Today we're under the banner of taco as we eat delicious bags of garbage with while fondly remembering Colonel Mustard. Matthew plays Columbo and Molly gets the munchies as we discuss taco topology, surreal beans and Kermit conglomerates. Finally we celebrate and eulogize(?) Producer Abby's 10 years of hard labor.
Eddie Vedder sings "One" for U2 at The Kennedy Center
Taco Bell Wouldn't Exist Without San Bernardino's Mitla Cafe
Molly 0:00
Hi. I'm Matthew and I'm Molly. And
Matthew Amster-Burton 0:06
this is spilled milk, the show where we cook something delicious. Eat it all and you can't
Molly 0:09
have any Today's episode is fast food tacos.
Matthew Amster-Burton 0:13
And this was suggested by listener Nicole. Thank you listener Nicole.
Molly 0:17
Yes, thank you listener Nicole. Wow, Matthew and I each just ate for fast food tacos. Yeah, a lot. I'm feeling fine right now. But I wonder if it's going to catch up to me at some point.
Matthew Amster-Burton 0:26
It might. I was so excited to do this episode because I was like, Molly, just stop off at Taco Bell on the way here and just bring us a bag full of garbage. And I did and it was great. Yep, I was very pleased.
Molly 0:39
I also want to just say at the top that when I went to Taco Bell that I did not get anything that was not on the taco menu.
Matthew Amster-Burton 0:47
I think that was very dedicated. You know, so
Molly 0:50
it means I didn't go like crunchwrap supreme or anything like that. Data. Cheesy. gordita crunch. I didn't do it. I stayed under the like the banner of taco.
Matthew Amster-Burton 1:01
Yeah, I watched that series on Hulu. Very disturbing.
Molly 1:07
So much chili powder.
Matthew Amster-Burton 1:09
Exactly. So why don't we Why don't we take a walk down memory lane.
Molly 1:13
Okay. My memory lane is short. So I want to start. You know, Taco Bell was a thing when I was a kid, but my parents it was not one of the fast food places that my parents liked. So we kind of never went there. I maybe had Taco Bell like soft tacos as a kid. Like, thanks to somebody else's
Matthew Amster-Burton 1:31
parents. Yeah, but But you were you are afraid of the crunchy tacos because of dental emergencies. No,
Molly 1:37
my parents were anti crunchy taco. Therefore I was too
Matthew Amster-Burton 1:43
because it was inauthentic because because it
Molly 1:47
was because of snobbery. Okay, wait, I'm not done. Yeah. So ash and I went backpacking, the only time we've ever gone backpacking in the enchantments in 2018. Are you familiar with the enchantment?
Matthew Amster-Burton 2:01
I'm familiar with you telling me about them at the time and how it was like an impressive place to go backpacking, I don't remember where or what they are. So tell me Okay, so
Molly 2:09
it's a part of the North Cascades. It's like spectacularly beautiful and and also like highly protected. So in order to hike in and spend the night you have to enter a lottery. Okay, yeah, just want to do a day hike. You can do that but people love to go and hike Asgard paths. Have you heard of this?
Matthew Amster-Burton 2:31
I have heard of this probably because you told told me about it. Yeah, I've never done it. Like that's that's like a like a Norse myths, mythology type of thing.
Molly 2:39
It is it is yeah. So we did one of the like, easier routes in the enchantments in 2018. And it was around the time that I was just beginning to try edibles, okay, and I also will at that point, I'd also never smoked weed. So the only way I had What about Colonel Mustard god, I forgot about Colonel Mustard. Okay, well, fine.
Matthew Amster-Burton 3:04
That was my one chance to be like Colombo, like just just one more thing. Like what Who is this Colonel Mustard? Well,
Molly 3:12
so for those who don't remember when I was in college, my cousins and I went smoked weed out of a pipe that belonged to I think my like my cousins boyfriend's grandfather. Something in the shape was named Colonel Mustard. I did not feel high then although I got the giggles and my cousins were convinced that I was high. I don't think I was high. I think I just got the giggles because as everyone who's listening to this podcast right now knows I get the giggles. Right? All this to say I was just doing edibles. Like for the like first few times around the time we went to the enchantments and I remember I took some mints that you had suggested. Okay. But then our friends who we were backpacking with Riley and Chris, they brought we chocolate and the first day when the mints didn't do anything. I was like, Hey, can I have some of your chocolate? Sure. It was super mosquito he out there. We had to basically were mosquito nets over our heads the whole time. And so the weed chocolate became really important. Sure, and getting us through the three days out there. Why
Matthew Amster-Burton 4:16
could this possibly have to do with? Right
Molly 4:20
Okay, well, so Chris and Riley at one point when we were sitting around in our mosquito nets, feeling really high. They started talking about how great it would be if we had Taco Bell right,
Matthew Amster-Burton 4:32
but you were in this this unvarnished, no undisturbed, perfect landscape. Hundreds of miles from civilization,
Molly 4:40
you know, we hit because the mosquitoes were so bad and because we were instantly so miserable, even just hiking in we chose a campsite that was only three miles from the trail. Okay, so we were only three miles from our car still feels pretty far, but it was pretty far when you're carrying like 40 pound pack. So anyway, all this to say we all vowed that as soon as we got out of there, we were hitting the nearest Taco Bell. Perfect. Now, the reason this is seared into my brain is because Riley and Chris made it to the Taco Bell, I think in Leavenworth, or somewhere near there. They made it to the taco bell at like 9:59pm. And it was closing at 10. They got the fucking tacos, and ash and I were two cars behind them, and it was closed. And we could not get our tacos,
Matthew Amster-Burton 5:36
but they literally used to have us the slogan get laid at the
Molly 5:40
bell is this one close to 10pm that is unconscionable. We were starving, everything was closed. It was terrible. And so we had to like just drive home like just you know, eating something from the gas station or something. But then the next day ash and I went straight to Taco Bell. We went to the one on Aurora and we sat in the parking lot and ate. I think we had crunchwrap supreme and something else. And honestly, it would have been so much better if we were still high. We
Matthew Amster-Burton 6:10
weren't perfect.
