Food Firsts

"It's a Mexican salad", my Mother chirped.

We weren't so sure. We were on our way to eat our first taco. Most people today probably don't remember the first time they ate a taco. My kids certainly don't.

Hey, is that a tooth? Woo hoo, taco time! Chomp that baby down, so to speak.

I didn't know what to think about my first taco. It was so long ago I'm sure they used mammoth meat. And the location of my first taco? None other than Taco Bell, a millenium before the mutt-ito made his millions in advertising. Taco Bell was just another joint like McDonalds or Whataburger. Only it sold tacos mostly.

The one thing I do remember is being such a hungry teenager that I ate my first two tacos without unwrapping them first. The paper was a bit chewy but clean-up was a snap.

After that first crunchy, salty, grease-dripping bite I knew that the taco would become my favorite food. So it is to this very day.

I've had tacos out the wazoo (mostly from Jack in the Box, but that's a story best told at the Medical Problems website). My favorite tacos were made at Pepino's Patio in Arizona. They used shredded beef and fried their own shells from corn tortillas. I thought the "taco bender" was a fascinating piece of equipment. Yes, I have one in the kitchen somewhere.

Yep, the good old taco. Put it in a shell and I'll add lettuce and cheese and call it lunch.