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Gypsy Jan
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Taco Bell Celebrates Its 50th Aniversary This Week; 5 Ways the Bell Helped Mexican Food Become Better in the U.S.
http://blogs.ocweekly.com/stickaforkinit/2012/03/taco_bell_5...
By Gustavo Arellano for the OC Weekly
"Taco Bell, the Mexican fast-food giant everyone loves to hate, celebrates its 50th anniversary this week and...yeah. Heaven knows it's an easy
whipping boy for everything wrong with Mexican food in this country: the bastardized meals, the incessant appropriation (this week: I finally reveal
the name of the restaurant whose taco recipe Glen Bell took for himself and subsequently became a millionaire while leaving the family behind), the
bad food, the many bizarre crimes committed at its premises. They'll play a big role in my book on Mexican food in the United States (out April 10),
and not always a positive one
But that's the easy part. Fact is, the Bell also immeasurably helped out the progress of Mexican food in this country. Yes, Virginia: there are nice
things to say about Taco Bell--great things, actually, for without it, we'd be at a much-worse spot for Mexican food. So next time you want to slam
the Doritos Loco taco...don't. At least for this week, out of respect for this taco titan.
1. Taco Bell Brought Mexican Restaurants to Places That Never Had One, Thereby Whetting Appetites for the Better Mexican to Come
Instead of me rehashing a point I've made before, check out my commentary above on the very subject for Marketplace in 2010, shortly after the death
of Glen Bell.
2. Taco Bell Convinced Non-Mexicans that They, Too, Could Get Rich off Mexican Food
Bell was a fast-food Johnny Appleseed, giving a start to the founders of Del Taco and Wienerschnitzel, and helping out Dick Naugles of Naugles
fame--and these were just his personal friends. The early success of Bell with El Taco launched a taco revolution--between Taco Bell, Del Taco,
Naugles, and their imitators--TacoTime, Taco Tico, Taco John's, Taco Bueno, and other chains started by gabacho men in the 1960s, the country was
awash in fast-food empires. Such success, in turn, convinced entrepreneurs to join the Mexican game. And while Americans getting rich on Mexican food
is nothing news (read my book for more details), Bell did this at a time when franchising was exploding and further drove the point for Americans that
they didn't need Mexicans around to enjoy or cook Mexican food.
3. Taco Bell Helped to Popularize the Burrito
The Bell gets all the attention for its proselytizing efforts regarding the taco, but usually forgotten was their pioneering role with burritos, which
have existed on Taco Bell's menu since its 1962 beginning. Americans had at least the idea of a taco in the early 1960s, when the Bell and its
imitators spread across the country, but burritos were as alien as the idea of a Mexican middle-class. This country wouldn't become burrito-crazy
until the advent of Chipotle last decade, but like Mexican food and tacos, Taco Bell paved the road to the burrito's success.
4. Taco Bell Has Long Made Bilingualism Cool
Glen Bell could've easily unleashed his restaurants across the United States and left it at that, or given his offerings mock Spanish names like he
did with his first all-Mexican restaurant, Taco-Tia (it was supposed to be "Tapatia," but the name got nixed by his business partner, who found the
name too Mexican--true story!). Instead, Bell took out advertisements featuring pronunciation guides for his menu in the newspapers of markets Taco
Bell was penetrating for the first time. Sure, the company sometimes lost its way with the name of certain products, but that ease with bilingualism
still exists today--witness Taco Bell's new advertising slogan, "Live Más," complete with an accent on the a in "más" just like it's supposed to. In
the annals of Spanish in the United States, Taco Bell is like John the Baptist, heralding the coming of the New Mexican Way.
5. Taco Bell is Proof that Mexican Food Isn't Static but Rather Evolutionary
If it were up to the Rick Baylesses and Diana Kennedy of the world, Mexican food would still be the same dishes served to Nezahualcoyotl (which
would've meant no beef, lamb, pork, rice, or tequila--but don't tell that to them!). In fact, the ridiculous authenticity game largely arose as a
counterpoint to Taco Bell's increasingly wacky creations, wackiest of which is now their foray into taco shells made with Doritos flavors (of which
I'll have a review this week).
I don't like Taco Bell's offerings--never have. But every chalupa, every enchirito, every Doritos Loco taco is a spit in the eye of atavistic
pendejos. If we paid attention to what Bayless, et al. preach as gospel, we would've never had the Korean taco, the pastrami burrito, the Sonoran dog
and all other sorts of meal mestizaje. Taco Bell has shown innovative restaurateurs that consumers are always looking for something new--and it's that
truism that has made Mexican food the juggernaut it is today."
[Edited on 3-24-2012 by Gypsy Jan]
“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow mindedness.”