Molly 6:10
We weren't still high.
Matthew Amster-Burton 6:11
I mean, almost perfect. Yeah.
Molly 6:13
Anyway, but yeah, I have never thought so much about Taco Bell as I did during that trip. Yeah, I bet.
Matthew Amster-Burton 6:23
Okay, so Taco Bell was definitely one of my family's preferred fast food places. When I was a kid. It was like Taco Bell, Burger King, Arctic Circle, sometimes Wendy's.
Molly 6:33
Wow, you guys went to all the places that we didn't go to, but not McDonald's because my mom hated it. Yeah, no, my mom hated McDonald's, too. We went to Wendy's and we went to Long John Silver's.
Matthew Amster-Burton 6:42
Yes, we occasionally went to sizzler, which I know is not a fast food place, but like fast casual. So I have lots of Taco Bell memories. I think it was probably the closest fast food place to my house growing up, and particularly was certainly the closest once I got my own car, which I did, like sophomore year of high school, and could like hop in the car and like hit up the Taco Bell drive thru that was the taste of freedom. And could
Molly 7:09
you get tacos for like, under $1? Oh, god, yes. Like 79 cents or something that for
Matthew Amster-Burton 7:15
a long time, they had the 5979 99 menu and the I think the crunchy tacos were either I think they were 79 Okay, but it would have been 59 around that same time. Like when I was like maybe 17 They introduced something called the wild big beef taco, which is my all time favorite taco bell item. I don't know like if it ever came back. But it was like the you know, the crunchy tacos we just had it was like that only wider, like longer. Wow. And had basically Edie had some sort of like very red hot sauce on it. So
Molly 7:47
it was it was longer it was longer. So it was like the tortilla was just a bigger like larger in diameter tortilla? Yes,
Matthew Amster-Burton 7:55
but I think it may have been like oval shaped because I remember them being taller just longer.
Molly 8:02
I know cuz I was gonna say there's like a certain breaking point. You know, when you when you try to make your taco longer, you're also making it taller. And then you wind up with like, how much you're going to stuff that thing.
Matthew Amster-Burton 8:14
How much are you going to stuff that thing I've always asked. Yeah, yeah, and like I was also I think I was in geometry class at this time. So we probably do like a lot of taco topology.
Molly 8:25
Wow, taco topology. They
Matthew Amster-Burton 8:28
I remember when they introduced the double decker taco, which I didn't like but it was it was clear to me that like, okay, like Taco Bell like they're sticking out their claim of like, we're gonna get weird, and they only got weirder from then from that point where we're double decker taco was literally just a regular crunchy taco that had a flour tortilla glued to the outside using refried beans.
Molly 8:50
Okay, so it wasn't that different from what we will we're going to talk a minute about the double stacked talk, which we just had that was glued together with Nacho Cheese Yeah, and like crispy tortilla bits inside so
Matthew Amster-Burton 9:03
the moral is you got to choose your glue carefully.
Molly 9:06
That's right. I think that the beans I mean I love refried beans but I think that would make for a too thick and pasty vibe that
Matthew Amster-Burton 9:14
that is exactly was my feeling about it at the time. Yeah, I do like the talk about refried beans they are so otherworldly smooth like they've been passed through
Molly 9:24
Tammy Hall them so I was gonna say I was for some reason thinking the word surreal had been in it
Matthew Amster-Burton 9:34
Okay, carry on. But if you claimed it did that would be a surreal claim. And
Molly 9:41
it was Yeah. Were there other fast food talks like I don't think of other fast food taco places.
Matthew Amster-Burton 9:48
Okay, so I do have a couple others like I'm going to veer off the the like pure taco path which I knew that blue Wait,
Molly 9:55
there's taco bueno.
