restaurants they could eat at. I'm not sure if that means there wasn't lard in the beans.
posted by urbanlenny at 11:43 AM on March 30, 2015
I am pretty sure I haven't eaten Taco Bell in 20 years, since my BFF worked there and told me horror stories about their sanitation.
posted by desjardins at 11:48 AM on March 30, 2015
posted by desjardins at 11:48 AM on March 30, 2015
The second Taco Bell brings back the Bell Beefer is the second I return to Taco Bell.
posted by the matching mole at 11:55 AM on March 30, 2015
posted by the matching mole at 11:55 AM on March 30, 2015
God, every six months or so I have to have a Taco Bell chalupa. Beef, supreme, carefully tipped open and dressed down the side of the ingredient block with a packet of Fire sauce. Their breakfast burritos are also acceptable - they're the skinny kind, not the massive forearm-sized California type.
I miss Taco Bueno from Texas, though. Far superior taco salad, much better beans. Bean burrito, minus onions plus sour cream. Just thinking about it makes me feel slightly sleepy.
posted by Lyn Never at 11:57 AM on March 30, 2015
I miss Taco Bueno from Texas, though. Far superior taco salad, much better beans. Bean burrito, minus onions plus sour cream. Just thinking about it makes me feel slightly sleepy.
posted by Lyn Never at 11:57 AM on March 30, 2015
the matching mole: "The second Taco Bell brings back the Bell Beefer is the second I return to Taco Bell."
Holy hell, that looks delicious. I never had one. Now I feel cheated.
posted by InsertNiftyNameHere at 12:04 PM on March 30, 2015
Holy hell, that looks delicious. I never had one. Now I feel cheated.
posted by InsertNiftyNameHere at 12:04 PM on March 30, 2015
I miss Taco Bueno from Texas, though.
Why would a person in Texas ever need to eat at Taco Bueno so long as this place is still in business?
posted by Atom Eyes at 12:16 PM on March 30, 2015 [3 favorites]
Why would a person in Texas ever need to eat at Taco Bueno so long as this place is still in business?
posted by Atom Eyes at 12:16 PM on March 30, 2015 [3 favorites]
Because Bueno is better than Cabana.
posted by LizBoBiz at 12:17 PM on March 30, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by LizBoBiz at 12:17 PM on March 30, 2015 [2 favorites]
I am reading this in a Taco Bell, actually.
Interestingly, most of the customers and all of the staff are Latino.
posted by Dip Flash at 12:26 PM on March 30, 2015
Interestingly, most of the customers and all of the staff are Latino.
posted by Dip Flash at 12:26 PM on March 30, 2015
"Bell Beefer" sounds like one of the ubiquitous jokes about what happens after you eat at Taco Bell.
Another vegetarian here. I still sometimes rely upon the kindness of Taco Bell burritos and rice. Now that there's Subway, I have less of an excuse, though.
That Perkins story is pretty funny, but that's some serious privilege right there.
posted by Countess Elena at 12:27 PM on March 30, 2015 [1 favorite]
Another vegetarian here. I still sometimes rely upon the kindness of Taco Bell burritos and rice. Now that there's Subway, I have less of an excuse, though.
That Perkins story is pretty funny, but that's some serious privilege right there.
posted by Countess Elena at 12:27 PM on March 30, 2015 [1 favorite]
The second Taco Bell brings back the Bell Beefer is the second I return to Taco Bell.
Interesting. I'm positive it was never a thing in Canadian Taco Bells, but my recall would only go back to about the late 80s.
I'm assuming it wasn't served as depicted, i.e., with a complimentary serape and a side of chips and head of lettuce dumped directly on your table?
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 12:35 PM on March 30, 2015
Interesting. I'm positive it was never a thing in Canadian Taco Bells, but my recall would only go back to about the late 80s.
I'm assuming it wasn't served as depicted, i.e., with a complimentary serape and a side of chips and head of lettuce dumped directly on your table?
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 12:35 PM on March 30, 2015
Because Bueno is better than Cabana.
