The sunset above the cloud line of Newark, NJ
In the classic song, Big Yellow Taxi, female vocalist and 70's teen heartthrob Joni Mitchell sings, "Don't it always seem to go that you don't know what you've got till it's gone."
This often over quoted lyric rang true to me when I sat down on Wednesday to what would be the last cheesy gordita crunch to touch my pallet for at least eight months. Though to many it may seem insignificant, Taco Bell's heavenly cacophony of taste, texture, and barely legal ingredients bring me a type of joy that is only acceptable in Amsterdam. I take a bight out of culinary bliss and think to myself, "America never tasted so good."
Like the cheesy gordita crunch, America is an imperfect, messy, forced concoction that can at times cause indigestion, but that I always find to be delicious. It is not the pinnacle of fine dining, but every time I bite into that cheep crunchy cheesy shell, I am satisfied with life and feel like every problem has a solution because some regular dude for a fast food chain was able to create bliss out of extremely simple ingredients: cheese, gordita, and crunch.
On Thursday, September 20th, the problem I am out to solve is why the cheesy gordita crunch can't go with a baguette and a glass of Merlot? That is to say, why is there such a sharp social contrast with America and France and why do people think they clash? My hope is to use this venture to understand and appreciate those contrasts, but I also want to bring the "charm" of America to France and have it be seen as more than a cheep piece of fast food, but as the quirky goofballs that desperately grasp for the metaphorical merits of value menu items.
This may be my last visit to Taco Bell for some time, but I will always remember what the cheesy gordita crunch has given me: satisfaction in the little things and a hunger to share that satisfaction with others. You taste pretty good, America, now its time that other people know why....how cheesy.
ETA for Nantes: Friday afternoon. Lodgings, work, pictures, movies, and adventures to follow.
This often over quoted lyric rang true to me when I sat down on Wednesday to what would be the last cheesy gordita crunch to touch my pallet for at least eight months. Though to many it may seem insignificant, Taco Bell's heavenly cacophony of taste, texture, and barely legal ingredients bring me a type of joy that is only acceptable in Amsterdam. I take a bight out of culinary bliss and think to myself, "America never tasted so good."
Like the cheesy gordita crunch, America is an imperfect, messy, forced concoction that can at times cause indigestion, but that I always find to be delicious. It is not the pinnacle of fine dining, but every time I bite into that cheep crunchy cheesy shell, I am satisfied with life and feel like every problem has a solution because some regular dude for a fast food chain was able to create bliss out of extremely simple ingredients: cheese, gordita, and crunch.
On Thursday, September 20th, the problem I am out to solve is why the cheesy gordita crunch can't go with a baguette and a glass of Merlot? That is to say, why is there such a sharp social contrast with America and France and why do people think they clash? My hope is to use this venture to understand and appreciate those contrasts, but I also want to bring the "charm" of America to France and have it be seen as more than a cheep piece of fast food, but as the quirky goofballs that desperately grasp for the metaphorical merits of value menu items.
This may be my last visit to Taco Bell for some time, but I will always remember what the cheesy gordita crunch has given me: satisfaction in the little things and a hunger to share that satisfaction with others. You taste pretty good, America, now its time that other people know why....how cheesy.
ETA for Nantes: Friday afternoon. Lodgings, work, pictures, movies, and adventures to follow.
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