A burrito,  like a human being is defined by a set of external characteristics.  We humans tend to walk upright, lack body hair and wear sunglasses.   Burritos on the other hand appear cylindrical, made of tortillas and are folded on both ends.  Although defined by outward characteristics, a moral and civilized human being understands that other members of the species should not be judged by appearance, but rather by whom they are inside.  Some people are shallow, unpleasant and vulgar while others are caring, intelligent and tolerable.

The content and quality inside of a burrito varies as much as with people. It covers a wide array of fillings.  Although the typical burrito has beans, cheese and possibly meat, substituting other food items inside the folded tortilla does not thereby negate its status as aburrito.  In my life, I’ve eaten burritos filled with garlic, peanut butter and even spaghetti.  I’m not saying that they were necessarily good, but diversity is what makes the burrito interesting.

This week, I had a fairly unique and inspiring burrito.  It was a perfect blend of the traditional and the American influence.  It had pinto beans, Spanish rice, peppers and onions.  It also had carnitas.  The twist on the burrito was that BBQ sauce was added to the carnitas to give them of a pulled pork, southern vibe.  Cilantro was sprinkled on top of the mixture to give it the extra fresh flavor.

As I ate, I couldn’t help but think of Ken Griffey’s response to tasting the tonic when he played for Mr. Burns’ Isotopes softball team: “It’s like there’s a party in my mouth and everyone’s invited!”  

2/26- Frozen Breakfast Burrito from Trader Joes
2/26- Del Taco Red Burritos (2)
2/28- Breakfast Burrito from Bellas
3/1- leftover chicken burrito from El Ranchito
3/2- homemade bean and rice burritos (2), black bean burrito (1)
3/3- Peanut Butter (1); Del Taco Red (2)
3/8- Las Brisas Chicken burrito
3/9- breakfast
3/13- Homemade, Chicken/ Steak (2)
3/14- Chicken/ Steak (3)
3/15- Las Brisas Carne Asada
3/16- Freebirds BBQ Carnitas
3/18- Breakfast from DT (2)
3/19- Peanut Butter (2)

You Complete Me.

The other night, I fell asleep on the couch watching TV.  I woke up at about 1:45AM to a sitcom conversation about love and soul mates.  It was nothing groundbreaking, but rather the quintessential discussion about whether fate has set aside one special person in the universe for each of us or whether true love is more an issue of  mere compatibility that can occur with a number of different people.  I’m not going to attempt to answer that question here, but it got me thinking about the perfect burrito.

I have spent a long time trying to find the perfect burrito, searching for the special concoction created just for me. I’ve had a couple of burritos lately that were close to ideal.  However, if I’m honest with myself, I’d have to admit that each was a let down in one way or another.  It makes me wonder whether there are several burritos that are compatible with my palate and that I should consider myself lucky to find just one.  On the flipside, should I subscribe to the romantic viewpoint that there is one burrito out there that will satisfy my soul and ultimately complete me?

2/19- Frozen Chicken Burrito from Trader Joes

2/20- Carne Asada from Mi Casa
2/22- Frozen Breakfast Burrito from Trader Joes
2/23- Frozen Chicken Burrito from Trader Joes
2/25- Chicken Burrito from Mi Casa

I’ve failed to keep up with the blog for the past couple of weeks b/c I was sick with the flu.  I barely ate anything over the past 8 days, so naturally my burrito consumption suffered greatly.   That said, I’m back in full effect and have some catching up to do!


2/6- breakfast, beans, eggs, sausage, salsa, potatoes
2/9- Pepitos veg-o
2/11- DT red
2/14- Pepitos- Chicken (no good)
2/15- DT red (2)
2/18- DT Spicy Chicken

No Crema

Ever since I was a wee-lad, I’ve had to be cautious when ordering my burritos.  I can’t stand sour cream and I always make sure that those taking my order understand that.  Sour cream makes me want to vomit.  It will cause me to reject even my most favorite meal.  In short, it is the secret sauce of Satan.

 

On Wednesday,  I went to Taqueria de Anda and ordered a chicken burrito.  I was blown away by the employee’s response when I told him that I don’t want any sour cream.  “We don’t have that here,” he warmly replied.  I stood there in disbelief.  No sour cream in the entire restaurant!  After years of searching, I’d given up on the notion that such a place even existed.  I felt at home.

I wanted to reach over the counter and shake the guys hand, maybe even write a letter of gratitude to the owner.  Then I began to think bigger.  Maybe there is an entire genre of Mexican food that I am unaware of that forbids the use of sour cream. Maybe this “No Crema” style originates from a small village in Mexico where people are punished by banishment for even mentioning the words sour or cream.

If such a place truly exists, then I may have found a new paradise.  Forget Hawaii! Forget Costa Rica! Forget those all-inclusive Carribbean resorts!  Take me to the place that makes burritos the way that God intended . . . WITHOUT sour cream!

2/4- Homemade Jambalaya Burritos (2)
2/3- Bean and Cheese, Taco Bell (2)
2/1- Chicken Burrito from Taqueria De Anda
1/30- DT Breakfast Burrito (2), DT 1/2 lb Green

A Painful Tale . . .

