Thursday, April 2, 2009

I'm All In

After a couple of days of debating whether to do the Century to Nowhere I’ve decided that I’m all in.  This week it has rained so long and hard that I think some of my neighbors have seriously contemplated building arcs in their yards.  Lucky for me our homeowners association would freak out if anyone started boat construction.  I think that would be the one and only time I’ve ever appreciated our homeowners association.  My point is since I’ve decided to do this trainer torture ride I’ve had a new motivation to train harder on the trainer even though it’s raining outside and generally very gloomy.  So, I’m really liking this new sense of motivation.  

As part of the plans that I laid out for this ride I included a trip to the local taco truck as a recovery meal.  These tacos are the perfect recovery food because the taco truck in our fair city has the best tacos that I’ve ever eaten.    

Today we made a trip to the taco truck for lunch it was delicious and cultural all at the same time.  

Here’s a shot of the back of the truck.  All of the cooking is done right on the truck.  

As you walk around to the side of the truck to order the following menu is there to greet you.  As you can see the menu is in Spanish but lucky for me it’s also in English.  I always order the Asada (Beef) tacos but there are also a variety of other options which include Beef Tongue, Beef Head, Goat, and the others that I’m a little too scared to ask what they are.  If you can make them out I’d love some help in the translation.  I actually tried Tongue one day.  It wasn’t too bad but not really my speed.  

As you approach the window to order they mainly speak Spanish but they are nice enough to speak English with us without even rolling their eyes.  Our usual order is 3 beef tacos.  You can also choose a Mexican soda from the cooler bin.  Here’s a shot of the selection.  They have the weirdest selection of sodas that I’ve ever seen.  Some are pretty good but some not so much.



Finally, our order was ready so we headed into the fine dining area which consists of a Plexiglas shed that is filled with park benches and for extra comfort has some propane heaters on either side of the shed.  Oh the amenities!  Here’s a shot of the tacos.  As you can see three fit perfectly on a plate.  They come cooked in onions and are topped with cilantro, radishes and a jalapeño.  

If this doesn’t put the energy back in your legs after a long ride I don’t know what will.  I’ll be thinking about these tacos for the entire 6 hours of trainer torture.  Motivation comes in all sizes and shapes.

6 comments:

Jenny-Jenny said...

Oh...I'm motivated just looking at that plate. I could eat these things 3 meals a day and 2 snacks. It's midnight...do you think they're open right now...lets go!

jeff said...

My brother in Phoenix has friends who are immigrants. When I was visiting they had us over for dinner and made tacos that looked like yours. Beef and chorizo sausage. Onions, cilantro, and some "salsa" that was soooo good, and sooo hot! Mmmmm...

Jeff said...

Mexican food from a truck? It would take some cajoling for me to try that. I guess it's better than fish from a truck.

331 Miles said...

Since I'm the south Texas guy, I'll do some translating and "advising" on the tacos...

Asada means grilled, not always beef, but usually.
Cabeza is indeed head, although if the cooks are MEXICAN it is probably barbacoa, which is a really good mixture of beef cheeks and head meat. Sounds disgusting, but it's pretty good and usually only available on weekends.
Al Pastor is meat that is marinated and cooked on a spit, similar to Giros in Greek cuisine. Probably pork. Al Pastor loosely translates as "from the field / pasture", i.e. you cook meat on a spit when you're in the wilds!
Buche...not sure on this one. I've seen it before, but I think it is a mixture of organs and/or other beef parts that you wouldn't usually eat. I advise caution.
Tripas is tripe, probably intestines. Never had this in a taco, but there's a good chance this is actually fried up like pork rinds.

Wow. Long comment...

Linda said...

We have Ruby's Mexican Lunch Wagon. You could take that photo up there and just put Ruby's on it and it would be exactly the same. Food is excellent and good quality. And around here, those lunch wagons are inspected more thoroughly than Lance Armstrong's bodily fluids.

Mike J said...

331, thanks for the translations and suggestions. I just might be brave enough to venture to other items on the menu now.

Linda, I'm hoping this taco truck is inspected like yours. I bet it is.

Jeff, I've never heard of chorizo sausage but I bet it was really good.