Captured by the Bell and the Beans
Ever since I was about three years old I have had an obsession with one type of food: Taco Bell. According to my parents, whenever we drove by a Taco Bell, I would yell the words “Taco Bell” after seeing the sign with the big bell on it. That is where my love affair with Taco Bell began, and it continues to this day.
Taco Bell had a large influence on my growing up. Most kids were passionate about pizza, hot dogs, doughnuts, or cake; but I was never interested in those types of food. There has always been something that is completely irresistible to me about a good meal or snack at Taco Bell. I think the reason it appeals to me so much is the way the melted cheese mixes with the ground beef or shredded chicken, the smooth creamy taste of the guacamole and sour cream, and the spiciness of the Fire sauce. Plus, we all know that it's human nature to find fattening foods delicious, and there aren't many foods out there more fattening than Taco Bell. Whatever it is, I have been hooked from what seems like birth. When I was younger my reward for doing something good in my parents’ eyes was a trip to Taco Bell. I find this funny looking back since I went all the time anyway, either on weekends or with my mom after school for a snack. It is a wonder I never blew up and gained about 50 pounds with the amount of Taco Bell and other Mexican I ate. On the other hand, however, if I did something bad at school or talked back to my parents, they would ground me from trips to Taco Bell for a week or so. This was absolute torture to me since I basically depended on Taco Bell as a large part of my diet, however unhealthy that might have been. This was probably the most effective form of punishment that I ever received, more effective than any whipping or television ban.
As you can imagine, I have many fond memories of eating Mexican food. My first memory is of getting the Pintos and Cheese from Taco Bell. This would be more commonly known as refried beans at your typical Mexican restaurant. I always wondered why Taco Bell referred to them the way they did. It was probably because they just threw fried beans and cheese together in a Styrofoam cup. It was almost like giving it a sophisticated name made up for the fact that they made it with mostly week-old frozen beans. I never really cared though because they were always so delicious. My mom used to go through the drive thru and get these for me when I was about three or four. They were one of my favorite things to get and were easier for me to chew than anything else. I spent many meals eating these sacred refried beans being watched by my nanny, Geneva. She helped out with the kids and cleaning while my parents were at work. We had a special bond from then on which started with her helping me eat the Pintos and Cheese from Taco Bell.
Many of the other early memories I have are the birthday lunches or dinners I had at Taco Bell. I remember going with my aunts, uncles, cousins, along with my parents and sisters to Taco Bell when I was seven or eight. I also remember having birthday parties at real Mexican restaurants, but nothing ever compared to the greasy goodness of Taco Bell for my birthday. I also remember trying to eat as much as I could from Taco Bell. There were many times when I bought ten tacos thinking I could easily eat them all. I always prided myself on being able to out eat most of my friends. It always ended the same way. I took the tacos home and set them out on the counter. I then began woofing them down. By the time I got to the sixth or seventh taco my stomach started to ache tremendously. I then got disgusted with the fact that my stomach couldn't hold the rest of the tacos sitting in front of me. After being unable to finish, I would out the rest of the tacos away as a snack for later.
I also remember getting a beef burrito and a taco in the drive thru with my mom many times after school as a "snack". However, these snacks usually turned into a full-fledged meal. This was largely because I absolutely hated the cafeteria food at the school I went to. One result that came out of this was that I often got my mom or dad to bring me Taco Bell to school and eat with me. This, of course, made all the other kids in my class jealous. One year I had a birthday party at school with about 100 tacos for the whole class. This was a pretty big hit and made me best friends with the whole class for about a week. One thing that I always associate with Taco Bell when I look back on it is swim team. Before almost every swim practice and during most out-of-town swim meets I ate something from Taco Bell. Looking back, a beef burrito or Mexican Pizza was probably not the best thing to eat right before swimming the 100-yard freestyle or the 50-yard breaststroke, but it was like a ritual for me. I would get in the pool for warm-ups and realize that my ability to move at high speeds in the water was greatly diminished. It also made a little nauseous, but it never got to the point where I threw up. Who Knows? Without Taco Bell I may have become a state record holder in several events.
One thing that sticks out the most in my memory is fighting with one of my sisters, Elicia, about whether to go to Taco Bell or McDonald’s. Elicia never liked Taco Bell much and had grown tired of the repeated trips there. She preferred Mickey D’s and we often had arguments in the car over which one to go to. Thankfully, my other sister, Lindsay, also preferred Taco Bell and usually helped me win the fast food debates. There were also many times when we compromised and went to both. Recently, I looked at two old pictures. One of them was from a birthday lunch I had at Taco Bell I had with my family at about the age of seven. The other was from taken on a random late night when I was at Taco Bell with a group of friends at around the age of 17. It was then that it hit me how much of a role Taco Bell has played in my life over the years. For me I it is not simply a food but much more than that. Taco Bell has been almost like an important relationship I have had throughout the years. If I had a girlfriend, I would have to balance two relationships, the one with her and the one with Taco Bell. The only difference is that I don't ever foresee me and Taco Bell breaking up.
This relationship with Taco Bell has evolved a lot over the years. When I was little, I don't think I actually understood how important Taco Bell was to me. I think I actually began to appreciate my relationship with it as I grew older. Another thing that has changed is the amount I eat at Taco Bell. As a young kid my rate of metabolism was really fast. Now, I'm not able to eat as often as I once did. If I did eat as much as I used to, I would probably weigh around 300 pounds. It is not easy to have that much self control in relation to a food that I have depended on for so long. This is why my relationship could also be classified as an addiction. As a kid, I was completely dependent on the stuff. Now I seem to have gone through a rehab so that I can now control how often I eat Taco Bell and eat it in moderation. I often have relapses though. There were many times during high school when I couldn't keep myself from swinging through the drive thru after school for a mid-afternoon meal.
The fact that I love it so much is also somewhat of a reflection of my personality and character. I love pretty much any topping on my Taco Bell. This shows my willingness and openness to try new things as well as the fact that I have a varied and unique personality. I also tend to change it up and order something different every time I eat Taco Bell. For example, I may get a Mexican Pizza and a bean burrito one week and a Crunch Wrap Supreme and a Double Decker Taco the next week. I absolutely love the Fire sauce at Taco Bell and I think this relates to the eccentric and sometimes crazy nature of my character. I guess my personality is sort of like a Mexican Pizza. There are many different layers, some more hidden than others, with each having a different flavor. I guess the point I am trying to make is that I feel like my life just would not be the same without those hundreds of trips to Taco Bell. The delicious and satisfying food that they serve is too much a part of me to take it for granted.
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