In every lonely man’s life, there were points in time, that in reflection, foretold the coming tale of his solitude and isolation. These moments occurred when the man’s world was rocked so violently that it rattled his basic understanding of the universe. For some, these moments lie in the experience of war.   For others, they can be found in years of being bullied on the elementary school playground.  Even still, they can occur in simpler moments like catching your parents having sex or learning the truth about Santa Claus.

However these moments present themselves, the one guarantee is that there is no going back to life as it was before. They will cause the man to see the once perfect world as inherently flawed, dirty and without reason.

If not dealt with properly, these moments can build up and will eventually destroy one’s innocence, thereby shattering all hopes and dreams. Some say that such moments lead to mental illness while others say that they can cause a man to grow old and bitter.   When a man reaches such a crossroads, he has the option to succumb to the moment or choose to fight.  Only by fighting does that man have the chance to maintain his optimism, to see beauty in a dark and destructive world, and to maintain a sense of life and happiness. 

Great Pit of Carkoon

I nearly had one of these moments yesterday when I ate a burrito so vile that I couldn’t even finish the entire thing.  I was so shaken and bothered that I felt like the world around me was closing in or that I was being swallowed by an imaginary hole in the ground reminiscent of the Great Pit of Carkoon in Return of the Jedi.   However, I thought about my family and friends and realized that I mustn’t give into this evil, but must continue on . . . to eat another burrito on another day.

This burrito was not some cockroach infested Fear Factor-esque meal, but rather the Tofu Spicy Bean burrito from Wahoo’s.  I should’ve suspected problems when I had to pay for chips and salsa.  No self-respecting taqueria does that to its customers.  The next clue that this meal was heading straight for disaster was the fact that one-half of the length of the tortilla was cold while the other half hot.  Inside, the beans and tofu looked and tasted like vomit spewed onto a bed of shredded lettuce and wrapped inside of a tortilla.  I tried my best to eat it, but left enough on the table to feed a small family. 

Being confronted with such an atrocity made me question this entire journal.  I had thought that burritos were the perfect food and they represented all that is good in this world.  Eating this rancid concoction made me question myself for ever having held such a belief.   It made a mockery of my diet, my values, and of me.  I felt like a beaten man.

  

Just as I was about to hang my head in defeat, my brother told me about a taqueria that made burritos so special, that they put two entire taquitos inside of the tortilla.  Hearing this made me realize that I need to continue on, to fight for the cause of rice, of beans, and the burrito way of life.  I refuse to let one shitty burrito affect my outlook on the world.  I must persevere and continue on this quest because without the burrito, I am nothing.  

This Week
1/22- Homemade Breakfast Burrito, Spicky Chicken from Del Taco, 1/2 lb red from Del Taco
1/23- Pepitos, Veg-O Burrito
1/24- Wahoo's Tofu, Spicy Bean
1/26- Burrito Ranchero w/ Chicken, Las Brisas
1/28- Chicken Burrito, Tacos Jaliscos

A Gringo Week

I’ve been extremely busy at work these past couple of weeks and did not have the time for any Zen Burrito moments in which I got to contemplate the universe or philosophize about rice and beans.  I did however watch an episode of Man vs. Food that took place at a taqueria in Los Angeles.  In the episode, Adam highlighted and attacked a monstrous two tortilla "Manuel Special"that professes to be “the most famous burrito in L.A.”  Watch the first couple of minutes in this clip.

The Manuel Special

The episode made me realize that I’ve been playing in the minor leagues of the burrito world my entire life.  It made me understand my life’s quest (at least for 2012).  I’m ready to step up to the majors.  I must experience the Manuel Special in person. I must venture up the 5 freeway to a place the locals call "El Tepayac." There I believe I will find the true meaning of burritos . . .

This Week

I'm a little disappointed in my burrito selection for the week.  Like I said, I was really busy 

1/18- Chipotle Chicken Burrito (I really don't like this place, but I was along for the ride with my co-workers). 

1/19- Homemade Breakfast Burritos for dinner (chicken Sausage, turkey Bacon and Eggs- Damn Hippie!) [2]

1/20- Chicken Burrito with enchilada sauce from a place in Santa Ana that has been dubbed "The Mexican Sizzler"

1/21- Homemade Breakfast Burrito

Chili Verde by the Lake

Two months ago, we booked a cabin in Lake Arrowhead dreaming of snow, sledding and winter time.  We failed to anticipate that the two weeks preceeding our trip would be some of the hottest and dryest days since August.  Hence, no snow.  Along with the lack of snow, the trip didn't quite begin as planned.  We left the house much later than we'd hoped and had a couple of detours along the way, one of which was to Del Taco for some lunchtime burritos.

We arrived at the cabin in the afternoon, unpacked and made a fire.  At dinner time, we drove down to the only Mexican restaurant around and waited an hour for our table.  By the time we sat down, I was hungry and ready for a drink.   The margaritias were a bummer, but my Chile Verde burrito hit the spot.  It was a double fister in terms of gerth and length (don't worry, we're still talking about burritos) and covered in green enchilada sauce.  We're now back at the cabin and I'm ready to pass out. 

1/14- Chili Verde, Papa Gallo's
1/14- Del Taco 1/2 lb red
1/13- Del Taco 1/2 lb red
1/12- Trader Joes Frozen Breakfast Burrito
1/11- Salvadorian Chicken Burrito (weird beans that tasted like a blend of refried and baked with yellowish white rice
1/9- Trader Joes Frozen Breakfast Burrito