The ideas expressed in this column do not necessarily represent those of The New Courier.

Lettuce Taco ‘Bout This

By Elijah Michael Webster
December 7, 2023

Whether you’re doing it at home or in public one thing is for sure it does leave quite the mess. Eating tacos is a delightful and an indulging experience, but it often comes with a culinary conundrum. This specific problem has plagued taco lovers for years upon years – the messiness factor. Whether you are indulging in a Taco Bell creation or savoring a homemade masterpiece, we are all united under common ground: the ingredients always spill out of the back of the taco during consumption, leaving us with a plate full of scattered lettuce, cheese, and meat. This leads to an alarming amount of food waste, as most, if not all, taco enjoyers only consume a fraction of what was originally assembled in that tortilla. Let’s delve into this phenomenon and explore a cost effective efficient and most importantly delicious solution that I call the Taco Experiment.

Imagine this: an average person sits down to enjoy two mouthwatering mind-bending supreme tacos from Taco Bell. They’ve got Taco A and Taco B both wonderfully constructed with all the essentials: seasoned meat, crisp lettuce, shredded cheese, and a dollop of sour cream. This person’s hunger is unfathomable as they go to dive into Taco A. However, they also dive into a problem as it seems that the structural integrity of Taco A is compromised. All the ingredients fall out onto the plate and the person we’re talking about loses 50% of their taco per taco. This inefficient method of taco consumption ends today. Now let’s introduce Taco B to the situation. Let’s say Taco B is softshell and Taco A is hard shell. All this savvy taco enthusiast must do is strategically place Taco B on their plate. Taco B is not just a delicious taco waiting its turn; it is now a safety net, catching all the delectable morsels that escape Taco A’s grasp. It now collects all the lost ingredients from Taco A, forming a bountiful surplus taco. Now holding in all the ingredients from Taco A as well as its own, Taco B has now transformed into Taco AB.

But were not done yet! Enter Taco C the gamechanger. Taco C is not the run of the mill taco we all think of in the sense that it contains traditional taco fillings. But rather it starts as a spare soft-shell tortilla, also placed methodically like Taco B. Taco C now gets to trap all the great fillings lost from our now hearty Taco AB and creates Taco ABC. Taco ABC now becomes a treasure trove of culinary delight, a fusion of flavors that we love even more because we made it ourselves.

The Taco Experiment is not limited to efficient consumption; it’s a celebration of resourcefulness and an act against the increasing trend of food waste. In a world where sustainability is increasingly important, this ingenious approach to enjoying tacos aligns with the responsibility of safe consumption. By using the $0.20 extra tortilla like Taco C, you are not just saving your lunch, you are contributing to the reduction of food waste, also contributing to the reduction of our collective hunger that only a taco can fill.

Furthermore, the Taco Experiment can be customized and tailored to suit the individual’s needs because like tacos we are all unique. People can experiment with different tortilla varieties. Soft or hard, corn or flour all to enhance the overall taco experience. Consider adding extra condiments or seasonings to Taco C. Lord knows Taco Bell gives everyone more than enough sauce. The possibilities are endless, limited only by our imagination and taste buds.

Of course, there will be those who claim that messiness is the essence of the taco, and this idea takes that away. The loose ingredients are part of the charm, a rite of passage for taco fanatics. However, the Taco Experiment doesn’t seek to eliminate that charm but rather to enhance it. It provides a practical solution for those who desire a cleaner, more efficient, and cost-effective way to enjoy our beloved tacos with out sacrificing half of our taco that we paid for.

While tacos may not be causing world hunger, they do present a culinary challenge in the form of excessive waste. The Taco Experiment offers a neat and realistic solution to this age-old problem. This is a solution that was not easy to come by but also was one of the best solutions to this tragic problem by simply utilizing spare tortillas like Taco C, we can savor every morsel of our tacos while also making a small but meaningful contribution to reducing food waste. So, the next time you embark on a taco adventure, consider giving the Taco Experiment a try and revolutionize the way we all enjoy our lunches, one taco at a time.