Matthew Amster-Burton 9:56
What is Taco Bueno.
Molly 9:58
Bueno was in Oklahoma when I was growing up okay think this wasn't in Portland. Okay. Okay, there was taco bueno. Yeah,
Matthew Amster-Burton 10:04
so we had we had Taco Time, which I don't think you had in. In Oklahoma. I think it's a Northwest thing or at least a West Coast thing. And that sort of stakeouts heard of like, we're like the healthy ish taco chain so lots of like, you know burritos with with vegetables in them and stuff. But the thing I would get for a Taco Bell was not for our taco time was not that it was the crisp meat burrito which is basically like a big meat cigar that's been deep fried. So still, thanks Anna. That
Molly 10:32
sounds really good ever find
Matthew Amster-Burton 10:33
myself at a Taco Time? In college Del Taco was more more accessible than Taco Bell is we've got a Del Taco. I did not like the like the taco items at Del Taco quite as much as Taco Bell but I really liked their chicken quesadilla. Okay, which I haven't had since like 1995 but is probably still good. Okay. Okay, so that's my memory lane. I love this stuff.
Molly 10:56
So are we mostly going to be talking about Taco Bell today?
Matthew Amster-Burton 11:00
I think so. Yeah. And of course, I didn't even like mention my biggest talk about memory lane, which there used to be a taco bell on Broadway, like four blocks from where I live. And like back then like even closer to where I lived, and it closed in maybe 2004. And I think about it every day. And it had two tacos for 99 cents from like most of the time that I that I lived here until it closed What's your nearest Taco Bell? Oh geez you know what you know what it is? It is the the one in Queen Anne. That is that is not close. It's not close. Although it's one it's one bus on the number eight and I went there like last year maybe just because it was really craving some Taco Bell and did not realize at the time that the stranger had already the local local like alternative weekly had already done an article about it. calling it the world's most expensive Taco Bell. Cuz Oh, big. I think I spent $25 for lunch.
Molly 11:53
We wait a minute hold on, uh, do different Taco Bells like in in different locations. Do they have different prices?
Matthew Amster-Burton 11:59
They can because they're franchises. I think they get like suggested prices from from the corporate overlords, but they can disregard how much like how much were the crunchy tacos.
Molly 12:08
Our total was around 20 bucks. Okay, so
Matthew Amster-Burton 12:13
this was this was like under $21 for plenty of food for two of us. And okay, so this is a three beef crunchy taco that was 597. So $2 Each at the Queensland one last time I went they were $4 each, so twice as much. Wow. Okay, it was It was wild. On the other hand, like it's fine. I could afford it. That's so
Molly 12:37
interesting, though. I mean, I hope that they are also using better ingredients are no no
Matthew Amster-Burton 12:44
like, Oh, they're no different ingredients. Oh, fine. When
Molly 12:47
you have a Taco Bell franchise, do they just send you all the Taco Bell stuff? I
Matthew Amster-Burton 12:51
think that is how the franchise works. You have to order from like, hello, fresh box. It's like aloe fresh box in the sense that it gets delivered to your building a lobby and sits around there for four days and then someone throws it out. Okay, man, because this box is sitting right in my lobby doesn't it doesn't have it that much anymore. I think there was maybe like one person who was like a repeat offender. But that made me so mad. Yeah, no, that's very upsetting. So would you like to hear a little bit about the history of Taco Bell? I sure would. It's corporate history time. Yay. Okay. So most of what I learned about Taco Bell's history came from a couple of different sources. Gustavo Adriano's book taco USA, which is very good book about the history of Mexican food in the US. Okay, an eater article that will link to and Taco Bell's only website, which has a weirdly forced go bells only website Taco Bell's only website. The only websites I've ever had most. Taco website you get the taco. There's like a QR code printed on the shell. You scan it, it takes you to that tacos website we sell which are like, very dirty.
Molly 14:01
But Taco Bells. Oh, and
Matthew Amster-Burton 14:04
websites I meant to say okay, so Glenn Bell was a restaurateur who had a burger and hotdog stand across the street from a well known Mexican restaurant called meatless Cafe, which is still open in the same location in San Bernardino, California. Wow, okay. We'd like cafe was famous for tacos Donatos, which, which I've occasionally made at home, which is a it's a crunchy taco that is made by wrapping a corn tortilla around the beef and sometimes the cheese but in their case, they don't put the cheese in before they fry. And then they pan fry the taco.
