Tacos

Re: other meats

Fish tacos are popping up all over the Tex-Mex landscape, probably due to an increased influence of coastal Mexican cuisine upon Tex-Mex cooks. If nothing else, they see that the El Nortenos can enjoy Mexican seafood as much as Mexicans can.

Personally, I've been exploring vegetarian alternatives to meat dishes- not because I'm a vegetarian, but because veggies need love too. I recently discussed using sliced large portobellos as a substitute for the beef in fajitas, which would provide a meat-free version of that classic dish. I see no reason why properly seasoned small portobellos couldn't do likewise in a taco.

(Yes, I cook.)
 
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I do love me some tacos (and good call on al pastor, Festivus, you picked out my all time favorite!), but imxp they're really too messy for gaming, I think because the crunchy shells break and innards get all over the place. I find burritos, otoh, are just about perfectly suited to tabletop games: they're well contained and don't fall apart as readily. Of course with the advent of the "soft taco", tacos may one day achieve supremacy at my table.

Or maybe a "soft taco" actually is a burrito? I just don't know anymore, and frankly my life is nearly a shambles because of this.

Taco vs burrito. Really this one of the most profound philosophical debates of our time. Also it would make a good topic for a Super Bowl ad.
 

Freebirds or Chipotle?

Freebirds is great because there are more different things you can put in your burrito. Chipotle is good because they have barbacoa as a choice of meat. Argh, so hungry.

Also, those aren't just Texas things... right?
 

No self respecting taco has a crunchy shell!

Little corn tortillas topped with that pork, some onions, cilantro, hot sauce.

These be the types of tacos I eat (and was thinking of):

Tacos-al-Pastor.jpg


Mmmm, might need to pick up some tacos tomorrow night.
 


@fuzzlewump - I know Chipotle is widespread, but I haven't seen Freebirds too terribly far and wide... mmm, freebirds.... Say hi to my hometown Austin for me! ;)

@Festivus & ssampier - Oh, you're talking about real tacos! Still messy imho, though I suppose open tacos with the more or less dry innards are ok at the table-- the simple grilled meat, healthy dose of cilantro, and hotsauce or fresh pico, on lumpy homemade tortillas... oh yeah.... I still stand by the burrito preference at the gaming table, though, especially for something gooier like carne guisada with asadero or something. ;) That's a nice, nice pic btw... yup, I know what I'm doing for dinner tonight!

Does make me wonder, though, where crunchy shells came from. It's kind of a weird thing to invent intentionally. I'll ask teh googles later. After dinner. :)
 

Is it trolling if I say I prefer burritos?

I mean, a taco is like putting your food on a plate, and being required to break your plate each time you take a bite, spilling your food all over the table, floor, and yourself. And I already have a grease stain on my gaming shirt! I don't need another one!

So I contend that burritos are the more elegant and efficient food delivery system. :)
 


lin_fusan said:
Is it trolling if I say I prefer burritos?

I mean, a taco is like putting your food on a plate, and being required to break your plate each time you take a bite, spilling your food all over the table, floor, and yourself. And I already have a grease stain on my gaming shirt! I don't need another one!

So I contend that burritos are the more elegant and efficient food delivery system. :)
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It's all in how you eat your tacos. I find I never have anything to waste, and no problem controlling my toppings, but then I grew up eating real tacos.

Rumor has it that hard shell tacos were invented by Taco Bell to expedite prep time, but I don't think so. Tacos, like American BBQ, is a regional thing. Out here, Santa Maria Tri Tip is king, but Texas would probably disagree... as would Arkansas.

My preference is the small corn tortilla, two per taco, with my meat and toppings. Crunchy or flour tortilla don't belong anywhere near my taco. That is what doritos (corn chips) are for.
 

This evening's tacos: carnitas. Oh yeah....
Festivus said:
Rumor has it that hard shell tacos were invented by Taco Bell to expedite prep time, but I don't think so. Tacos, like American BBQ, is a regional thing. Out here, Santa Maria Tri Tip is king, but Texas would probably disagree... as would Arkansas.
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I know there's not a whole lot of variation along the TX and New Nex borders, at least if you stick to the little family places or taco-mobiles that sell the traditional tacos rather than the Americanized ones. Not so familiar with Arizona or California, though. I know once you get away from the border, things can get different. "Tex-Mex" only vaguely resembles actual Mexican food, imho, and I've seen the odd things they eat in northern California.:uhoh: ;) Actually, one of my favorite things to do when travelling abroad is to check out the local Mexican restaurants (if any). That can be interesting!

Re: hard shells, I was kind of guessing the same thing, that Taco Bell started it. However... according to the always authoritative Wikpedia (*ahem*), hard shells were first mentioned in a cookbook in Santa Fe in 1949. Not sure why they took off, though, since it seems they'd be harder to keep intact during shipping and handling..? Actually, now that I think about it, I did once have some amazing tacos years ago in (iirc) Truth or Consequences, NM. They were soft homemade corn tortillas but deep fried on the spot into crispy tastiness, more V-shaped than U-shaped... oh yeah, that was real nice....

As for the Taco Bell naysayers out there, say what you will-- but agree at least that Taco Bell tacos are a step above Jack in the Box tacos. :uhoh:
 

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