Getting Preachy (er)

Almost a year since the last post

Yes, this blog still exists, not that you asked. And I still avoid meat but sometimes I still get hit by it in the form delicious smells. Yesterday I was sorely tempted by a bratwurst at Home Depot. But if we want to avoid "unethical" (defined by our own ethics) meat, bratwurst is right up there with sausage. Oh, it is sausage, no wonder.

I live on a farm now. The noun "farm" is often followed by the verb "farm," as in, "what do you farm? We farm pets mostly: Pet chickens, pet goats, pet horses, pet cats and pet dogs.  We aren't that good at it though because they are all spayed or neutered except for the chickens.

I have considered  raising an animal to eat, like a turkey or a pig, but I am fairly certain that I would fall in love (purely platonic) with the poor beast. Then we would end up with a pet turkey or pig to add to our long list.



Wooly Pig

Bourbon Red Turkey

Bilando

Being very discerning about the food I eat (picky) - particularly when an animal's life was taken for the food - makes eating out more of a challenge. I ate a quesadilla at this fine restaurant in Truckee, California, despite the wonderful meat smells emanating from the exhaust. Once my vegetarian brother walked into my grandmothers kitchen and politely said, "Mmm, that stew smells good." My grandmother responded like so: "Then why don't you have some? You can eat around the meat?"

Which makes about as much sense as this:

Food Trucks in Boise. Me, Elsewhere

I get a lot of crap from my so called fans about not updating my so called blog. By a lot of crap I mean very little. What actually happened was someone reminded me that I have a blog. If I were a genuinely dedicated food truck blogger I would have stayed in Boise over Labor Day weekend. Instead I was here:

Lame. Meanwhile Boise was lousy with food trucks, and my source informed me that there were even vegetarian tacos!

Lesson: Never leave Boise.

There was some sort of food truck festival last weekend. And, FYI, there is another coming in October, BTW. More on that later.

That said, I have nothing else to say at the moment.

France

Once again, I went to France to Photograph the Tour de France. While I was there I saw many a pizza truck - the wood fire variety. Also in France my computer broke. I have not had a chance to look at my pictures from the trip yet. But I know there is a picture of a Citroen pizza truck that I look forward to posting. I realize it aint a taco truck but you take what you can get. In France you can get pizza - really good pizza - from a truck. In Idaho you get excellent tacos from trucks. It is a decent trade off.

Vegetarian Option

The view while waiting for my quesadilla.

The view of my quesadilla.

I got the distinct feeling that I was confounding - flabbergasting even - the nice woman at Taqueria for ordering a quesadilla without meat. Evidently, she thought I was simply a delicate eater so she warned me that it was served in a corn tortilla. That I can handle. Being a picky or delicate eater is something I never wanted to be but I am afraid that is what I am becoming. The bean allergy is something I cannot control. I would if I could. Not eating meat is a different and more complicated story, much of which I wrote about previously on this blog.

Yet, I miss visiting Idaho's taco trucks so today I visited Taqueria for the above quesadilla. Immediately after the photograph was taken, I stuffed the iceberg lettuce, tomato and avocado into the tortilla, poured some of her delicious red salsa on top, and stuffed it into my mouth. My conclusion is that even without meat her quesadilla's are worth the trip. But they are tastier with meat and sour cream.

Boise Weekly

Food Trucks

This blog is mentioned. Thanks Rachael.

Taco Truck Manhattan

This truck was somewhere near Lincoln Center in New York. The food looked good. I did not stop to ask any opinions or even see if there were any non-meat or non-bean options. As it was I almost lost my companions when I stopped to take this photograph. We stumbled upon El Idolo as we were leaving the Merkin Concert Hall where we had just heard Gabriel Kahane and Timothy Andres.

Directions

a suggestion to entrepreneurs

If the people of Idaho are anything like the people of California*, or more specifically, if the people of Boise are anything like the people of Los Angeles** this will be a big hit: A taqueria that offers delicious vegetarian options such as the Jamaica (hibiscus flower) taco. Full disclosure: not sure I could taste the flowers but just knowing they were there was comforting - and I liked the texture. The taco with the blue corn tortilla was a delicious potato taco.

*I know what you are thinking: in many cases the the people of Idaho are from California.

**I still know what you are thinking: in many cases the people of Boise are from Los Angeles.

576 Colorado Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90041
Neighborhood: Eagle Rock

Walking Directions

Tacos

3rd and 11th in Nampa. That's all I know about this truck.

