Mark Dery wonders how Taco Bell continues to survive in a country whose citizens have access to real Mexican food. We posit that it has something to do with Pizza Hut surviving in a country that has real pizza. [Salon]
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Pizza Hut delivers, so that I can understand, also for a massive chain, they are pretty creative, and do come up with new ideas and gimmicks, but the bottom line is they deliver.
Now Taco Bell, and how they survive, I have no clue, yea, they have drive through, but alot of places have basic pick up, and they do not deliver, so I do not understand how they manage.
Taco Bell is fast food, plain and simple. It’s not mexican food but it fills the void. If you want real food of any kind don’t go to a fast food joint. Sitting down at a real restaurant is the only real way to experience food from any region/country.
I live in a Taco Bell free area. Not happy about it. They closed the ones at the malls down over some Pepsi vs Coke vendor dispute or something (though last time I was at one of the malls I noticed the Chesterfield Fried Chicken offers both fountain Pepsi and frozen Coca-Cola slushies!)
I’ve always appreciated ‘real’ Mexican food, and there are some excellent burrito joints in this New England college town (Bueno y Sano especially!), but when I’m at the mall, I always get bummed that there’s no more Taco Bell, because it was the best cheapest food court food around. Now I’m forced to eat Jr Bacon Cheezburgers from Wendys!
@RAREBREED: I’m guessing there aren’t any taquerias near you?
Aren’t those just a “mom and pop” version of Taco Bell? The local paper that gets stuck in my mailbox once a week publishes the scores of all the restaurant health inspections the previous week. The closest two taquerias failed inspections too many times to even consider eating there. I think the lowest I’ve seen the closest Taco Bell scored is 87 (out of 100).
@cde: No, but then again, Taco Bells are not 24hours either. And yes, in mexico, you can get a full meal for 5 usd (Even though a full meal at Taco Bell is over 5usd).
By me the Taco Bell, McDonalds, Burger King, Wendy’s, Jack in the Box and even Del Taco are all open 24 hours. Wouldn’t a drive/flight to Mexico during my lunch hour seem a bit more costly and time consuming than just going down the street?
Since my boyfriend is Mexican, I consider him enough of an authority on Mexican food. He loves the food that his Mama and his Tias cook at their homes in Mexico. But he also loves Taco Bell. Because it’s tasty, not because it’s some sort of substitute for real Mexican food.
Would be nice if either the copy editor or the author could have distinguished “palette” from “palate.” Isn’t “Salon” supposed to be literate?
@speedwell: Over here, Pizza Hut Express joined forces with the Colonel, not the taco bell dog
@MercuryPDX:
@HeartBurnKid:
Most taco bells from Jersey to Florida are not 24 hours. Not even the ones on 95. I’d kill for a 24hour, even drive thru or Friday/Saturday only Tacobell. All I have around me is white castle and a 24hour drivethru McyShits. And Dinners, lots and lots of dinners (the joy of real food at 3/4 am, so we don’t need no stinking 24hour jack in the box.
)
I’m figuring the 24hour fast food places to be a california thing only then.
@HomoLaw: I thought the whole exercise of the Salon article was just to see how many words it could be stretched out to, but the first poster here “solved the mystery” in a whopping 5 words. Maybe Salon should be paying CNC1019 instead.
“Palette” vs “palate”… funny stuff. That movie Idiocracy isn’t really fiction.
on-topic, I loves me some Taco Hell late-night when I feel like staying up for hours on end playing Smackdown vs. RAW on the PS2… it seems no other food helps me to whoop so much computer-animated ass as Taco Bell… with extra sour cream. Now I’m hungry… damn.
@cde: All I have around me is white castle…
damn you!
i love white castle. closest one to me is 1-1/2 hr. road trip.
Because of how horrible Mexican food is.
Horrible to say, but compared to the dog food manufactured and served in Mexico and by Mexican immigrant and their like, Taco Bell is actually superior food. THat doesn’t make it good, just better than anything from that hellhole.
WHich surprisingly is EXACTLY THE SAME REASON people eat Pizza Hut when compared to authentic “italian” pizza, or for that matter Olive Garden compared to authentic Italian food… because unless you actually ARE a greasy no good guido, you don’t WANT Italian food, and would only ever visit Italy to remember what cities like Rome once were and to weep, oh weep untill the tears won’t flow anymore at what has happened to take the Italian people from such a lofty and high pillar of civilizatio into the sub human dog people they are today.
*sigh*
I did a quick tally, and within 6 blocks of my house there are 8 taquerias (probably more, if you count streets I don’t travel on frequently), 2 of which are open 24 hours, and no Taco Bells. There was a Taco Bell a couple miles away, but now it’s a Yale Insurance office. When I was in college in Massachusetts there were no real Mexican restaurants, so we had Taco Bell.
I wonder if Hexum2600 realizes how many kitchens are staffed almost entirely with Mexican immigrants, at least in areas with a large Mexican immigrant population. If I was as racist as he is, I’d never be able to eat anywhere, for fear a *gasp* Mexican might have prepared my food. Also, Pizza Hut is disgusting.
I’d rather get a good taco al pastor with fresh cilantro, lime and onions at Garcia’s around the corner than get some nasty beef’n'bean slop from Taco Bell.
@Hexum2600:
And the award for IGNORANT JERK WHO CAN DISS 2 CULTURAL GROUPS IN ONE COMMENT goes to Hexum2600.
@cde: And Dinners, lots and lots of dinners (the joy of real food at 3/4 am, so we don’t need no stinking 24hour jack in the box.
I have ONE decent one down the road from me (Fat Daves), and another clear across town. I’ll gladly trade you two or three 24 hr Taco Bells for a good, menu the size of a small phone book, 24 hour diner.
P.S. Keep the White Castle… that’s one place I don’t miss.