Taco Bell

Taco Ingredients: Ground Beef, Sour Cream, Lettuce, Cheddar Cheese, Tomato, Hard Corn Tortilla Shell

Service: It’s Taco Bell. You don’t go to TB expecting good service. You go because the food is disgustingly delicious.

If you read my first blog then you know that Taco Bell and I have had a long relationship. It’s been full of ups and downs and spicy nights.

Taco Bell made me fat (along with all the other fast food I’ve eaten and lack of exercise, but that’s neither here nor there). I’m not mad at Taco Bell though. How can I be mad at something that has given me so much joy and contentment?

The only time I thought about ending our relationship was when that gross Doritos taco came out. And again when those nasty Chicken Nacho Chips things came out. Then again every time I order a bean burrito with NO onions and I bite into onions but that’s human error.

Taco Bell is a temptress that I keep going back to even though all my friends tell me it’s no good for me. Really, sneaking out in the middle of the night to get a taco or two, and a burrito, and some nachos. Our relationship is expensive and only satisfies me for a short while. I know I should end things for good or at least take breaks every once in a while but Taco Bell keeps having a hold on me that I can’t get out of.

The Taco Life By Steven Life Lesson #3: Don’t let anyone or anything have so much power over you that you wind up regretting the choices you make when you wake up the next morning. Always have a happy medium and force yourself to go to the gym every once in a while.

Del Taco

Taco Ingredients: Ground Beef, Lettuce, Cheddar Cheese, Hard Corn Tortilla Shell

Service: I went through the drive-thru. I received my order of 12 tacos within one minute of paying which I thought was remarkable until I got home and saw them (see picture). The cashier was friendly though.

A normal hard shell for a taco has about three inches in which the fillings can be nestled into place. Expectations expect that the taco fillings would be right around the crispy edge of the hard shell but when my tacos were finally unwrapped I found that the hard shells were only half full. Determined to enjoy the taco experience I was hoping for I spooned the fillings from four tacos into the others and filled eight tacos to the brim.

A man should not have to work so hard to be able to eat an adequately filled taco. I don’t think I’m crazy to think that my tacos should have enough fillings in them so that they actually resemble tacos (again, see picture).

Del Taco has a deal every Tuesday from 3:00pm to 12:00am. You can get three tacos for $1.00. An amazing deal for taco lovers. An amazing deal for anyone! My 12 tacos came out to be less than $5.00. Don’t ask me to do the actual math. When faced with the option of 3 tacos for $1.00 it doesn’t seem too ridiculous to go big. I have a friend that has gotten 30 tacos and ate them in one sitting. $10.00 for 30 tacos isn’t too bad.

But beware of the consequences of a deal that sounds as delicious as 3 tacos for $1.00. It WILL come back to haunt you.

The Taco Life By Steven Life Lesson #2: Just because you can get 3 tacos for $1.00 doesn’t mean you should (you can replace tacos with just about anything in life).

Costa Vida

Taco Ingredients: Grilled Chicken, Cheddar Cheese, Lettuce, Flour Tortilla

Service: Friendly but a little hard to follow on the make-line. I felt like they assumed we all had the options memorized.

The tacos and the rice on the side were delicious. My only complaint was that a hard shell option was not available. I assume this is due to the Baja Mexican food style of the restaurant. Growing up in Texas all I know is Tex Mex and am used to the hard shell option.

In my head a hard shell is for a sit down meal and a soft tortilla is for when a person needs to eat in a hurry. So if I'm going to eat out somewhere I want my hard shell. Leave the tortillas for when I'm driving.

The art of eating a taco while driving is a simple one. Make sure to order the flour tortilla. Corn tortillas tear apart too easily and hard shells break. Flour tortillas can be wrapped to contain the ingredients, essentially creating a burrito without actually being a burrito. The flour tortillas just make life easier.

I ate the Costa Vida tacos with a couple of my friends. Having friends to enjoy my tacos with reminded me that tacos and friends are alike in ways. Some tacos are better in certain situations just as some friends are better in certain situations. You don't want a taco that is going to break or tear up during something just as you don't need a friend that is going to do the same.

Yes, sometimes that friend is who you need just as, say, a hard shell taco is what you want sometimes. In my opinion, not all tacos are best for every situation just as not all friends are best for every situation.

The Taco Life By Steven Life Lesson #1: Choose your tacos and your friends wisely to fit the situation.

Why The Taco Life?

Everyone has a comfort food. Mine are tacos.

I was raised on tacos. My mom loved the hard shell tacos. My dad preferred the soft tortillas. As children, my family and I went to Taco Bell so often that we started ordering "mommy tacos" and "daddy tacos."

Pop culture has made the taco even more popular over the last few years but I like to think that I've always been on the taco train instead of the bandwagon. Tacos are my go-to food when I'm hungry, happy, sad, or bored. When traveling I make sure to hit up all my taco shops.

Tacos are by far my favorite and I like to think that they have played a big role in my life.

With that, I've decided to go to all the restaurants that serve tacos on 12300 South in Draper where I live. I will write a critique of the taco and the service. I'm hoping each taco reminds me of an important life lesson as well.

Welcome to The Taco Life By Steven