Last Friday, after a strenuous hike, a friend and I were feeling pretty hungry so we hightailed it on over to the row of food trucks that line Wilshire Boulevard across from LACMA. Food trucks are in abundance at this locale, running along the south side of Wilshire from Ogden to Spaulding. There is plenty of variety to choose from – from Mexi-terranean to burgers and fries.
Unfortunately for us, we chose the wrong truck. Azteca was the name. The truck looks impressive. It’s painted very nicely with an indigenous motif in yellow, gold and brown, and a splash of turquoise. Unlike El Gallito, they must be spending all their money on painting their truck and not on their ingredients.
We ordered a curried chicken burrito to split. First off, the dude who took our order was rude as hell. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t put a smile on his face. He was so angry.
My friend tried to ask about getting a bag of Doritos too. “Can I have a bag of Doritos?” he inquired. “Chips on the side,” barked the dude behind the window. “Doritos?” My friend repeated. “Chips on the side!” The guy practically snarled. After we got our order in and our drinks in our hands, I was afraid to ask for a straw, much less two.
Ah well, you know a worker can have a bad day and we are forgiving. But then the food came.
Now here’s the rub. I pointed this out when I told you about El Gallito. I just can’t stand it when I bite into a burrito and get a big piece of gristle in between my teeth. That is just disgusting. Well, this burrito was full of fatty meat.
It was one of those deals where you have to cut the burrito open and fish around to find edible pieces. We were really hungry; so, we ate it anyway, but it was far from nice. The worst was still to come. I was combing through the contents of my burrito, tearing off bits of fat on nearly every piece, when I came upon one bit that literally looked like a big chunk of chicken fat with the thick chicken skin attached. You know, the chicken skin that has holes where the feathers came out. I kid you not. It was about ½ inch big and ¼ inch thick and it was gross.
Obviously, I will never go to that truck again. It’s a bad deal at any price.
NEED TO KNOW:
DEALS AND DISCOUNTS’ BAD DEAL ALERT: Save yourself a gastro-accident. Say no to the Azteca food truck … where ever you find it!
(Jennifer Caldwell is a an actress and an active member of SAG-AFTRA, serving on several committees. She is a published author of short stories and news articles and is a featured contributor to CityWatch. Her column at www.RecessionCafe.wordpress.com is dishing up good deals, recipes and food for thought. Jennifer can be reached at [email protected]. Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/jennifercald - Twitter: @CheckingTheGate)
-cw
CityWatch
Vol 10 Issue 73
Pub: Sept 11, 2012
