Originally published in April, 2018.
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The other day, I went to my favorite lonchera in SanTana, Alebrije's, and found something that made me angry and sad: lemons instead of limes. Again.
“They're too expensive right now,” said owner Albert Hernandez. “I usually pay $10 to $15 for a case, but right now it's going for $60 to $80. Demasiado.”
He's not the only taquero with a similar predicament. Every spring now for the past four years, taco trucks across Southern California have made the same switch because of escalating lime prices. The citrus gets a sales bump in the United States during Lent, when Catholics double down on the ceviche and aguachile and soups.