i usually write about some of my current thoughts about the Bible, but i think today is time for a small departure into another part of my body…my belly.
i don’t know if you guys have heard about the recent crackdown on l.a.’s taco trucks, but the l.a. county board of supervisors decided, in their infinite wisdom, that the trucks should not be allowed to park for more than one hour in any spot or risk a fine.
let’s first think back to our own wonderful experiences with the almighty taco truck, shall we? no, not the ones where you got sick and ralphed it all out, but the good experiences.
** cue the harp **
i still remember el capitan, my favorite taco truck ever. it was parked in the same place on whittier blvd. for years, and i consumed my fair share of carne asada tacos there with friends. what made this particular truck special though, aside from the great food, was the fact that they had a spout in the back with a watered down Tang substitue to wash down your grub. oh joy!
if el capitan would have been forced to move around, we would never have been able to find it. they may as well outlaw the trucks, this almost completely destroys their ability to do business anyways.
there’s a certain nostalgia for those of us that grew up in southern california for those trucks. i can’t imagine them being run off the streets. they are a part of what makes los angeles what it is, a part of the culture of our city.
listen, i haven’t eaten at a taco truck in a long time, i admit that. but i also would not hesitate to do it even still.
if i want to sit at a greasy table and order my food from a waitress that looks less than excited to serve me (yet i still have to tip her, right?) and have it arrive on a plate, i will certainly choose that type of establishment. but if all i have is $1 in my pocket and i just need to have my senses assaulted by delicious carne asada with cilantro, limon and salsa, the taco truck is my choice.
i don’t want to discuss illegal immigration here and whether or not they are the main owners of these tax-free establishments….visit someone else’s blog to whine about that if you want. but for now, with my voice as loud as ever, my face covered with a bandana and pumping my fist in the air, i say…déme tacos o déme la muerte!!!
more reading:
la times article
carne asada is not a crime (fyi - i signed the petition. #518 baby!)
authors note (apr 22, 10:38am): last night, sonia, steve and i took gabriel to have his very first taco truck experience. he loved it, and so did we. el capitan is a distant memory…but my heart now belongs to la golondrina of el sereno. * sniff sniff *