Molly 14:36
So you roll up a corn tortilla with you, you fold it Okay, yeah,
Matthew Amster-Burton 14:40
so here's the shape of like, what you think of as like a you know, crunchy American taco, but they're not using a premade taco shell. Okay. And then they're served with shredded lettuce and shredded cheddar. That sounds delicious. Oh, yeah. Yeah, it absolutely is. And if you look at photos of the taco soldados from meatloaf buffet. They look very similar to Taco Bell crunchy tacos. Okay, okay, so we've gotten to this so Glenn Bell was a fan of meatloaf Cafe, and the owners apparently showed him how to make tacos Donatos in the 1940s. And boy do they wish they had? Yes. So then naturally Glenn Bell opened his own taco stand called taco Tia in San Bernardino in 1951. He experimented with different names and concepts for over a decade and then opened the first Taco Bell in Downey, California in 1962. I could not figure out why Downey California which is very far from San Bernardino. Okay, I guess he was opening taco places like in in different area codes, like ludicrous style. Yeah, I
Molly 15:43
mean, this guy was like a taco bandit. Like he was a taco and running up, up and down California. He
Matthew Amster-Burton 15:50
was like, like, all these fast food guys. Like, you know, appropriation and marketing was was what he did best. Yeah,
Molly 15:57
cuz to be clear, this is a white guy. This is a white guy. Yes. So
Matthew Amster-Burton 16:00
a couple of choice tidbits from the Taco Bell website, aka Taco Bell's only website. They have a timeline of Taco Bell corporate history. I'm going to read a few entries 1951 Glenn Bell inspired by friends and neighbors at meet le Cafe creates his own version of the crunchy taco. I thought it was weird that they mentioned the cafe that he stole the idea from maybe there was a loss and maybe there was a lost
Molly 16:24
weight but I have a question. Okay, so we did a crunchy tacos episode right?
Matthew Amster-Burton 16:30
Did we do this whole thing already? Well, no, not remember but
Molly 16:35
well, I guess what I was gonna ask answers the your question and that I don't think I've ever known before this that crunchy tacos were invented or in the form we know them by Glenn Bell. Well,
Matthew Amster-Burton 16:49
I mean it they're not that different from the ones that he that he stole from the restaurant across the street idea
Molly 16:56
of like a product that comes all right like yeah, that's a good question comes already crunchy and red eight. I
Matthew Amster-Burton 17:03
don't know if that part can be attributed to Glenn bell or not. You would think I would. I mean, it would think you would know that. I think I would know this but I don't know the Okay. Okay. So okay, so 1951 Now we fast forward to 1964 retired la policeman Kermit Becky becomes Taco Bell's first franchisee opening a restaurant in Torrance California. Kermit back with his odd because his name was Kermit Becky. Okay.
Molly 17:30
i But I love this because I'm picturing Becky. Like, I don't know, like merging with Kermit.
Matthew Amster-Burton 17:38
I'm picturing friend of the show. Like inner Kermit see? Doing it. Kermit voice Becky Can you call into the show to do your best Kermit voice please. And we will reward you with a Taco Bell franchise. 1997 as the new parent of Taco Bell trikon declares its independence from the Pepsi Co conglomerate what?
Molly 18:04
I'm sorry. Is this like the history of war? Or is this corporate history this is
Matthew Amster-Burton 18:10
this is like it sounds like like a sky net type of like Terminator type of situation right
Molly 18:15
Khan declares its independence from the Pepsi coke conglomerate.
Matthew Amster-Burton 18:20
It sounds like that probably like kicked off like a very violent conflict. Right? Well,
Molly 18:27
I'm pretty sure that the US was like supplying the Pepsi coke conglomerate with weapons I
Matthew Amster-Burton 18:33
think you're right. And Oliver North. I guess Oliver North was definitely involved like Kermit Becky had to had to testify before Congress 2017 Taco Bell released its first ever retail collaboration forever 21 times Taco Bell the men's collection completely sold out online within the first day I have no information about this no any of the looks nope didn't look up any the looks don't know what happened to the women's collection sounds like it didn't go so well. Okay. And yeah, that's that's all the history you need to know
Molly 19:16
let's talk about the foods so it seems that Taco Bell was sort of or its flagship product maybe has always been the crunchy taco Yeah. Although
Matthew Amster-Burton 19:25
nowadays I think maybe the flagship product is the is the crunchwrap supreme.
Molly 19:30
Do you know when the crunchwrap supreme came to be? I mean, we didn't eat one today because it's not on the it's not
Matthew Amster-Burton 19:35
on the tacos menu. Okay, I'm looking at crunchwrap supreme, it's the it's our googling stuff segment. Okay, I mistyped it and I have crunch II and the first thing came up is cruncher ruse breakfast cereal made by Kellogg's sounds like it's half breakfast cereal, half underwear. Shed it does crunchy Roos, like crunchy underwear. crunch rags might
Molly 20:03
just when I wear more than one day Yeah,
Matthew Amster-Burton 20:05
sure. crunchwrap supreme year that's what I'm gonna Google. I love I love about Google Google fixes my spelling. What I wrote was crunch taps. 2005 The crunchwrap supreme becomes talking about his most successful product introduction becomes a permanent menu edition in January 2006. Can you remind me what a crunchwrap supreme crunchwrap Supreme is like a burrito that has a layer of like a hexagonal taco shell and is then like folded up into a hexagon and pressed on a griddle. Okay, okay, so it's like a hexagonal burrito ish thing with with a crunchy layer.
