The same reason I’ve worked over the years to figure out how to make my own White Castle sliders.
They aren’t good, so much as they are sui generis.
A Taco Bell taco is, imho, an entry in the category of the ‘gringo taco’, aka ‘the taco-kit taco’. Fried corn tortilla, seasoned ground beef, shredded iceberg, shredded yellow cheese (mild cheddar/jack/etc). hot sauce to taste.
see also: Jim Boy’s, Del Taco.
Jack in the Box tacos are their own special subcategory, somehow.
Personally, I don’t agree with @Hungryman8 's particular bee in his particular bonnet. Taco Bell was never great by any measure. It was cheap and it was open late and it very quickly leaned into its stoner-friendly vibe in the mid-to-late 90’s and never really looked back. I haven’t noticed an appreciable drop in quality more than any other fast food place, including some of the big boys. McDonald’s, usually the top of the heap amongst the major players, has experienced a lot more inconsistency the last several years, though they’re still more on top of their game than most.
Personally, I think the two chains that have suffered the worst are KFC (a YUM brand) and Burger King, which has suffered a noticeable drop in quality in their food in the last 15 years or so. McDonald’s issues seem to stem largely from staffing issues (around my neighborhood anyway). Taco Bell is the same as it’s ever been.
But if @Hungryman8 wants to go to extraordinary lengths to recreate his own TB favorites, I’m not gonna point fingers…
Well because I don’t like “Mexican” food. It is not Tex Mex. I once went to an expensive Mexican restaurant in Centerport Long Island. In fact Al Roker from CBS News was dining there in the alcove that very Saturday night. Only reason we went there was because the wife had a gift card someone gave to her as a present. I ordered a dinner with chicken. Let me tell you, it was the worst chicken I ever ate. No better than Indian food which I do not like either. It was dry and bland like eating shredded cardboard pressed into chunks. I am not exaggerating and my wife would agree because I gave her some. It shocked me. I call it “poor” chicken. It was like they just took raw chicken and cooked it without any seasoning, salt, or anything. And they cooked it till it was void of any moisture. I never went back.
P.S. I don’t like Chipolte either. Their items contain black beans and rice. All fillers. Black beans dominate in flavor so everything tastes like black beans. And notice how Toxic Hell now uses black beans and rice in many items? The original Taco Bell never used those in any items back in the day.
If you have a Del Taco where you live, you can order a Bun Burger, which is pretty much the same product as the Bellbeefer used to be.
Speaking of Del Taco (whose chain offerings are only marginally better than Taco Bell), if you’re ever in Barstow, CA, be sure to try one of the three Del Taco outlets there, as they’re owned and operated by Ed Hackbarth, the 90-year-old founder of the chain. Those three outlets serve food that’s far better than what you can get at the regular chain outlets of either Del Taco or Taco Bell.
When I was growing up in the late 1970’s, I had two vehicles I could drive. A 1978 Chevrolet Silverado and a 1977 Chevette, one of the most hated cars ever built. I loved that Silverado but 15 mpg meant less miles so I ended up in the Chevette more than not. And learned to love that finicky little beast. J turns were only the beginning.
Even a cr## car can be fun enough to love.
Well I will admit, there is an exception to my dislike of mexican food. Those taco carts I see on TV that they don’t have where I live look to be delicious. I see those very thin and small tortillas stuffed with shredded pork and topped with fresh cilantro-onions-etc. with a squeeze of lime look very awesome. I know I would love that kind of food. But like I said where I live nobody has the taco stands. I can only watch videos of them on food shows. The way they cook the meats looks to be very tasty.
Saying you do not like Mexican food because you had a bad version of it once, or even twice, thousands of miles from where it is from is kind of odd.
If you liked Taco Bell back in the day it might be worth it to try a Tex Mex or even a real Mexican restaurant if you can find one near you. Go with a friend and order different dishes so you can try more than one dish. Use HO to find a good spot then order dishes that are mentioned favorably. You might still find it to be less than perfect but it is worth a shot.
Pining for versions of food long gone is understandable but it is kind of pointless after a certain point.
JMHO.
A bottom of the barrel Vega was my Waterloo.
Proved Chevy had no idea how to build a small car.
3 sp manual meant you usually had to double clutch down to first going around corners.
Caught on fire once as I arrived at work.
We just took wet towels and put it out.
I always thought the Vega had style. It was not a great car but they were usually a cantankerous loose collection of parts moving in generally the same direction at best, and it looked kind of sporty compared to the Chevette. Maybe it was the “upscale” Chipotle to the Chevette’s Taco John?
LOL!
My first car was a Chevette. It was the first car my parents had ever bought new in 1980, I think. (all the rest were hand me downs from one set of grandparents or the other) I can’t remember if it was a 1979, 80 or 81 model. Manual windows, no power steering or brakes, but it DID have an automatic transmission and A/C (which took your top speed from 75 with the wind to about 60…)
Personally, 16 year old me LOVED that car. I only had to fill it up every two weeks. I could pull u-turns on all my friend’s narrow neighborhood streets. It was a hatchback, which meant that it could seat 5, but actually FIT 8 high school students if one wasn’t too concerned about rear visibility or legality.
The front seats also reclined WAY WAY back, almost flat, which was handy for amorous teenagers.
Their seafood salads were a prominent feature on our xmas eve or NYE dinner table growing up. Really nice varieties of Krabbencocktail, Heringssalate, and really good quality shrimp for the table grill
That might just be my favorite chain of them all, just for the sheer variety of seafood. And the prices - at least for the prepared stuff are fairly reasonable, too.
I love their Bismarck Heringbrötchen, too, and the salad topped with poached shrimp was a regular lunch for me. My former office in my hometown was practically across from a Nordsee.
Anyone remember the BEEF burrito from Taco Bell in the 80’s? That was such an awesome item. That was when the beef was 100% and not half filler like it is now. Another great item was the MEXIMELT no longer found either. Still not able to duplicate the meximelt yet. I just don’t know what seasoning gave it that unique flavor. I think some sort of cilantro base was involved. It only had cheese and a sauce is my guess.
