Sometimes people say the stupidest things about food. My “favorite” example of the folks I refer to as dishbags is the haughty diner who claims to be a vegetarian but still eats chicken and fish. My favorite “favorite” example of this kind of dishbaggery is a man who once told me: “I’m a vegetarian but I can’t give up bacon.” Or maybe it’s the gal person who says she doesn’t believe she’s an alcoholic because all she drinks is wine. I’m not sure, they’re equally ignorant.
Last weekend, I was standing in line at La Ventana, the taqueria behind Meso Maya’s downtown location. Two 40-something women were in front of me and chatting as they perused the menu. One suggested they try the lengua. “I am not going to eat tongue,” the other one said. “Have you ever seen it at the grocery store? They leave those little bumps on it and it looks like they just ripped the tongue out of the cow.”
She stepped up to the window and ordered two barbacoa tacos. I wanted to tap her on the shoulder and tell her she was about to eat a facial muscle ripped from the skull of a cow, but I didn’t. I guess she prefers her cow without bumps.
Another misinformed movement is eating gluten free. People, it is not a diet to lose weight, it is a way of life for people who have a medical condition such as celiac disease. Their bodies do not tolerate gluten, the protein found in many starches and grains. I know two dishbags who are eating gluten-free food because they want to lose weight and it makes them feel better. They both give me tired head.
I’m walking over to La Ventana for a couple lengua tacos and a beer. I may not lose weight but I know I’ll feel better.