Molly 20:50
Okay. I can see why that would be popular.
Matthew Amster-Burton 20:54
Yeah, I mean, they're like, I think like, probably your favorite taco bell item is gonna be like the one you grew up with or ate the most of in college and the crunchwrap supreme was a little after my time. Okay. Okay, as well, as well as like the cheesy gordita crunch, which I'm not going to Google but with some time after that. I
Molly 21:11
did have a crunchwrap supreme that day after the the backpacking trip, but I think that maybe maybe the atmosphere was just wrong. Yeah.
Matthew Amster-Burton 21:19
And I didn't talk about the Doritos Locos Tacos in the history segment. But that was another very successful launch for them. Okay, like, I think they're okay. Yeah, I
Molly 21:28
didn't love it. We'll talk more about that. Okay. Yeah,
Matthew Amster-Burton 21:30
so the thing I've always wondered since I was a child about Taco Bell food and I didn't really get like a definitive answer is why on the crunchy taco, which when I was a kid, by the way, it was just called a taco. Like they only started calling it crunchy taco maybe in like the 90s or 2000s
Molly 21:48
Sorry, I was reading about the the first item here on this card.
Matthew Amster-Burton 21:55
When I was a good the crunchy taco was just called a taco. Oh, okay. And they added crunchy to the name like sometime in like the 90s or 2000s Okay,
Molly 22:04
and so at that point was there just like taco and soft taco? It was just
Matthew Amster-Burton 22:09
taco and soft taco and they were friends. Yeah. But then crunchy taco started started like hanging with a different crowd took on the nickname crunchy? Well, yeah. All right, so I always wondered why they put the lettuce on before the cheese because doesn't it seem like it would be better if the cheese got a little melty down? Yeah, yeah. As far as I can tell, there are two reasons. Okay. One is it makes like because the lettuce like is very cheap and can be used as a filler, it makes the whole thing kind of look more generous, because like you've got you got this big layer of cheese that seems to be pouring out of the taco. And so you mentally you sort of imagine there must be like a lot of meat and cheese in there. And also there's a lot of lettuce. I
Molly 22:50
like that it is done the way it is because I feel like so when the cheese melted it gets a slightly different flavor, right? Sure. And especially when it melts up against the meat they kind of become like one or the flavors are more melded. But when you have the cheese on top of the lettuce so the cheese doesn't really melt. I find that I taste the meat, the lettuce and the cheese in their separate flavors. And I really like that,
Matthew Amster-Burton 23:19
ya know, when I was a kid I really resented the fact that they didn't put the cheese close to the meat. I think I've come around I think I agree with you now. But speaking Speaking of things becoming one have you seen the video of Eddie Vetter? singing the YouTube song one at the Kennedy Center? Honors? No, it's so good. It's from like two years ago. Okay. Yeah. A song about meat and cheese melding. coming
Molly 23:41
on. Okay, but they're not the same. Great. Can we link to it in the show notes?
Matthew Amster-Burton 23:45
We can link to it in the show notes. I found it profoundly moving to be honest, Eddie veteran like is such a good singer.
Molly 23:52
Yeah, yeah. Did you Did you cry a little bit? I cried a little bit. Yeah, that was that's like the first the first like 12 times I watched the Stevie Nicks singing the Wildheart demo. There you go, man. Wow.
Matthew Amster-Burton 24:06
All right. Other things about Taco Bell food. Laurie was always a big fan of the bean burrito with green sauce, which you can no longer get because they discontinued green sauce in 2016. But then I saw they brought it back in some locations in 2022. So I don't know what the current status
Molly 24:22
is, was the green sauce like a packet of sauce
Matthew Amster-Burton 24:25
they Okay, there was also a ver de sauce that was in a packet but I think that was a little different from the green sauce that that they had like a squirter of the in the kitchen. Okay, all right. We didn't talk about how like they like they apply things in the talk about kitchen with like a gun that they have they have like a device that like shoots sour cream and stuff. Oh, really? Yeah. I don't know. Like what all gets gets dispensed that way, but it is like pretty gross.
Molly 24:51
Yeah, no, that sounds terrible, but efficient. You wrote here that when you were a teenager, you would get the six pack have tacos? Yeah. And so did they come in like, did they have like, you know, the little plastic ring around their necks and you had to snip it so that wouldn't die.
Matthew Amster-Burton 25:11
I think it was turtles. Right? What dolphins anyway? No, they do not come in a six pack like a like a six pack of brewskis they came into like a little cardboard lunchbox. Oh, so satisfying. That's so great. Like I eat four tacos today. That was a lot. I'm feeling it. Like the fact that I used to frequently eat six of those is boggles my mind.
Molly 25:35
I'm not feeling it yet. Okay, that's good. It sounds like we've taken some edibles. Yeah, like are you feeling it? Yeah, yeah.
