Right off the bat I feel the need to apologize; this story practically requires pictures and I didn't snap any. The battery on my phone was dead, I was too lazy to swap for the spare battery and way too hungry to give a shit though now I regret it.
Do you like tacos? Stupid question right? Who doesn't like tacos? Meat, sauce, shell.....what's not to like?
Well if it were that simple, Taco Bell would be a gourmet, 5 star restaurant a la Demolition Man but you know what, Taco Hell (lol) really is a poor representation of what Mexican food is supposed to be. On a serious tip, how often do you see Mexicans eating there? I rest my case.
Friday evening, feeling frisky, I went looking for the Mexican food that Mexicans eat so I stopped at a little gas station on 141 in Doraville (duh). Attached to said store, was a Mexican meat mart or carniceria, at the back of which was a little counter, a mini taco stand. Frankly I would never have found the place had it not been for a friend of mine telling me about it. Yeah there's a sign but it's about the size of a postage stamp and written in Spanish and even still I practically had to hunt for the taco man once I got in there.
But you know what, only the good things in life are worth searching for, and search I did. We humans have a tendency to judge by appearance and the humble glass counter and ply-board kitchen door had me expecting another poor man's Taco Bell......what am I saying, Taco Bell is as cheap as it gets, it is poor people food.
"Two pork, two beef, plenty cilantro"
Order in place, Juan (we'll call him Juan) set to work. Somehow "fresh" does not seem appropriate enough a word; nothing was pre-made except the taco shells. It's like the grocery itself was his pantry because once I'd ordered, home boy came from behind the kitchen counter and started grabbing fresh ingredients right out of the store......fresh onions, cilantro and lemons from produce, fresh beef and pork from the meat counter, all prepped and chopped in front of me.
After something close to fifteen minutes (not your typical fast food), Carlos (or was it Juan?) produced 4 of the prettiest little tacos I'd ever seen, covered in cilantro and onions, a fresh cut lemon tucked to one side. I reached for the camera but my stomach took over.
Listen folks, there's a lot to experience out here if we take the time to look for it. I'll definitely be hitting that spot again in the near future and worry not for proper photographic documentation is forthcoming.
Bless.
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