—Mark Twain
\"La vida es dura, el corazon es puro, y cantamos hasta la madrugada.” (Life is hard, the heart is pure and we sing until dawn.)
—Kirsty MacColl, Mambo de la Luna
\"Alea iacta est.\"
—Julius Caesar
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Bob H
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My wife told me that when she was going to college in the midwest back in the early 80's .... stealing the BELL from Taco Bell establishments was a
very popular thing to do. This was when they really had a bell hanging above the entire building (even though I think it was made of a light weight
material). I read somewhere that those old bells are very valuable today, if you can find one!
Here is a photo of an old Taco Bell location in Wausau, Wisconsin, showing the old bell above the building, and the new logo sign on a post in the
front. You don't see these old TB's any more, huh? Brings back memories!
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/95/Taco_Bell...
[Edited on 3-24-2012 by Bob H]
The SAME boiling water that softens the potato hardens the egg. It's about what you are made of NOT the circumstance.
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Hook
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It's so true. Taco Bell probably IS the single biggest reason that Mexican food is worldwide.
Yeah, the fare is average at best. Living in Mexico, we all know of far better tacos at our local stands.
But I have to admit. About once or twice a year, I get a craving for a cheap, ground beef, 49 cent taco when I am NOB. And Taco Bell's are about
the......well, "best", if that word can be used in this context. There is just something about those things that you cant completely shake, if you
grew up eating them. It's like Kraft Mac and Cheese in the box. If it gets its hooks into you in childhood, it's tough to shake; no matter how
mediocre the flavor. All one can hope is to beat down the cravings to a time or two each year.
The fast food Mex restaurants have come up with all kinds of new versions of "Mexican food" that their marketing arms have suggested.
But it's the basic ground beef taco that I always order when I go in. About five "CRUNCHES" and the thing is GONE. A meal for an average male is AT
LEAST four of these. They are rather spare in content, no? The flavor is not great, right?
It must be the primal "crunch" of them, having grown up around Taco Bells in SoCal in the 60s and 70s.
I still remember buying many things that were NOT on the menu at the Taco Bell in Laguna Beach around 69-70, too. But that's another
story.............
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Woooosh
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"Yo quiero Taco Bell"? I didn't have my first Mexican food until I moved from CT to Denver early 70's for college. It was a deep fried Jack in the
box taco, not from The Bell. I was surprised how many Mexicans currently enjoy the Taco Bells in San Diego. You 'd think they would hit any
"Rober-to's" first. It's just different I guess. San Diego Mexican fast food is unique to the country, an pretty good as street food goes.
\"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing\"
1961- JFK to Canadian parliament (Edmund Burke)
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EnsenadaDr
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Mood: Move on. It is just a chapter in the past, but don't close the book- just turn the page
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Connecticut Tacos..
I lived in Danbury, Connecticut while I was going to Western Connecticut State University and they had this funky little place with all these antique
gadgets inside called Texas Tacos. I loved going there after classes to grab a snack of Tacos that were actually pretty darn good...of course back
then Mexico and even Texas was a figment of my imagination...but I liked what I saw and ate!!! | Quote: | Originally posted by Woooosh
"Yo quiero Taco Bell"? I didn't have my first Mexican food until I moved from CT to Denver early 70's for college. It was a deep fried Jack in the
box taco, not from The Bell. I was surprised how many Mexicans currently enjoy the Taco Bells in San Diego. You 'd think they would hit any
"Rober-to's" first. It's just different I guess. San Diego Mexican fast food is unique to the country, an pretty good as street food goes.
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Hook
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I remember eating those Jack in the Box tacos in the early 70s.......BACK WHEN THEY WERE OWNED BY RALSTON-PURINA, AS I RECALL. That meat definitely
had a high cereal content, the whole thing seemed like it was deep fried (the lettuce kinda wilted in place) and that slice of AMERICAN cheese. What a
horrible taco that was.........just the thing when drunk, coming out of a bar or something.
I saw one recently at a Jack in the Box and, dang, it seemed like they were little changed. How can it be that those things are still selling?
[Edited on 3-24-2012 by Hook]
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J.P.
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Hook
I remember eating those Jack in the Box tacos in the early 70s.......BACK WHEN THEY WERE OWNED BY RALSTON-PURINA, AS I RECALL. That meat definitely
had a high cereal content, the whole thing seemed like it was deep fried (the lettuce kinda wilted in place) and that slice of AMERICAN cheese. What a
horrible taco that was.........just the thing when drunk, coming out of a bar or something.
I saw one recently at a Jack in the Box and, dang, it seemed like they were little changed. How can it be that those things are still selling?