This is correct. The only people I ever knew who liked Taco Cabana were either from somewhere that did not have one and went there like a pilgrimage when they came to Dallas, or just liked to hang out there post-clubbing with the other clubbers while they sobered up. Their salsas were gross and their chips were always stale.
posted by Lyn Never at 12:51 PM on March 30, 2015 [1 favorite]
This is correct. The only people I ever knew who liked Taco Cabana were either from somewhere that did not have one and went there like a pilgrimage when they came to Dallas, or just liked to hang out there post-clubbing with the other clubbers while they sobered up. Their salsas were gross and their chips were always stale.
posted by Lyn Never at 12:51 PM on March 30, 2015 [1 favorite]
My name is Mike and I eat Taco Bell every Friday. I am not ashamed. I may have dallied with Zantigo, Chi-Chi's or Jalisco's but I always run back to The Border. I too have fond memories of eating Taco Bell with my Mom. I would go grocery shopping with her, pack the bags and load the trunk and she would always take me to Taco Bell afterwards. I will never turn my back on The Bell.
posted by MikeMc at 12:52 PM on March 30, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by MikeMc at 12:52 PM on March 30, 2015 [2 favorites]
But I also love the occasional "the meal's not over until I hate myself" Taco Bell binge.
Hell, I start hating myself the moment I walk in the door. Saves a lot of time.
The only fast food chain that has an even higher "what the hell am I even doing with my life" factor for me has been KFC, and now that the two chains have merged into one squishy, twitching blob, I can now get double the amount of self-loathing out of one meal, for even greater efficiency.
posted by webmutant at 12:53 PM on March 30, 2015 [2 favorites]
Hell, I start hating myself the moment I walk in the door. Saves a lot of time.
The only fast food chain that has an even higher "what the hell am I even doing with my life" factor for me has been KFC, and now that the two chains have merged into one squishy, twitching blob, I can now get double the amount of self-loathing out of one meal, for even greater efficiency.
posted by webmutant at 12:53 PM on March 30, 2015 [2 favorites]
What I always order at Taco Bell: 5-layer burrito meal deal with a pepsi, pack of doritos, plus two cheese-rollups and, very important: a side of 'avocado ranch'.
posted by quirkyturky at 12:54 PM on March 30, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by quirkyturky at 12:54 PM on March 30, 2015 [1 favorite]
I don't think the chili cheese burrito has been pulled from Colorado, at least the greater Denver metro area market. I get one every time I go...cold dead hands and all that. I remember their "59, 79, 99 cent" promotions but really got into TB when the gordita entered the lineup.
Sour cream can be found in authentic Mexican food in the form of "crema." Of course Taco Bell is a weird Americanized interpretation of some crystallized moment in time of some particular arrangement of items thought to be "Mexican food." In Colorado we have our own style of green chile which is a stew with pork shoulder etc. Not at all authentic but you better believe local Mexicans raise that torch and carry it high and it's taken super seriously. Thanks NM for the raw materials, we'll take it from here
posted by aydeejones at 1:00 PM on March 30, 2015
Sour cream can be found in authentic Mexican food in the form of "crema." Of course Taco Bell is a weird Americanized interpretation of some crystallized moment in time of some particular arrangement of items thought to be "Mexican food." In Colorado we have our own style of green chile which is a stew with pork shoulder etc. Not at all authentic but you better believe local Mexicans raise that torch and carry it high and it's taken super seriously. Thanks NM for the raw materials, we'll take it from here
posted by aydeejones at 1:00 PM on March 30, 2015
(Mexicans, Latinos, Mexican Americans, etc that is crank out colorado chile in droves alongside the occasional gringo Mexican restaurant -- I'm as gabacho as it gets but I ate enough green chile growing up to win a cooking contest at work and was thrilled to have old Latino ladies fawning over my concoction. They only lost because they toned theirs down expecting a wimpier contingent of judges)
posted by aydeejones at 1:03 PM on March 30, 2015
posted by aydeejones at 1:03 PM on March 30, 2015
MikeMc: "My name is Mike and I eat Taco Bell every Friday. I am not ashamed. I may have dallied with Zantigo"
Pistols at dawn, sir.
Zantigo RULED! Oh how I miss that place! We mentioned chilitos above, but the Zantigo chilito was heaven on earth compared to the (still good) TB version. Zantigo's beef enchiladas were also awesome. I'm a creature of habit so I regret all that I did not try from Zantigo's menu.