Truck Thoughts

When I sing along to this composition or piece, if you will, I replace "Hut" and "Bell" with "Truck" and "Truck," respectively. "I'm at the pizza truck, I'm at the taco truck, I'm at the combination pizza truck and taco truck." Which leads me to my thesis: when will Boise branch out beyond the Mexican themed food truck? A pizza truck for example? I think I mentioned the wood fire pizza trucks in France a while ago. Good idea. I am willing to give out all my brilliant ideas since I have no entrepreneurial spirit (and I have a job).

• A handmade donut truck. The key word here is handmade. The other key word is donut. Both hard to resist.
• Anything vegan truck. Maybe Idaho is not ready for that (and vegans don't have money).
• Curry Truck?

I do know about the Salad Man and I have heard positive things about him. He is parked somewhere on State Street in Boise.

For the record, I am still a fan of taco trucks, but as many of you know, I stopped eating meat and I am allergic to beans. Those restrictions make eating at taco trucks difficult.

These thoughts were spurred by a discussion with a reporter (is that your title?) from the Boise Weekly earlier this afternoon. Thanks.

Portland

Pato Feliz on the corner of SE 32nd and Hawthorne

and if you do not like Pato Feliz try Neza on 33rd and Hawthorne. I tried neither because I have yet to give up giving up meat.

The Corner of Jefferson and Broadway Ave

For Sale

100

Fall in Garden City

Confounded

Maybe instead of sampling and opining about the food served at taco trucks I will critique the actual trucks. Like, "there is a beautiful green taco truck on Overland. It has a pretty sign." Or, "there is a decent looking taco truck in Garden City but it has a flat tire."

I refuse to call myself a vegetarian (because vegetarians can be insufferable) but I am still avoiding meat and I suspect I will always be allergic to beans. Maybe I should recruit a pinch-eater to eat at the taco trucks.

Book Non Review

Nothing puts a damper on eating a nice plate of carne asada like a good book.

I wont go into the details, gory or otherwise, of the book but I will say eating meat has become difficult for me since I opened the book. Perhaps difficult is the wrong word because I have not tried eating meat since I picked up the book in the Rediscovered Bookshop. I am not quite finished with Eating Animals (the book) but I am fearful that Safran Foer is going to leave this reader with little hope for guilt-free protein. This reader is allergic to beans. I know, and this reader loves Mexican food. Without meat or beans the options (maybe "options" with an s is too optimistic) at a taco truck are few. Those shrimp tostadas look good but shrimping and shrimp farming are as bad or worse than factory farming. But I said I wouldn't go into the details. There are plenty of delicious cheese quesadillas for sale at our numerous local taco trucks. Imagine a blog (Yawn!) dedicated to the locations of the tastiest quesadillas (snore) in Idaho.

The only thing people hate more than cruelty to animals is a vegetarian. Well, a prosthelytizing vegetarian. My advice to me is not to tell anyone if I am a vegetarian.

I've got more advice. For that fringe group of people who are concerned with animal welfare, global climate change, and personal health: someone should open a taco truck that serves local family farmed meat. Meat from animals that get pet every day and get to sleep inside and watch TV on Thursday nights. Or whatever the current most humane version of a farm is today. Of course tacos could no longer cost $1. But I for one would pay $1.50 for a clear conscience. Maybe $2.

Location, Location, Location

Have I already talked about the problem with reviewing - or in my case - pointing out taco trucks? I'm pretty sure I have but to reiterate; its the wheels. Taco trucks move. For instance Jalapenos that used to be on Federal Way is now missing. When an ordinary restaurant, one that is firmly attached to the ground, fails or moves it is easier to figure out what happened. There is a sign in the window to direct the loyal eaters to its new location. Or, in some cases to say goodbye. When a taco truck is gone there is always a hope that it has gone to cater a wedding or to fill up its gas tank. It will be back. So, often in vain, you drive passed its former location (parking spot) hoping it will be back to feed you the way it used to. Unfortunately, when I go hunting for taco trucks I do so when I am hungry. And the closer I get to the former location I get even hungrier, like when you have to pee and you get close to a bathroom, and then the bathroom is locked. When I'm hungry for taco truck food no other quick food will do. Particularly not McDonald's or another of that ilk. Even if it makes no sense time-wise, I will then drive five miles in another direction to eat at an existing taco truck.

When a taco truck is not where it used to be, feel free to let me know. I will not go back and revise previous posts though, due to a previous commitment. I am committed to laziness.

To my devoted reader

As you must have gathered by now, I am out of town and have been for months (or two). I did eat a couple of delicious carnitas tacos today at Taqueria Jalisco (not a truck) in South Lake Tahoe. Which reminds me: if I ever open a taqueria in South Lake Tahoe I will name it South Lake Taco. Which reminds me that I will never open a taqueria.

I'll be back in Idaho in a few weeks.