[Edited on 3-24-2012 by Hook] |
I rember when the Jack in the box taco sold 3 for a dollar I thought they were good hangover medicine 
It is sacrilegious To say Taco bell and Mexico in the same sentence,
[Edited on 3-24-2012 by J.P.]
[Edited on 3-24-2012 by J.P.]
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JoeJustJoe
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I doubt any real Mexicans would consider what "Taco Bell" serves as real Mexican food.
I understand that "Taco Bell" doesn't even use "seasoned beef" like they advertise. Rather than real beef "Taco Bell" meat was made of some mixture
called "taco meat filling" that is made with a mixture that contained less than 35 percent beef according to the attorneys that are suing "Taco Bell"
for false advertising.
I eat at "Taco Bell" once in awhile, but I don't think of it as real Mexican food. I doubt "Taco Bell" is the reason why Mexican food is popular in
the US.
I just think Gustavo Arellano is just having a little fun with this article, and his OC audience as usual.
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DavidE
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Mood: 'At home we demand facts and get them. In Mexico one subsists on rumor and never demands anything.' Charles Flandrau,
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Dr Marco A. Molina Collins in 1983 told me in Ensenada
"I told my wife that if she ever brought that stuff home from San Diego, it was the end of the marriage"
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Ateo
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It's all about Naugles.
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wessongroup
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' I rember when the Jack in the box taco sold 3 for a dollar I thought they were good hangover medicine "
Ditto's... 
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Bajatripper
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I know it has nothing to do with real Mexican food, but I've always liked Taco Bell. I remember their "Bell Burgers," which had a scoop of their taco
concoction. My favorite is their Burrito Supreme, but it isn't the only thing I'll eat there.
My Mexican wife, who'd never heard of Taco Bell before I took her to one, will insist that we stop at least once per trip north to eat there. She,
too, doesn't confuse the food with her native cuisine but likes it for its own qualities.
My all-time favorite gringo taco was the Jack-in-the-box Monster Taco. It was a real nasty, greasy thing, but sure could hit the spot.
There most certainly is but one side to every story: the TRUTH. Variations of it are nothing but lies.
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Santiago
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Just recently they've started serving Breakfast Burritos in our area and I must admit to getting some at least once-a-week. For a drive-thru bb they
are not too bad.
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baja1943
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It sure helped the sales of Mylanta.
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DENNIS
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Taco Bell is awful. Everything has the same flavor and, according to my most gracious Mexican friends, if it does have a classification other than
"barf in a bag," it would be "Tex Mex."
Give me a Jack Taco any day.....you know, the ones that have the meat stuff extruded onto them with a caulking gun?
Those are pure YUMMY.
Is "Jack in The Box" in Mexico? I'm getting a craving.
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Bob H
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| Quote: | Originally posted by DENNIS
Taco Bell is awful. Everything has the same flavor and, according to my most gracious Mexican friends, if it does have a classification other than
"barf in a bag," it would be "Tex Mex."
Give me a Jack Taco any day.....you know, the ones that have the meat stuff extruded onto them with a caulking gun?
Those are pure YUMMY.
Is "Jack in The Box" in Mexico? I'm getting a craving. |
I'll go there for a Burrito Supreme, maybe every other year... lol
My wife calls the place "Taco Hell" !!! 
The SAME boiling water that softens the potato hardens the egg. It's about what you are made of NOT the circumstance.
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watizname
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After way to much fun on a Saturday Night. UMMMMMMMMMMM Taco Bell Tacos. 
I yam what I yam and that\'s all what I yam.
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bajajazz
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I've always thought my liking for their crispy tacos was my dirty little secret. Glad to see I've got a lot of company. I like their Mexican Pizzas,
too.
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durrelllrobert
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When I moved to Columbia Maryland in the early 70s the only Mexican food in the area was a small cafe in someones house in Baltimore and the only
tortillas sold at the markets came 8 in an over sized tuna can. Finally El Torrito opened (in 1976 I think) at Beltway Plaza and had a record opening
day crowd.
Bob Durrell
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rhintransit
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Taco Bell...yum! I can't go N.O.B. without a fix or two, and I always bring back their seasoning mix for ground beef tacos here. can't be any other
brand, it's gotta be Taco Bell. perhaps it's the crunchy shells, perhaps it's the mystery meat/filler stuff, but there's something addictive about
that crunchy regular taco.
one of my first food memories was a new family moving to our little Mississippi town (where food in my house was midwest cooked to mush canned stuff)
and the mother made the most fabulous dinners: tacos! she even fried the taco shells. amazing mana from another world. musta been that in the
blood, or the two for one margaritas that turned my first trip to Mexico into a year long stay. been here almost ever since.
reality\'s never been of much use out here...
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