When You Are a Mexican Person Who Loves To Eat at Taco Bell
Because I like to Live Más!
I know I'm risking everything by sharing this secret. Well, no longer a secret, right? People are not ready for what I'm about to reveal. However, I must speak my truth.
No need to shame others for what they love.
You see, I'm a Mexican person, born and raised in a small border town. To give you some context, I will tell you it is customary for people in my city to go across the border into sunny California to do some shopping or enjoy the wonders of the many amusement parks the USA has to offer.
And, of course, after a long day of going from store to store, it is usual to pause for a moment to enjoy the delights of American cuisine, namely the likes of McDonald's, Jack in the Box, Burger King, etc.
Many of these restaurants have indeed made the jump to establish franchises on Mexican land. Still, I swear the food tastes different when you go to the source of the burger.
However, one particular fast food chain has tried to conquer Mexican palates a couple of times, always with terrible results.
And that company is none other than Taco Bell.
"Mexican-inspired" fast food.
That's right! Taco Bell has tried not once but twice to make it in Mexico, but no matter the marketing approach they employ, Mexican people won't take the bait.
Taco Bell claims to sell "Mexican-inspired" fast food. The problem is that in Mexico, we already have that. It's so easy to stop by a taco stand or a restaurant, and in just a few minutes, you have a feast in front of you.
In other words, Taco Bell's offering is a bit redundant. Add to that, their versions of Mexican dishes look like a gringo washing of the real stuff. The Mexican stuff.
Why go for a knockoff that's more expensive than the original?
However, as I said at the beginning, there's a little secret I don't share with my fellow Mexican people out of fear I might end up exiled from the motherland.
I love eating at Taco Bell.
My ancestors would be ashamed of me.
I must confess my mouth waters just to think of having some of those gringo tacos. And a greasy Chicken Quesadilla? Please, put it in my mouth.
I bet my ancestors would be ashamed of me, but what am I supposed to do? Well, I'll tell you what I'm supposed to do.
I am to take advantage of the fact I live near the border and go to the nearest California town. Once there, I locate a Taco Bell restaurant, make sure there are no cars with Mexican license plates in the parking lot— there rarely are —and put on sunglasses before I go inside.
Despite my precautions, I know I'll still find Mexican people there. I'm not the only one who lives in shame. But there's a strict code at play: "You didn't see me, and I didn't see you, de acuerdo?"
After I sneak in, I order my tacos. Once they are ready, I engage in the sacred art of mindful eating and enjoy every morsel of crunchy delight, making sure to also indulge in the creamy feeling of the shredded cheese I know I will never find in an authentic Mexican taco.
I usually eat right there at the restaurant. Other times, I make a strategic pit stop on my way back to Mexico to spoil myself with some non-Mexican food when I get home.
Is it a desire to live dangerously, or do I want to Live Más?
Why do I, a Mexican person, enjoy Taco Bell so much when I could have the real thing back home?
That may be the thing. Taco Bell isn't Mexican food, but it is not American food, either. Instead, it's a secret third thing, indescribable, unhealthy, and yet, crunchy and delicious.
If a person goes to Taco Bell expecting real Mexican food, they will end up disappointed. It would be better to surrender to the unique experience and the bloating that will follow.
As for me, I will keep on living más whenever I get the chance. Life is too short to deny yourself the little pleasures of gringo cuisine. I'll just make sure to eat some extra tamales on Día de Muertos to keep the wrath of my ancestors at bay.
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