I've read that they've somewhat reconstituted themselves to a very small degree up in MN. I'm a loon, but I'll be damned if I'm gonna drive several hundred miles (one way) for any food. If I could afford a private jet, though, I'd eat there daily, if it's as good as it used to be.
posted by InsertNiftyNameHere at 1:04 PM on March 30, 2015 [1 favorite]
Pistols at dawn, sir.
Zantigo RULED! Oh how I miss that place! We mentioned chilitos above, but the Zantigo chilito was heaven on earth compared to the (still good) TB version. Zantigo's beef enchiladas were also awesome. I'm a creature of habit so I regret all that I did not try from Zantigo's menu.
I've read that they've somewhat reconstituted themselves to a very small degree up in MN. I'm a loon, but I'll be damned if I'm gonna drive several hundred miles (one way) for any food. If I could afford a private jet, though, I'd eat there daily, if it's as good as it used to be.
posted by InsertNiftyNameHere at 1:04 PM on March 30, 2015 [1 favorite]
I would go grocery shopping with her, pack the bags and load the trunk and she would always take me to Taco Bell afterwards.
That sentence gave me a weird sort of nostalgia whiplash. My mom and my dad had completely different fast food tastes. Running errands with dad meant McDonald's, or if he got a craving he'd go out and get fried chicken (KFC when that was the only game in town, then Church's, then Popeye's) for us for dinner.
Mom has never really liked burgery-type fast food, so when my dad was out of town for work she'd want Long John Silvers, extra crunchies. If we were driving to my grandparents' house, there was a Schlotzky's on the way, right about the first point we'd need to stop and pee, that she preferred.
My orthodontist was in a weird part of town where the only nearby fast food was Arby's, and mom always wanted to make sure I ate immediately after getting my braces tightened because I'd be sore by dinnertime. There are various foods I cooled on after having braces, soft-chew food like bologna sandwiches (or any white bread sandwich), where it was too gross to go brush your teeth right away and you just had to...post-process...for a while. The Beef & Cheddar at Arby's was another of those casualties, and also the quality tanked dramatically in the 90s anyway.
posted by Lyn Never at 1:11 PM on March 30, 2015
That sentence gave me a weird sort of nostalgia whiplash. My mom and my dad had completely different fast food tastes. Running errands with dad meant McDonald's, or if he got a craving he'd go out and get fried chicken (KFC when that was the only game in town, then Church's, then Popeye's) for us for dinner.
Mom has never really liked burgery-type fast food, so when my dad was out of town for work she'd want Long John Silvers, extra crunchies. If we were driving to my grandparents' house, there was a Schlotzky's on the way, right about the first point we'd need to stop and pee, that she preferred.
My orthodontist was in a weird part of town where the only nearby fast food was Arby's, and mom always wanted to make sure I ate immediately after getting my braces tightened because I'd be sore by dinnertime. There are various foods I cooled on after having braces, soft-chew food like bologna sandwiches (or any white bread sandwich), where it was too gross to go brush your teeth right away and you just had to...post-process...for a while. The Beef & Cheddar at Arby's was another of those casualties, and also the quality tanked dramatically in the 90s anyway.
posted by Lyn Never at 1:11 PM on March 30, 2015
From the article:
The novelty had mostly worn off by the time I got older, at least until I discovered Taco Bell in college in the mid 1990's - an exotic experience for me as there were none anywhere near us growing up. At the time you could get a kid's meal with two tacos, a soda, cinnamon twists and oddly compelling mutant jungle mix-up toy for $1.99. If you were feeling extra indulgent you could get a third taco for another $0.59. It was cheap, fast, and filling. Eating at the restaurant also provided a moment of calm solitude on my way to or from work... I ate a lot of Taco Bell that year. I still occasionally go to Taco Bell and observe my old 2-3 taco ritual if I'm out running errands and suddenly realize I'm starving. At this point it's equal parts nostalgia and guilty pleasure.