Matthew Amster-Burton 25:42
Yeah. You take some you eat some Taco Bell. After like an hour. You start feeling it and then you get hungry for more Taco Bell. That's how they get. Yeah,
Molly 25:50
yeah. Okay, so what about the sauces because today you asked me to get the fire sauce. How does that like what are the sauces and where does fire rank
Matthew Amster-Burton 25:59
so I think the current sauces are mild hot fire and Diablo like, I haven't like tasted them side by side. And while Diablo is there is later like stun hot sauce, which is pretty spicy. As far as like a sauce you would get like fire
Molly 26:15
was like between mild and medium. Yeah, fire
Matthew Amster-Burton 26:18
sauce is not very spicy. I yeah, I don't know how fire and hot compare. I feel like that the fire sauce is sort of viscous in a way that I appreciate. Oh, okay. And the packets are very hard to open cleanly. They're not any different from like ketchup packets, but like it's not it's not a great packaging design. Do you ever go to Taco Time? Yeah. And I still not very often but there's one in Wallingford. That one's still there. Yeah, okay. And 45th I will usually get the crispy meat burrito aka the fried fried meat cigar. Okay, so have you ever had one of those? No, it is punishing ly rich, but, but very satisfying. It
Molly 26:59
means that I could probably take it down just fine. I think so because I have more of a rich tooth than you do ever.
Matthew Amster-Burton 27:04
I mean, I've ever rich tooth. I
Molly 27:06
think I have like one of those. I feel like I can stomach more richness.
Matthew Amster-Burton 27:09
I think so. Yeah. Yeah. Okay, let's do this. Let's go. Let's let's go to Taco Time and we're gonna have like a like a contest to see you can eat the most meat cigars. Okay, gross.
Molly 27:19
Okay. Are there other fast food tacos we need to talk about?
Matthew Amster-Burton 27:24
Okay, so we need to talk about I already mentioned Del Taco plate. Wouldn't
Molly 27:28
it be funny if taco was spelled t a l k. O?
Matthew Amster-Burton 27:32
Like, like, we got to talk about these tacos. Yeah, like we're talking about taco. It said something on the Taco Bell website about how when Taco Bell was first opened, they had to like, educate customers into not calling them take owes. But I don't know how I feel about that whole thing. Yeah. Okay. Okay. Yes, it would be funny if they were called tacos. Like Like, that's what that's what like, if you if you live back in the silent film era, like probably some people call them talkies. But if you were like a cool like, I'm talking called tacos. Okay, because you can see the tacos. I'm gonna see that one where I get run over by the train. It never gets off. Go on. Okay, so there's Del Taco, which is now owned by Jack in the Box, which has nothing to do with the food they serve. I just thought it was interesting. I haven't been to Del Taco in a long time. I have been to Jack in the Box though. Have you ever had the jack in the box to tacos for 99 cents? No,
Molly 28:27
i i The only thing I've ever had from tracking the box was when you and I went didn't we get I think we should diggers
Matthew Amster-Burton 28:33
or something? Yeah. Going. Oh, it was for was it onion rings was awake. Okay. Oh, I've
Molly 28:40
also had check in the box milkshakes. Yeah,
Matthew Amster-Burton 28:42
but that's it. Jack in the Box. Like, I don't think their food is very good. I mean, like the who can say like, I don't want to knock anyone's Jack in the Box. Yum. I think they do a really good job of making their foods seem appealing on TV commercials, which is kind of the whole point.
Molly 28:55
I often wonder why like, Why do some of these like sort of lesser fast food chains exist? Like Jack in the Box isn't isn't doing anything interesting that other fast food places aren't doing well or they
Matthew Amster-Burton 29:11
have like their own weird shit that they do. Like I have like two flavors of chicken nuggets in the same box or like like you know a burger with like, something you didn't expect on it or like a really tall burger or something. You know? They they're they're in like the stunt stunt food arena. Okay, fine. But But yeah, like I think I think you know, competition is tough and who knows if Jack in the Box can go the distance. Anyway, they have these two tacos for 99 cents that are considered like a drunk food. And I've only had them a couple times I'm not I'm not fond of them myself. But I can see now and I never get drunk but I can see how they could be appealing in that context or like if you just want something really cheap and filling. The thing I think is funny about the the jack the box tacos, which as far as I can tell are like Fried with the cheese and lettuce inside. What? And it's American cheese. Oh, okay. Okay, there's like a long running I say debate but there is no real debate about whether they are vegetarian hasn't somebody just tested them? They're not they, they they're like, some amount of meat stretched with a lot of textured vegetable protein. Where I think this comes from is like probably, you're a vegetarian, you get drunk. You're like, I want some of those tacos. Like, let's just pretend there's no meat in there. And like so if people are still talking about this, it's 2024 Even though like it's been debunked forever
Molly 30:37
hold on. So is it like beef plus TVP soy which
Matthew Amster-Burton 30:42
is true of the Taco Bell beef also, but even more beef. Yeah, there was a lawsuit years ago claiming like a class action lawsuit claiming that Taco Bell beef was only 33% beef and talk about one the case they proved in court that it was actually like 88% beef. I wrote it on here somewhere. That's so weird. Yeah, it was it was actually 88% But it
Molly 31:05
never occurred to me that it wasn't beef. Yeah, I don't know. Huh? Okay. All right. Anything else we should say about these things?
