Gentrification and Tacos
Walking into the restaurant, you can smell cooking meat and hear the hustle and bustle of people coming in and placing their orders. You look around and see “TORCHY” spelled out with neon lights on pillars and behind the cash register you’re welcomed with a warm smile, an array of different t-shirts and a menu with different options. I was told about Torchy’s Tacos by one of my friends and how good it was. So I knew I had to check it out, because I mean, who doesn’t love tacos? But fast-forward to when I’m at ‘Torchy’s’. I wait patiently in line and as I get closer to the counter to order, I find myself staring at the menu, chuckling to myself about the different names of types of tacos you could get. You have ‘The Democrat’, ‘The Republican’ and ‘The Independent’, just to name a few, and as I’m browsing to see which one I want, I notice the price. Four dollars and fifty cents. I was like “Wow, five dollars for an order of tacos, that’s not half bad!” I placed my order and sat down and waited for my tacos to come.
When my order finally came, I was shocked to say the least. I was brought one taco. ONE TACO. When I asked the waitress where the rest of my food was, she simply replied, “You only ordered one taco.” I sat there for what seemed like fifteen minutes and looked at my sad little taco. I was disappointed and hurt. Who charges almost five dollars for one damn taco? I tried to eat my taco, but it didn’t even taste that good. I took one bite, got up, threw what was left of my taco in the trash and headed home. On my way home, I sat on the MAX and stared out the window. I kept wondering how are you going to charge almost five dollars for one taco and it be subpar. If you charge five dollars for a taco it should punch me in the face with how good it is. For five dollars I could have gone to “Tortillas Las 4 Americas”, and got five authentic Mexican tacos for the price of one at “Torchy’s Tacos” and it would be ten times better than what I had.
The gentrification of tacos has begun. You gentrify tacos and up the price and have the nerve to call it ‘Mexican street-food-style’ tacos. Being in Mexico, the street tacos are nothing like what I was served at ‘Torchy’s’. They were certainly not the same price either. The tacos in Mexico are made with love and care and you could tell with each bite. Not slapped together with some crazy toppings and crazy names and called a taco. Why go to some hipster place to get tacos, when you could go to an actual taqueria for actual authentic Mexican tacos. Every time I go past ‘Torchy’s Tacos’, I’m mocked by the little devil in their sign. It just smiles at me with that creepy little devilish smile. Reminding me the money I had wasted. Their tacos aren’t damn good and the only devilish thing about that establishment is their prices.
