Yo Quiero... Whatever This Is

I love Taco Bell.

There. I said it.

I know the history. Glen Bell opened a taco stand in Southern California and eventually built what became Taco Bell. I know it didn't start in Mexico. I know it isn't trying to be a family-owned taquería in Oaxaca. I know there are entire corners of the internet dedicated to debating whether it should even be called Mexican food.

And yet, every once in a while, I find myself pulling into that drive-thru.

Is it authentic?

I don't know.

Is it insulting?

I don't know.

Is it bad for you?

Probably.

Do I still occasionally order it?

Absolutely.

Now, before anyone revokes my Guatemalan card, let me clarify something. I'm not Mexican. I'm Guatemalan. And that got me thinking about tacos in general.

Is a taco exclusively Mexican?

The origins certainly are. Mexico gave the world tacos and deserves the credit. But can only Mexicans make tacos? That seems like a strange rule.

Nobody says only Italians can make pasta.

Nobody says only Germans can make sausages.

Nobody says only Americans can make hamburgers.

Food travels. It crosses borders. It gets adopted, adapted, and sometimes completely reinvented. Sometimes that's wonderful. Sometimes it's terrible. Most of the time it's somewhere in the middle.

Taco Bell lives comfortably in that middle.

It's not pretending to be a street taco from Mexico City. It's its own thing. A crunchy, cheesy, late-night, drive-thru creation that somehow became part of American food culture.

And here's another thing I've always appreciated about Taco Bell.

If you're vegetarian, there's actually something for you.

I've met plenty of people from the Indian subcontinent who genuinely enjoy Taco Bell because vegetarian options aren't treated as an afterthought. They're just part of the menu.

And if you're Catholic and observing Lent, Taco Bell doesn't suddenly roll out a special seasonal menu once a year. The options are already there. Bean burritos, cheese quesadillas, potato tacos, black beans, rice. You can make it work without feeling like you're ordering from a separate section labeled "temporary sacrifice."

Maybe that's part of the appeal.

It's accessible.

Predictable.

Affordable.

And whether you're a teenager, a vegetarian, observing Lent, or simply someone who occasionally wants a Crunchwrap Supreme while sitting in a parking lot questioning your life choices, Taco Bell has a place for you.

Will I continue eating tacos from local taquerías? Absolutely.

Will I continue supporting independent restaurants? Of course.

Will I occasionally find myself ordering Taco Bell anyway?

I don't know.

I don't know.

I don't know.

Actually, yes. Yes, I will.