Matthew Amster-Burton 31:14
I don't know. Like I think kind of the thing people always say that is definitely true for me is like it's not Mexican food. It's scratches a totally different edge but I have always had a soft spot for these things and still really like them. You've
Molly 31:27
always had that itch I've always had that itch you know I will I eat these too fast in like a real blur of shredded cheese but I think that there's a case to be made for this being a really well engineered food product. I
Matthew Amster-Burton 31:41
think so too.
Molly 31:42
I don't know like if I had to name one of the things we ate today as a perfectly engineered food product I don't know maybe the crunchy taco that's that's always been my favorite a fantastic but yeah, it's not like going out to a Mexican restaurant or even a Tex Mex place like it has its own kind of said corporate flavor. It has its own sort of industrial flavor.
Matthew Amster-Burton 32:06
It does. You know, one thing I like about the crunchy taco is and I've and this has been true like since I was a kid. I like when it gets a little soggy down at the bottom like it's been sitting around like, you know, like your your friend was so kind as to stop off at Taco Bell and like bring crunchy tacos to your house. I like the contrast between the part of the shell that was touching the meat and got a little soggy versus the part that wasn't and still crunchy. I love that. Very satisfying.
Molly 32:32
It really is. Oh, well. Okay, that was tasty.
Matthew Amster-Burton 32:36
It was tasty. Molly, do you have any spilled mail we do
Molly 32:46
this one is also a meaty topic that involves chili powder. Okay. Okay. So today's spilled mail is from listener Megan. And she says you forgot Cincinnati chili, which is chili on top of spaghetti on this spaghetti episode. Although to be fair, maybe Cincinnati chili deserves to be forgotten. I'm not from Cincinnati, but I'm married to someone who is and even he will admit that it's kind of gross. I'm assuming that she means Cincinnati is kind of gross. I'm from New Mexico, where we have Frito pie which is of course New Mexican style chili on top of Fritos. And my husband also thinks that is gross. So maybe this is just not his kind of food. So a question Is there a regional food from the Pacific Northwest or Oklahoma that you like but the people who are not from that area find weird or gross? I don't think I've ever met someone outside of the Cincinnati area who really loves chili spaghetti. And a side note I've started saving the podcast for the weekly drive to piano with my 10 year old and it is our new favorite part of the week. Thanks for all you do.
Matthew Amster-Burton 33:49
Oh this is a great question. Have you ever had Cincinnati chili? I have not I have not I feel like I would only try line diner right? I like if I were in Cincinnati I would definitely want to try it and I imagined I would probably like it it's like a chili with like, you know sort of like Middle Eastern spicing like very like thin chili on top of spaghetti then topped with a bunch of cheese and onions. I think that sounds good.
Molly 34:15
I have been to Cincinnati and I just having never been a big chili person right? I instead went for the ice cream in Cincinnati is there like special Cincinnati ice cream? Well graters actually maybe is from Columbus days is four way away
Matthew Amster-Burton 34:31
ice cream like with cheese.
Molly 34:33
I wait I think I think graders is from Cincinnati.
Matthew Amster-Burton 34:36
It sounds right to me.
Molly 34:37
I don't know. But anyway at that time called
Matthew Amster-Burton 34:39
graders because of the cheese.
Molly 34:42
Stop it. Okay, Matthew, what about like regional foods here that people outside the area might think?
Matthew Amster-Burton 34:50
Okay, so I really enjoy so in Seattle we have a dish called teriyaki that is generally like a grilled grilled chicken thigh. sorry
Molly 35:00
are you talking about this? Like people don't know what it is? People don't
Matthew Amster-Burton 35:03
I think people don't know what Seattle teriyaki is. I think people know what teriyaki sauce is.
Molly 35:08
Oh, Seattle teriyaki is just a Seattle thing
Matthew Amster-Burton 35:13
it's a Seattle thing it's a sort of a Portland thing under a different name there's there have been like there's a chain in New York City that serves sort of a Seattle style teriyaki so maybe it's more well okay, okay, go go ahead tell me what probably like like style thing you can get at like a sushi place in other places, but it's not the same dish so Okay, so is Seattle Seattle sale teriyaki is usually grilled chicken thigh that's been sliced kind of thick sliced, and served with rice and a very sweet teriyaki sauce made pretty much from soy sauce and sugar and is served with some sort of perfunctory salad on the side and is like a hearty lunch dish usually. And when I tell people from Japan about this, they think it is the wildest thing because the sweetness because of the sweetness and the way that it's like served in like a giant American portion and that you don't you know, like grab for lunch in Japan something something with teriyaki it's just more more of like a like a thing you would make at home or like at a sit down restaurant. Like it is and it's usually fish.
