Taco Bell debuted in Downey, California in 1962. That was back when you could actually establish a new business in the people’s republic without being regulatorily hammered to death or run off to Texas.
Frito-Lay launched its Doritos tortilla chips in the 1960s before releasing Nacho Cheese Doritos into the wild, in 1971. The majority of Americans alive today never knew a world that did not include both Taco Bell and Nacho Cheese Doritos.
Put those dates together and one thing becomes clear: The world should have had cheap greasy hard shell tacos with a nacho cheese flavored patina available in every nook and cranny of this great land a very long time ago. Why it took so long is a mystery.
For lunch today I decided to end my lifetime of doing without, by taking on three of these new fusion tacos. They come in two versions, the Doritos Locos Taco, and the Doritos Locos Taco Supreme, the difference being that the Supreme includes tomatoes and sour cream. I like my tomatoes but don’t care for sour cream on a taco, so I went for the purer version. Straight, no sour cream chaser.
Be forewarned: You will get dirty eating the Doritos Locos. There’s no avoiding it. Tacos by themselves tend to be messy. Then add the orange dusting your fingers get when you munch Nacho Cheese Doritos. Try not to think about what the whole concoction is doing to your insides. If you did that, you wouldn’t be at Taco Bell at all.
The Doritos Locos is a very good Taco Bell taco. How could it not be? The nacho cheese dust around the outside just makes sense. They could tone down the nacho cheese flavor a little bit, but the whole idea works. It’s a combination of two of the best worst foods Americans have ever come up with.
If it succeeds, the Doritos Locos is probably a sign of things to come. Doritos debuted as a simple tortilla chip, but has since become a cuisine all its own. Doritos’ web site lists 18 flavors. There have actually been more than 100 varieties of Doritos released on an unsuspecting but grateful world. Taco Bell and Frito-Lay can take their time, going through the flavors and releasing taco versions of them every six months or so or maybe in complementary pairings. Some of the most exotic, like Coconut Curry and Crispy Salmon, never saw action in the US and are unlikely to work at all. But Fiery Jalapeno? Habanero/Guacamole? Cool Ranch?
Oh yes. Bring ‘em on. Bring. Them. On.
“Try not to think about what the whole concoction is doing to your insides. If you did that, you wouldn’t be at Taco Bell at all.”
LOL! Great post, Bryan.
OK, the Crispy Salmon sounds foul (it *HAS* to be for the Japanese market), but Coconut Curry could be interesting.
At Disney World there’s an “ice cave” sponsored by Coca-Cola in which they keep dispensers so folks can try small samples of their brands that are sold worldwide. It’s strange what will appeal to different populations- the worst by far is called “Beverly” and is the most bitter concoction I’ve ever tasted that wasn’t medicine. It’s sold in Italy of all places.
Cool Ranch! That would be nice
Problem is, it’s neither much good as a Dorito or a taco.
Nope. I love Doritos, but not Taco Bell.
I’m pretty much the opposite. I can eat regular, non-gimmicky Taco Bell items if need be, though I much prefer (and frequently consume) Mexican food from mom-and-pop restaurants that are not part of a major chain or franchise operation.
But I have hated the over-salted, artificial taste of Fritos from the get-go, ever since they first came out. I don’t like the smell or taste of snack “foods” with great powdery gobs of artificial, spray-on flavoring. I don’t like either the artificial cheese flavor or the regular oversalted type.
Hey, here’s a thought for those of you who like the taste of cheese. You’ll find what you really want in the dairy case at your supermarket. If you save your money by not buying expensive bagged snack items, you just might have enough left over to buy some actual cheese, complete with calcium, protein, and other nutrients!
Growing up in a small Western Kansas meat packing town that was 57 percent hispanic I’ve come to love good Mexican food. Taco Bell, or Toxic Hell as we called it in college, ain’t it.
As someone who lately is trying to reduce carbs, sugar and starches in his diet Taco Bell keeps popping up. lemmesee here… meat, maters, lettuce, cheese on a corn tortilla. I’mna thinking this might be right up my alley.
I do not see the appeal. Doritos are only good, because they are thick enough to hold up to dipping them. It’s the dip, not the chip. They just have tensile strength. The flavorings are just so… I dunno… plastic? If someone could make a stronger potato chip for dipping, Doritos would go out of business, I think. Maybe it is just me.
Make your own!
1. Slice potatoes. Since you want greater structure, cut them thicker.
2. Heat up some oil. I use Olive oil (but I buy it in bulk from restaurant depot. It’s really not expensive because the chips use hardly any of it up. You should use Pomace style, as it holds up to temperature better. I use extra virgin, because it’s yummy)
3. Drop in ‘taters @350 degrees.
4. Cook until they look like potato chips (a few minutes).
5.Let drain on a rack or collander.
6. Eat, if possible while still warm.
Repeat (this part is easy)
Bon Appetit!
If I was stuck on some interstate and my only food choices were the usual fast food places, I’d opt for Taco Bell (Taco Bell has some of the healthier fast food options, relatively speaking). When I’m home, I can walk to a great taqueria no matter what neighborhood I’m in, so why opt for fake Mexican food when you can eat real Mexican food? Plus, no beer at Taco Bell. Mexican food of any kind go down so much better with a cold Bohemia. And while Doritos are the one junk food item I can rarely resist, I can’t imagine dipping them in anything or using them as a shell for the usual taco fillings.
I have never understood how anyone could eat a Dorito. They are as fake as diet soda.
Fortunately, I live in San Antonio and Taco Bells are virtually non-existent.
Boy I dunno. I try not to be a food snob but everything at Taco Hell tastes just like everything else at Taco Hell. I’m sticking with my pink slime.