Did I write a really long entry on breakfast tacos?
The New York Times wrote an article about breakfast tacos in Austin.
This is relevant to my interests because two of the things I love the most in the world are breakfast tacos and Austin.
To be clear: I eat a minimum of 8 breakfast tacos in an average week. This is due partially to my journal at school which orders several dozen breakfast tacos every Tuesday, so that ends up being 2 or 3 of my meals for the day. Other mornings I stop at JP's to get tacos they bring in from Elsi's (they have the most amazing vegetarian chorizo), or George's in the school basement for their overpriced, but convenient tacos. And, listen, I know this might not be kosher, but I really like Whataburger's taquitos. I just do, and you can't change my mind. Then, on days when I'm uninspired for dinner, breakfast tacos are my standby, I'll make two or three for dinner up to three times a week.
I really like breakfast tacos.
My main problem with this article is that it keeps emphasizing how breakfast tacos are this crazy combination of Austin culture and Mexican culture! Can you imagine? Foods made with Mexican ingredients and methods that aren't authentically Mexican and aren't generally eaten in Mexico but were created and are eaten in Texas and the Southwest? How interesting and unique! IF ONLY THEY HAD A NAME FOR THAT KIND OF CUISINE. Not to mention that as much as I love Austin, I'm pretty weirded out by this article's implications that breakfast tacos are an Austin thing.
Let's be real, the best breakfast tacos I've ever eaten were at Taco Taco in San Antonio, and that was even after it was on TV and became super crowded. The tortillas are super soft, warm and fresh, made in-house, the eggs are perfectly scrambled, not too hard, and you can taste the butter in them, and the bacon (if you're getting a bacon taco) is thick and crunchy and intact, not crumbled into tiny pieces like some places (lots of places) do it. Wow, I miss me some Taco Taco tacos.
Going along with that, there's this tidbit: "When it comes to breakfast tacos, however, Austin trumps all other American cities." Let's not equivocate, New York Times, you stated that breakfast tacos aren't eaten very commonly in Mexico, and I doubt there are any cities in Germany or Mongolia or anywhere else that trump Austin in breakfast tacos. So if you're going to say it, say it: Austin is the breakfast taco king of the world. Don't weaken it by specifying "American" cities.
Other problems I have with the article include the part where they say UT students drink soy lattes at El Chilito because I have never in my life seen a person order a latte at El Chilito, much less a soy latte. It just really mischaracterizes what El Chilito is to me, and they would have been better off re-stating the bit about how trendy little hipster coffeeshops sell breakfast tacos if they were going for a statement about the union between soy lattes and breakfast tacos. I'm way more likely to get a Dos Equis with my breakfast taco at El Chilito than just about any other beverage.
And, my final problem is that they didn't even mention Juan in a Million ONCE. For crying out loud, they mentioned Tacodeli, of all places, several times. Tacodeli tacos are decent, but they aren't anything to write home about, and Juan in a Million is an INSTITUTION. If you're writing an article about breakfast tacos in Austin and you don't shout out to the Don Juan, you're not doing your research properly, New York Times. You just aren't.
Man. Now I want a Ranch Hand from Torchy's.
This is relevant to my interests because two of the things I love the most in the world are breakfast tacos and Austin.
To be clear: I eat a minimum of 8 breakfast tacos in an average week. This is due partially to my journal at school which orders several dozen breakfast tacos every Tuesday, so that ends up being 2 or 3 of my meals for the day. Other mornings I stop at JP's to get tacos they bring in from Elsi's (they have the most amazing vegetarian chorizo), or George's in the school basement for their overpriced, but convenient tacos. And, listen, I know this might not be kosher, but I really like Whataburger's taquitos. I just do, and you can't change my mind. Then, on days when I'm uninspired for dinner, breakfast tacos are my standby, I'll make two or three for dinner up to three times a week.
I really like breakfast tacos.
My main problem with this article is that it keeps emphasizing how breakfast tacos are this crazy combination of Austin culture and Mexican culture! Can you imagine? Foods made with Mexican ingredients and methods that aren't authentically Mexican and aren't generally eaten in Mexico but were created and are eaten in Texas and the Southwest? How interesting and unique! IF ONLY THEY HAD A NAME FOR THAT KIND OF CUISINE. Not to mention that as much as I love Austin, I'm pretty weirded out by this article's implications that breakfast tacos are an Austin thing.
Let's be real, the best breakfast tacos I've ever eaten were at Taco Taco in San Antonio, and that was even after it was on TV and became super crowded. The tortillas are super soft, warm and fresh, made in-house, the eggs are perfectly scrambled, not too hard, and you can taste the butter in them, and the bacon (if you're getting a bacon taco) is thick and crunchy and intact, not crumbled into tiny pieces like some places (lots of places) do it. Wow, I miss me some Taco Taco tacos.
Going along with that, there's this tidbit: "When it comes to breakfast tacos, however, Austin trumps all other American cities." Let's not equivocate, New York Times, you stated that breakfast tacos aren't eaten very commonly in Mexico, and I doubt there are any cities in Germany or Mongolia or anywhere else that trump Austin in breakfast tacos. So if you're going to say it, say it: Austin is the breakfast taco king of the world. Don't weaken it by specifying "American" cities.
Other problems I have with the article include the part where they say UT students drink soy lattes at El Chilito because I have never in my life seen a person order a latte at El Chilito, much less a soy latte. It just really mischaracterizes what El Chilito is to me, and they would have been better off re-stating the bit about how trendy little hipster coffeeshops sell breakfast tacos if they were going for a statement about the union between soy lattes and breakfast tacos. I'm way more likely to get a Dos Equis with my breakfast taco at El Chilito than just about any other beverage.
And, my final problem is that they didn't even mention Juan in a Million ONCE. For crying out loud, they mentioned Tacodeli, of all places, several times. Tacodeli tacos are decent, but they aren't anything to write home about, and Juan in a Million is an INSTITUTION. If you're writing an article about breakfast tacos in Austin and you don't shout out to the Don Juan, you're not doing your research properly, New York Times. You just aren't.
Man. Now I want a Ranch Hand from Torchy's.