Taco Treat

My treat for me today is a taco. Because it is TACO DAY.  Today I will be meeting with a friend for lunch and decided to treat myself to a food I enjoy but seldom order, a taco.

Not just any taco. What I consider and honest-to-goodness real taco, a crispy U-shaped fried corn tortilla filled with shredded (or ground, depending on where I buy it) meat, topped with lettuce, tomato, and cheese. That may not be your definition of a “real” taco, but this is my treat.

Tacos are messy. As soon as you (at least for me) bite into them, they begin to fall apart, and the filling drops out. Which is why I usually opt for

OTHER VERSIONS

 Nice, neat, contained, eaten with a fork. I appear civilized when eating a taco salad. Not to mention it has the word “salad” which sounds as though I’m health conscious. It’s an illusion.

image via morguefile.com

There is also the taco in the soft shell, it’s closer to the real thing but lacks the crunch.

FINDING THEM

Tacos are available from food trucks – if they exist where you live. Some day I’m going to eat food from a food truck, probably not a taco, although maybe?

Fast food places, and restaurants are the easiest found sources of tacos, even fancy, upscale restaurants serve tacos. They can, of course, be made at  home.

image via pixabay.com/barryjonesjr

TACO HISTORY

Tacos have a scrambled history, much like the meat that goes into them. Does the word come from the silver mines of the 18th century in Mexico? Does it go back to before the 16th century lake region of the Valley of Mexico, where evidence exists suggesting those living there ate tacos filled with small fish?  Of course, how anthropologists decide the fish were inside a shell of some sort is beyond me. It’s possible tacos are a more recent invention. They aren’t mentioned in any dictionary or other resource until the end of the 19th century.

FILLINGS

Who cares where tacos come from, or how long they’ve been around? The fact is they are just plain good. Of course, I’m talking about tacos with a shredded or ground meat filling. That’s a real taco.

There are those who use other fillings in their tacos, brain, tongue, eyes, of a cow. Ewwww, why? Then there are tacos of tripe, shrimp, fish, fillings a little more palatable, but still, why?

I imagine there are even vegetable tacos. What’s the point of a taco filled with veggies and no meat? Just have a salad.

31 DAYS

Last month The Nester, announced her annual “31 days on one theme” challenge. I had planned to join up, but being that didn’t happen. Still, the idea sounded good, so here I am, doing my one 31 days. You can read about the theme here.

What about you? How do you treat yourself. Share in the comments below, your ideas might inspire someone else.

 

What is your favorite treat food?

What is your favorite comfort food?

Do you prefer savory or sweet for a treat?