posted by usonian at 1:24 PM on March 30, 2015 [1 favorite]
But she did love Taco Bell. A summer break treat was a quick trip to Taco Bell for tacos and burritos and a styrofoam cup of pinto beans, salsa, and cheese. When my mom was a kid, fast food was the dream. Imagine—literally anyone could afford to eat out! And not just boring and bland diner food, but high-tech food that was exploding with rainbows of taste-bud melting mystery powders! Food that you could eat not just at a table but in your car, the chariot of the future.Fast food was definitely its own sort of Occasion when I was a kid; I mean, we went to plenty of real, sit-down restaurants too but living in the sticks as we did, it was a big deal when the next town over got a McDonald's. It was quite a novelty to go there, likewise when we would drive a little further and meet my dad at Burger King after he got out of work. Even more exotic was Arby's out by the mall we didn't go too very often (I was inordinately fond of the Hot Ham & Cheese in that distinctive foil/paper wrap!) For my parents (mostly my mom) I think it was novel to be able to feed the family relatively cheaply and without having to cook.
The novelty had mostly worn off by the time I got older, at least until I discovered Taco Bell in college in the mid 1990's - an exotic experience for me as there were none anywhere near us growing up. At the time you could get a kid's meal with two tacos, a soda, cinnamon twists and oddly compelling mutant jungle mix-up toy for $1.99. If you were feeling extra indulgent you could get a third taco for another $0.59. It was cheap, fast, and filling. Eating at the restaurant also provided a moment of calm solitude on my way to or from work... I ate a lot of Taco Bell that year. I still occasionally go to Taco Bell and observe my old 2-3 taco ritual if I'm out running errands and suddenly realize I'm starving. At this point it's equal parts nostalgia and guilty pleasure.
posted by usonian at 1:24 PM on March 30, 2015 [1 favorite]
The boxes are kind of cool.
Taco Bell has had lots of interesting fonts in its day.
posted by Hubajube at 1:40 PM on March 30, 2015
Taco Bell has had lots of interesting fonts in its day.
posted by Hubajube at 1:40 PM on March 30, 2015
Funny thing: I've been craving Taco Bell for a week or two now. This post has made the craving unbearable. Tomorrow I shall Bell!
posted by feckless fecal fear mongering at 1:53 PM on March 30, 2015
posted by feckless fecal fear mongering at 1:53 PM on March 30, 2015
Del Taco.
posted by sleeping bear at 2:01 PM on March 30, 2015 [4 favorites]
posted by sleeping bear at 2:01 PM on March 30, 2015 [4 favorites]
Yesterday I had to ask myself what is a biscuit taco? When I went looking for answers I found this video. It's wonderful in the way Taco Bell's food is, a little originality, and a lot of borrowing from culture at large.
posted by peeedro at 2:04 PM on March 30, 2015
posted by peeedro at 2:04 PM on March 30, 2015
>the matching mole: "The second Taco Bell brings back the Bell Beefer is the second I return to Taco Bell."
Holy hell, that looks delicious. I never had one. Now I feel cheated.
This looks very much like a chorizo torta. If you can find such a thing at your local mexican place, you may enjoy it!
posted by johnnydummkopf at 2:11 PM on March 30, 2015 [1 favorite]
Holy hell, that looks delicious. I never had one. Now I feel cheated.
This looks very much like a chorizo torta. If you can find such a thing at your local mexican place, you may enjoy it!
posted by johnnydummkopf at 2:11 PM on March 30, 2015 [1 favorite]
Dinner plans, completed.
posted by Splunge at 2:20 PM on March 30, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Splunge at 2:20 PM on March 30, 2015 [1 favorite]
My mom used to take me through the drive-thru for TB twice a week, after my Karate lesson. It's actually one of the strongest memories I have of that time in my life (11 or 12 years old?) and bonding with my mom. She's a fantastic cook of authentic Mexican food, and she never ordered anything, but it's where we always went (at her suggestion, I think, probably because it was so cheap and we were broke). I still remember my order, too: 2 crunchy tacos, 2 soft tacos, small Sprite.