Molly 36:23
Oh yeah. Okay, so So how would teriyaki appear in Japan it would be the protein would be fish gender,
Matthew Amster-Burton 36:29
so so like one of my favorite things I will order anytime he budino Teddy AKI is booty is yellowtail. And so it's like a thick thick piece of yellowtail that's been sauteed and then and then like sauce with a teriyaki sauce made from soy sauce and
Molly 36:43
mirin. Ah, okay. Okay,
Matthew Amster-Burton 36:46
so not not as sweet, not like super saucy, but just like you know, very like salty, like tangy and a little bit sweet sauce.
Molly 36:54
I think the only time I've ever eaten Seattle teriyaki is when we got some at some point for some show. Okay. Am I correct that that part of the flavor profile of Seattle teriyaki is is the like sort of char flavor? Absolutely. Yes. And is it usually cooked on like on a gas grill or I think it's usually cooked on a gas grill. Okay. Okay. You know, I couldn't really think of anything. I will say that I've lived all this time in Seattle and have managed to avoid lutefisk
Matthew Amster-Burton 37:26
Yeah, that's a that's a thing that I've I've never had it. Like I've only sort of heard it as a punch line. Yeah, yeah. I know. There are people who really like it, of course. Well,
Molly 37:35
and I mean, it's Seattle, has a large or at least at one time had a notably large Scandinavian population in the neighborhood that I live in Ballard that is sort of the old Scandinavian neighborhood. And so yeah, like when I go to wild salmon, seafood market or whatever. I mean, they there's they sell loot. Okay. Yeah. But yeah, I've always heard it as a punch line. And I've never I've never tried it. Yeah, I
Matthew Amster-Burton 38:02
imagine it's probably like a thing you had to grow up with. Or like, you know, be like, introduced to at like a certain impressionable age.
Molly 38:12
As for Oklahoma, the only thing I could think of is chicken fried steak. Yeah. Which I don't know if people outside of Oklahoma think it sounds gross. But it definitely sounds bizarre. Like, why would you do that? Yeah, it's
Matthew Amster-Burton 38:25
definitely a thing I knew about as a kid and would sometimes eat in college at the dining hall. I'm sure it wasn't a very good example of it.
Molly 38:34
I don't know that I've ever had a good example of it. But I did not have it much growing up because again, my parents were not from Oklahoma and thought it seemed weird. And the other thing is, is I feel like it's almost like a contradiction in terms. Like, we think of steak as being I think, like an expensive meat or a meat that is cooked and served in a precise way. Sure, right. Like we cook it to a particular temperature, even if you like it well done, like and so the idea of taking like a particular cut of steak, or a particular steak and and breading it and deep frying it, it's made with cube steak, right, right. Which I think yeah, and I mean, so it's not like what we're it's not like a ribeye, we're talking it's not like a rib. No, it's not and it's it's quite thin, but what
Matthew Amster-Burton 39:28
if it was what if it was a rib eyes? I mean, that would what if it was like a T bone steak. I just don't someone's done it.
Molly 39:35
Somebody's definitely done it. Anyway, it's just a it's a weird concept at I have eaten it and I do like it but it's neither like fried chicken nor like steak, but it's called both.
Matthew Amster-Burton 39:48
It's I mean, it's one of those dishes where they really nailed the name. Because like, you're not going to forget that day once a year. And when you're when you're accused of chicken fried steak, what is the chicken? Is it steak? Like hopefully it's both Yeah, yeah, it's I just stayed. Well,
Molly 40:02
that was a really great question listener May was Thank you. Well host Matthew, let's thank Producer Abby.
Matthew Amster-Burton 40:08
Thank you, producer Abby. We were just We were recently reminiscing with producer Abby it's it's it's approximately her 10th anniversary as producer Abby. Is that right? Did we get a date on that?
Molly 40:19
sometime in February. Okay,
Matthew Amster-Burton 40:21
so All right. So it's past by the time you hear this, I mean, like, she hasn't passed. She's still with us. I mean
I've yet at this part out, but it's like, I don't care if everybody else hears it. I don't want to have me do so. Oh, well, too late.
Molly 40:44
You can read review us wherever you get your podcast,
Matthew Amster-Burton 40:47
and hang out with other listeners and everything spilled milk.reddit.com where you can share your fast food taco memories. Thanks for listening to me. And, and thank you also for listening to me. I'm Kermit. Kermit. Did I do a Kermit and I'm back not really bye
Molly 41:15
Wait a minute. I can now only hear out of one ear.
Matthew Amster-Burton 41:17
I just talked on something.
Molly 41:20
How many ears can I hear out of now?
Matthew Amster-Burton 41:22
I'm gonna say three.