Burritos: How big can they make 'em?

Burritos are a type of Mexican food that consists of one flour tortilla that is filled with Mexican rice, beans, and your choice of meat, but some burritos found in the United States are considerably larger than their Mexican descendants. We usually stuff them with the same ingredients but we add sour cream, lettuce, salsa, guacamole, and cheese to the mix to satify our obese nature. El Tepeyac has taken the burrito to a whole other level. El Tepeyac is a Mexican restaurant in Boyle Heights, California, that specializes in massive burritos. I had the pleasure of experiencing these burritos first hand this past weekend. The owner is named Manuel and he is quite the character. It was my first time there and all first-timers are greeted, in a very special way, with a shot of tequila with the owner! Now that was not the highlight of the experience but it was quite memorable. Have you ever heard of the Manuel Special? Well, the Manuel Special is a five pound, wet burrito that has rarely been conquered. It is massive! I have never seen such a huge burrito. It consists of two large, flour tortillas that is filled with the usual condiments but just doubled. It is topped with a red chili sauce and melted cheese. You have to eat the burrito with a fork and knife becaue it is just too huge to even grasp. The flavor of the meat is amazing as well! The meat is so tender that it just melts in your mouth and the juice that it is cooked in delivers a huge explosion of flavor to your taste buds. I obviously was unable to finish it but had great left overs the next day. I highly recommend everyone go and try to conquer this monstrous burrito and experience the atmosphere of the place. You'll also get a free shot

Our Fast Food Obsession

Have you ever noticed how much we love fast food? I was driving down the Figueroa Corridor and I could not help but notice how much we are obsessed with fast food. We have a whole street dedicated to it! Now, the Figueroa Corridor, which is by USC dorms, frats, and sororities, is a five-block strip of Figueroa Avenue that has nothing but fast food restaurants on both sides of the street. There is Taco Bell, McDonalds, Panda Express, Carl's Jr, Fat Burger, and many more "heart-stopping" restaurants. Most are even open 24hrs on "partying" days (Friday and Saturday) or the whole week depending on its popularity. Every fast-food place you can think of could probably be found within this five-block radius. If you are craving for a quick, easy fix of fatty goodness then this is the place to go. I guarantee that you will satisfy whatever craving, from "tacos" to burgers, you have. But why do we crave for these fast, easy meals? Whatever happened to sitting down and enjoying a home cooked meal? Why do we have a whole street dedicated to processed foods that will eventually kill us? I believe that we have grown lazier over the years and that is why we are dependent on fast-food restaurants. They are cheap, or so we think, and fast and require no effort, on our part, to obtain and satisfy our hunger. But don't we realize that we our throwing away our money toward clogged arteries and heart failure? It is so much cheaper and healthier to cook your own meal rather than eating out. Taking the time to cook a meal and sharing it with others will not only save you money but I believe that the food will taste better as well. And who knows maybe we will discover that we all might have a little bit of culinary creativeness in us.