In the past year, I've moved from the US to the UK, and while I don't miss many foods on a regular basis (with exceptions, like Carolina shrimp and Kentucky BBQ), Mexican food calls to me every day. But, alas, it is practically nonexistent in this country (maybe not in London, but I've not found any there either). I crave my mom's enchiladas, or sopes, or tamales. Right alongside those cravings is another desire for the familiar and comforting: Taco Bell.
posted by still bill at 2:27 PM on March 30, 2015 [2 favorites]
In the past year, I've moved from the US to the UK, and while I don't miss many foods on a regular basis (with exceptions, like Carolina shrimp and Kentucky BBQ), Mexican food calls to me every day. But, alas, it is practically nonexistent in this country (maybe not in London, but I've not found any there either). I crave my mom's enchiladas, or sopes, or tamales. Right alongside those cravings is another desire for the familiar and comforting: Taco Bell.
posted by still bill at 2:27 PM on March 30, 2015 [2 favorites]
DeVore's reminiscing is something I can relate to. Franchise restaurants are all about being consistent, not only through physical space (location to location), but temporal as well. Though it may never be perfect (management/suppliers change and a lot of chains are getting more modern face lifts to compete with fast casuals), the smells, tastes, and look are all sensory inputs that help trigger old memories. And with chains dotted all along the US, it's also probably easier to go inside to experience a small but not-so-trivial slice of our past instead of booking a ticket back home or trying to track down old classmates.
posted by FJT at 2:31 PM on March 30, 2015 [4 favorites]
posted by FJT at 2:31 PM on March 30, 2015 [4 favorites]
[singing]Mighty Taco Mighty Taco Mighty Taco Mighty Taco Mighty Taco Mighty Taco Mighty Taco Mighty Taco Mighty Taco [/singing]
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 2:58 PM on March 30, 2015
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 2:58 PM on March 30, 2015
A Taco Bell location in Campbell, California has a sign in the parking lot asking patrons to not be too loud, since there are neighbors nearby. That parking lot must really be crackin' at night. Probably Campbell's premiere nightlife destination, this city boy imagines.
posted by MattMangels at 4:25 PM on March 30, 2015
posted by MattMangels at 4:25 PM on March 30, 2015
Ah. I relish the time I spent working at a Taco Bell as a young man . . . This was back in the day when the beans and the meat was cooked in giant, gleaming, Dutch oven like vats, and the tacos were fried in racks which produced the inevitable hot oil burns on one's hands and forearms. The store manager was an alcoholic Iranian and our night-shift cashier was a pre-op transsexual. On days when we were expecting a visit from a regional manager, I would be told to go out into the dining room and cover the blackened, grease-clogged ventilation panels in the ceiling with white spray paint.
posted by rankfreudlite at 4:43 PM on March 30, 2015 [4 favorites]
posted by rankfreudlite at 4:43 PM on March 30, 2015 [4 favorites]
My mom used to take me through the drive-thru for TB twice a week, after my Karate lesson. It's actually one of the strongest memories I have of that time in my life (11 or 12 years old?) and bonding with my mom. She's a fantastic cook of authentic Mexican food, and she never ordered anything, but it's where we always went (at her suggestion, I think, probably because it was so cheap and we were broke). I still remember my order, too: 2 crunchy tacos, 2 soft tacos, small Sprite.
That's a good mom.
You know, there's nothing wrong with junk food in moderation. Yeah, it's not good for you, but it's comforting in other ways.
Believe me - I'm all for all of the criticism of the fast food industry and how it operates, but man...
As a kid, we never, ever got fast food meals as a thing for dinner. I remember being amazed when neighbour kids had mom or dad bring home McDonald's or Burger King as dinner.
That said, once a month on a Saturday morning, my dad would take me and/or my brother to McDonald's for breakfast. He's always been a bit of a health food guy, so he'd have his All-Bran and skim milk, and we'd set out for McDonald's. So I'd have my Egg McMuffin or pancake breakfast (I don't think they do pancakes anymore) and hash brown, and he'd order his extra large black coffee and sit there reading his Saturday newspaper while I was chowing down. Inevitably, his eye would peek over the paper.
"Can I have half of that?" he'd ask, eyeing my hash brown.
So yeah, McDonald's. I don't eat there, ever, except for breakfast once a month or so. There's a McDonald's on the ground floor of our building. Once in a while...that craving.
