Guns and Tacos

Cooking Underground: How It’s Done

January 15th, 2011 in Taco School by Jay | no responses

If you’re interested in cooking lamb (borrego) or goat (cabrito) in an underground firepit, I came across this video that shows you how the real vaqueros do it in Hidalgo. Enjoy.

Taco Stand Translation Guide

October 4th, 2009 in Taco School by Jay | 6 responses

To optimize your taco-eating experience, I thought I’d relay a few tips that might prove helpful. Some are pretty basic, so bear with me.

1. Always bring cash. Preferably small bills.

2. If you’re not a fluent Spanish speaker, try English first. Most taco truck attendants have remarkable psychic abilities and can interpret your hungry non-Mexican gestures and awkward, ugly English quite well. Also, if you start using Spanish, they might think think you are fluent and respond in really fast Spanish.

3. Do not allow them to put lettuce and/or tomatoes on your taco. If this happens, write “CILANTRO Y CEBOLLAS” across the side of the taco truck with the nearby red salsa squirt bottle.

Here are a few key words that should help you get by at any taco stand:

Para Aqui (Parah Key) “For here”

Para Llevar (Parah Yeh Vahr) “To go”

Cuantas? (Quant-Toss) – How much? Note: There’s no need to understand their response. Just pretend like you understood, give them a ten and let them do the math.

Con todo (Cone Toad-O) “With everything”.

Maiz (Mai’s) “Corn”, as in corn tortillas.

Harina (Harina) “Flour”, as in flour tortillas.

Servilleta (Sir Vee Yay Tah) “Napkin”

Soda naranja (Sodah Naran-Ha) “Orange Soda”

Salsa Rojo – “Red Salsa”

Salsa Verde – “Green Salsa”

Cual es tu especialidades? – “What’s your specialty”?

Note: The word “Caliente” is often misunderstood as meaning, “spicy”. “Picoso” is the correct word for spicy. Caliente means hot, as in “your mom is hot”.

Crazy hot.