Skip to Content
Featured

A Taco Poem That Answers the Meaning of Life

[dropcap size=big]T[/dropcap]empt me with tacos—
You can have your queso
birria-style if you must,
nothing can quench my lust
for slow-simmered meat—
Give me guisado, carne
stewed, extra sauce on top—
Pork pulled into strips
crispy as carnitas, or soft
and loose like suadero—
I’ll take mine adobado,
the pollo un poco picante—
Grill and fill my tortilla
with fish a la plancha or
pescado frito. Puff up
the tortilla or make mine
crunchy shell and let’s go
TexMex—it all makes me miss
familia, instead I can ask
for another taste to take me

to the calle where I can eat 

my fill as the trompo still turns
and we can make any excuse
for uno mas por favor,
Sigue! The plate of cabrito
passed at the table, a last
meal with Tío, his chiste ready.
First taste of cesos, last of lengua 

which really was Papi’s favorite
and what is a border 

between cielo and tierra
if not an invisible wall and
what is a taco if not the best
of life cooked down, eaten 

in three bites, a catalog of 

never-long-enough meals

that only need a little lime, 

cilantro, salsa, the bite of onion 

that can move us to happy tears.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from L.A. TACO

Opinion: Stranding Kilmar Abrego Garcia In El Salvador Is a Symbol of The Decline of the U.S.

Bukele is not resisting the U.S.—he is helping perform political theater alongside Trump. And Abrego Garcia is the prop.

Starting Friday, You Can Finally Get King Taco On L.A.’s Westside

But it may not be exactly what you think, as the chain's lengua-covered nachos and esteemed salsa roja will be living with the likes of Gywneth Paltrow's Goop Kitchen.

April 28, 2025

L.A. Dispensary Owners Say Excessive Permit Fees Are Pushing Them Out Of Legal Market

Speaking in solidarity with social equity licensees, Catalyst Cannabis CEO Elliot Lewis said the Department of Cannabis Regulation has “done nothing to earn the tax money of this industry. The [social equity] program is an abject failure.”

April 25, 2025

Remembering the Whittier Man Who Taught Us to Sip, Not Shoot, Tequila

Everyone laughed when Tomas Estes first preached about tequila having terroir in the 70s, just as much as a French wine. Today, the premium "single estate" tequila this Whittier kid co-founded is one of the best-selling and smoothest in the world.

April 25, 2025

Molino “El Pujol’s” Famous Antojitos Land in L.A. for a Limited Time

We've also found some Bosnian burek, Dominican pastelitos, and a dinner pairing joints with pasta. What a city!

April 25, 2025
See all posts