Place: Qdoba
Lunch: Chicken Mexican Gumbo, Dr. Pepper
Just back from a Texas weekend. Saw Duran Duran at the previously-blogged-about WinStar in Thackerville, OK. Got in some LTO's (Limited Time Offerings) at various chains. Whataburger currently has strawberry pies...you know, the fast food version of a pie, deep fried burrito-shaped thingies...but with strawberry filling. I don't normally like fast food pies, but these are the exception. And if you find yourself near a Taco Cabana, their Shrimp Tampico Enchiladas are awesome.
While ordering my gumbo today, I noticed Qdoba is now offering "street tacos". I also saw "street tacos" at Taco Bueno yesterday. Actually, it seems to me I've seen the term "street taco" a lot lately.
What's the deal? It's the latest fad in fast food...taking what started out as a street vendor item and making it legit. The Americanized street taco, which is actually based on the original Mexican taco concept from the days before Glen Bell invented the modern pre-fab hard shell, tends to be a soft corn tortilla wrapped around a meat filling with maybe a salsa or cilantro and onion mixture. The meat fillings are almost never ground beef...they're shredded beef, pork, or chicken. Or maybe fish. Some chains aren't calling them 'street tacos', opting instead for 'cantina tacos' (Taco Bell) or 'tacos del carbon' (Del Taco).
Not just tacos either. The Wienerschnitzel bacon-wrapped street dog is similar to a commonly-sold item by hot dog vendors around stadiums according to my brother. (I had one over the weekend. OH MY it was good.)
I suppose I should try the food actually being sold by real street vendors, but we don't really have any of them around here. And I get annoyed with the ones out west because the bums are constantly hanging around them panhandling unsuspecting pedestrians. ("Hey friend! Do you have change? I'm only 35 cents short of a taco!")
I wonder if they're going to start hanging around in Qdobas now.