Same goes for Taco Bell. That hit of nostalgia's kind of part of that too. Pulling into that very Taco Bell that's in Bowling for Columbine with some friends and realizing that the jock douchebags haven't shown up yet, so we have the parking lot to ourselves. Me and my few oddball friends belly up to the walk-up window, get our stuff and hang out in my friend Shellie's clapped-out Malibu that requires three or four attempts to start. Good times.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 6:03 PM on March 30, 2015 [2 favorites]
That's a good mom.
You know, there's nothing wrong with junk food in moderation. Yeah, it's not good for you, but it's comforting in other ways.
Believe me - I'm all for all of the criticism of the fast food industry and how it operates, but man...
As a kid, we never, ever got fast food meals as a thing for dinner. I remember being amazed when neighbour kids had mom or dad bring home McDonald's or Burger King as dinner.
That said, once a month on a Saturday morning, my dad would take me and/or my brother to McDonald's for breakfast. He's always been a bit of a health food guy, so he'd have his All-Bran and skim milk, and we'd set out for McDonald's. So I'd have my Egg McMuffin or pancake breakfast (I don't think they do pancakes anymore) and hash brown, and he'd order his extra large black coffee and sit there reading his Saturday newspaper while I was chowing down. Inevitably, his eye would peek over the paper.
"Can I have half of that?" he'd ask, eyeing my hash brown.
So yeah, McDonald's. I don't eat there, ever, except for breakfast once a month or so. There's a McDonald's on the ground floor of our building. Once in a while...that craving.
Same goes for Taco Bell. That hit of nostalgia's kind of part of that too. Pulling into that very Taco Bell that's in Bowling for Columbine with some friends and realizing that the jock douchebags haven't shown up yet, so we have the parking lot to ourselves. Me and my few oddball friends belly up to the walk-up window, get our stuff and hang out in my friend Shellie's clapped-out Malibu that requires three or four attempts to start. Good times.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 6:03 PM on March 30, 2015 [2 favorites]
Also, back in the day, McDonald's food came in massive styrofoam containers. The containers from breakfasts I ate as a kid are probably still leaching CFCs from a landfill somewhere.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 6:05 PM on March 30, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 6:05 PM on March 30, 2015 [1 favorite]
That was a surprisingly poignant essay. This bit made me feel pretty sad:
During one of my birthday parties, to which I invited my friends from elementary school, I was asked who that brown lady serving cake was. I said she was my maid.posted by Joe in Australia at 6:42 PM on March 30, 2015
filthy light thief: "See also: Mexican People Try Taco Bell For The First Time (a Buzzfeed video on YouTube), in which reactions range from "this isn't Mexican food," to "I would eat it again" (but still not supporting the claim of the food being particularly Mexican)."
OMFG - this reminded me of this awesome family that used to come in when I worked there. They were migrant workers. They had Texas plates, not sure if they were from Texas or Mexico, didn't particularly care or think about it. But they had the old patriarch who seemed to be the grandfather, his daughter, and her kids (not sure if there was a husband or not). I think there were 3 daughters and one son. The son always had his headphones on and was just in his own world as teenagers were.
And then there was Veronica. I think she was the eldest, IIRC. I remember one time walking in one of the local department stores and seeing her and smiling and saying hi to her. I had such a crush, though I barely knew her. Anyways, I always loved when they came in each year for the few years I worked there.
Anyways, they certainly at TBell... Whether they liked it? Well, I suppose there wasn't many other options in Door County in those days for anything close to *-Mex food.
posted by symbioid at 6:44 PM on March 30, 2015
OMFG - this reminded me of this awesome family that used to come in when I worked there. They were migrant workers. They had Texas plates, not sure if they were from Texas or Mexico, didn't particularly care or think about it. But they had the old patriarch who seemed to be the grandfather, his daughter, and her kids (not sure if there was a husband or not). I think there were 3 daughters and one son. The son always had his headphones on and was just in his own world as teenagers were.
And then there was Veronica. I think she was the eldest, IIRC. I remember one time walking in one of the local department stores and seeing her and smiling and saying hi to her. I had such a crush, though I barely knew her. Anyways, I always loved when they came in each year for the few years I worked there.
