I should have titled this missive Taco Porn, but Taco Tuesday came to mind because I and my Geek/Nerd workmates back in the ’70s used to take long lunches on Tuesday to worship at the alters of Tacos. The venues changed over time, but my favorite was the Tamale House at the corner of Congress and First streets. The Tamale House served a variety of Mexican classics, but my favorite was the basic flour taco. It was made from a flour tortilla dressed in a layer of refried pinto beans, filled with a generous ladle of spicey picadillo drawn from a deep kettle, and dressed with rajas (thin slices) of pickled jalapeno peppers. Just writing about those tacos commands a Pavlovian salivary response from me. Alas, all that remains of the Tamale House today are my memories and those of all the patrons who loved it.
A year or two later, we changed our taco foray to Taco Friday, if I recall correctly. The history of Taco Tuesday is better established, I think. Nonetheless, there is precedent for Taco Friday. As I have commented on other occasions, few things spread faster or more efficiently than genes, sexually transmitted infections, and cuisine. I suppose that I should add respiratory illnesses to my parsimonious list.
Last night, I decided that I should make breakfast tacos this morning. They turned out to be brunch tacos because we slept in. Yesterday we had the makings of Pati Jinich’s shrimp tacos, but we were stuffed after eating a plate of Sashimi. So, I prepared shrimp tacos for this evening’s dinner. Pati’s recipe calls for Oaxaca cheese in her shrimp tacos. They had none at the grocery; so, I substituted shredded Mozzarella. The resulting tacos were delicious.
