Joe had stopped at one of the local Roberto’s taco stands on the way to his apartment and purchased dinner. In the early eighties, a Latino family from South Bay had opened a chain of very successful taco stands throughout the county.
The chain had been named Roberto’s after a family member. Other members of the Latino community, seeking to cash in on the famous name, had named similar stands with only slight variations on the name. The county now played host to a number of Royberto’s, Aliberto’s, Juanberto’s, Panchoberto’s, and the truly obvious Chuckberto’s.
But to the truly discriminating, only Roberto’s was capable of making the best carne asada burrito, which was a meal by itself. Made with grilled beef, guacamole and salsa, the ingredients were wrapped in a flour tortilla about the size of pillow case. The aficionado always requested extra picante sauce served in small plastic cups. The soda was an absolute necessity with the burrito, for without it, the gases created from the concoction could easily rip a tender stomach lining to shreds. The soda was a catalyst to encourage a series of lengthy, hearty belches from the consumer, thus, in all likelihood saving many lives. [Read more…]