Anyways, they certainly at TBell... Whether they liked it? Well, I suppose there wasn't many other options in Door County in those days for anything close to *-Mex food.
posted by symbioid at 6:44 PM on March 30, 2015
Oh, also? (If this was properly set to public):
CHILITO MAN (as I used to be before eating too many)
posted by symbioid at 6:46 PM on March 30, 2015
CHILITO MAN (as I used to be before eating too many)
posted by symbioid at 6:46 PM on March 30, 2015
Oh dear god. I last went to Taco Bell in ~1993. I bit into my chicken (enchilada/burrito/tostada/whatevs) and saw the cross-section of veins I had just nommed. Almost vomited. Have not been there since.
posted by bendy at 8:35 PM on March 30, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by bendy at 8:35 PM on March 30, 2015 [1 favorite]
Taco Bell isn't bad as fast food goes. At least it's not all meat and hey, you can get some beans. But to confuse it in any way with real Mexican food is a grave, grave error. Taco Bell to Mexican food is like chicken mcnuggets are to roast chicken.
posted by telstar at 11:33 PM on March 30, 2015
posted by telstar at 11:33 PM on March 30, 2015
johnnydummkopf: This looks very much like a chorizo torta. If you can find such a thing at your local mexican place, you may enjoy it!
Thanks! It just so happens I live in San Antonio, TX, and it's easy to find a torta. And I grew up in New Orleans, so a big, messy torta scratches my po'boy itch real good.
And in this town, I can get fresh tacos made with chicharróns, or barbacoa con sessos, or lengua, or carne guisada, or machacado, on fresh, warm tortillas, made in a family restaurant on pretty much any block.
All of which give me plenty of reasons not to visit a Taco Bell. Unless they start making Bell Beefers again.
posted by the matching mole at 8:17 AM on March 31, 2015 [2 favorites]
Thanks! It just so happens I live in San Antonio, TX, and it's easy to find a torta. And I grew up in New Orleans, so a big, messy torta scratches my po'boy itch real good.
And in this town, I can get fresh tacos made with chicharróns, or barbacoa con sessos, or lengua, or carne guisada, or machacado, on fresh, warm tortillas, made in a family restaurant on pretty much any block.
All of which give me plenty of reasons not to visit a Taco Bell. Unless they start making Bell Beefers again.
posted by the matching mole at 8:17 AM on March 31, 2015 [2 favorites]
The US doesn't have Fries Supreme, does it?
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 11:03 AM on April 8, 2015
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 11:03 AM on April 8, 2015
The US doesn't have Fries Supreme, does it?
Somebody at Taco Bell Canada (probably stoned) must have remarked: “Canadians love fries with lots of stuff on top!” That is the only explanation for this only-in-Canada Taco Bell menu item, a bastardization of the least-Mexican Mexican food and an obvious stab at making “poutine,” fake-Mexican style.
No! That's carne asada fries! One of Southern California's most beautiful treasures.
posted by Lyn Never at 12:18 PM on April 8, 2015 [2 favorites]
Somebody at Taco Bell Canada (probably stoned) must have remarked: “Canadians love fries with lots of stuff on top!” That is the only explanation for this only-in-Canada Taco Bell menu item, a bastardization of the least-Mexican Mexican food and an obvious stab at making “poutine,” fake-Mexican style.
No! That's carne asada fries! One of Southern California's most beautiful treasures.
posted by Lyn Never at 12:18 PM on April 8, 2015 [2 favorites]
Somebody at Taco Bell Canada (probably stoned)
I find it difficult to believe that Taco Bell's entire menu development team doesn't go through thousands of dollars of primo-quality bud on a weekly basis.
posted by feckless fecal fear mongering at 12:30 PM on April 8, 2015 [1 favorite]
I find it difficult to believe that Taco Bell's entire menu development team doesn't go through thousands of dollars of primo-quality bud on a weekly basis.
posted by feckless fecal fear mongering at 12:30 PM on April 8, 2015 [1 favorite]
No! That's carne asada fries!
nowordsshouldhavesentapoet.jpg
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 12:42 PM on April 8, 2015 [3 favorites]
nowordsshouldhavesentapoet.jpg
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 12:42 PM on April 8, 2015 [3 favorites]
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Here he is talking about how the first Taco Bell adapted the food of Mitla Cafe across the street.
posted by Fnarf at 10:52 AM on March 30, 2015 [2 favorites]