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| 7/9 |
| 2006/2/10-13 [Reference/BayArea] UID:41790 Activity:nil |
2/10 history of the SF BURRITO
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Francisco_Burrito - danh
\_ From a linked page:
Even the legendary taquerias are changing. "In '79 and '80, Anglo
families were chased out of taquerias. There was no way there was
gonna be any gentrification back then," says Felipe Velez, an
assistant teacher at Real Alternatives Program high school. But now
even the taquerias are changing. "At El Castillito, they're wearing
uniforms now," Velez says. "They're charging for chips and salsa. I
will shoot my son and daughter if they ever order a green burrito."
OK, seriously, this reminds me of "I remember back when women weren't
allowed out of the house. I'd beat my wife if she ever asked for
anything" And this is a teacher!
Even the legendary taquerias are changing. "In '79 and '80,
Anglo families were chased out of taquerias. There was no way
there was gonna be any gentrification back then," says Felipe
Velez, an assistant teacher at Real Alternatives Program high
school. But now even the taquerias are changing. "At El
Castillito, they're wearing uniforms now," Velez says. "They're
charging for chips and salsa. I will shoot my son and daughter
if they ever order a green burrito." OK, seriously, this reminds
me of "I remember back when women weren't allowed out of the
house. I'd beat my wife if she ever asked for anything"
And this is a teacher!
\_ http://www.sfbg.com/37/11/x_cheap_eats.html
"El Castillito charges for chips now too, 75 cents,
just like El Farolito, only at least El Farolito gives
you a fairly generous amount. El Castillito gave me a
handful or so, wedged into the same basket as the
burrito. Fuck that shit. If I'm paying separately for a
burrito and chips, I want a basket for the burrito and a
basket for a whole basketful of chips.
Add it up: $3.48, 75c, 75c, $1.15, that's $6.13. (Same
exact meal used to add up to $4.20 in the not-so-distant
glory days.) Then the guy behind the cash register
rolled his eyes when I handed him a twenty, asked all
aggravatedly if I had anything smaller.
Yeah, man. I did. I had a five." -tom |
| 7/9 |
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| en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Francisco_Burrito tortilla which itself is wrapped and folded around a variety of ingredients. Trillin writes that the San Francisco burrito "is distinguished partly by the amount of rice and other side dishes included in the package and partly by sheer size." tortilla and tortilla steamers, which together increase the flexibility and stretch of the tortilla. The tortilla steamer saturates the gluten-heavy tortilla with moisture and heat, which increase the capacity of the tortilla to stretch without breaking. This in turn allows for the massive size of the San Francisco burrito. pre-Colombian form of the tortilla, cannot achieve either the size or the flexibility of the flour tortilla, and thus can not be used to make a San Francisco burrito. A few San Francisco taquerias grill the tortillas instead of steaming them, using heat and oil instead of steam; and a few grill the finished product before wrapping it in aluminum foil. The aluminum foil wrapping--present whether the customer is eating in the restaurant or taking out--acts as a structural support to ensure that the flexible tortilla does not burst its contents. structural integrity, but skilled burrito makers consistently produce huge burritos which do not burst when handled or eaten. A successfully large burrito depends on an understanding of the outer limit of potential burrito volume, correct steam hydration, proper folding technique, and perhaps most of all, assuring that the burrito ingredients have been properly drained of excess liquid. Most or all possible burrito ingredients are laid out in metal serving containers, heated from below, and in front of a counter, shielded by glass or plastic from the customer. Workers move the tortilla along the counter, quickly scooping successive ingredients onto the tortilla. They then fold and tighten the tortilla around the large bundle of ingredients, and close the aluminum foil around the completed burrito. With these burritos, the cheese (queso) is steamed along with the tortilla and, once melted, increases the adhesiveness of the inner side of the tortilla. Many taquerias also provide corn tortilla chips to accompany the burrito as a side dish, along with free salsa. Census data illustrates areas of San Francisco with high numbers of Latino residents shown in red; the lower diagonal portion includes the Excelsior and Crocker-Amazon districts. The northern portion, the historic home of the San Francisco burrito, and with the heaviest concentration of Latino residents, has been most subject to the stresses of gentrification. Mission District trace the origins of the San Francisco burrito back to the 1960s. The owner of La Taqueria claims that his were the first, and that he designed the style of assembly that then became popular; The fact that he did not have (and had not previously considered the need for) larger tortillas suggests that the birth of the San Francisco burrito as we now know it probably did not come earlier than that time. However, the San Francisco burrito does have historical forbears in burritos made elsewhere. farmworkers into the fields, then reproduced in the city. One restaurant consultant remembered his teen years in the fields this way: Freezing cold five AM mornings, the best time to pick lettuce, owners needed a very good cook to attract the best fast crews. We'd get huevos rancheros at five, sweet strong hot coffee with a shot of brandy at seven, then full spicy killer burritos at around 10:30, keep you going till afternoon. I remember the texture of the shredded beef, the heat of the green peppers, and the proper proportion of rice and beans. They were so spicy you didn't need salsa-- but you needed that protein and fiber, couldn't survive without it. melting pot-style cultural erasure: The de-Mexicanization of America is a problem. It's nothing more than an assimilated over-priced burrito. If it will make America feel better buying a spinach wrap--so be it. Chipotle Mexican Grill, started in Colorado by a chef who had previously worked in San Francisco, is the largest national effort to spread a burrito that is something like the San Francisco burrito beyond its local origins. San Francisco burrito fans disagree about whether this is a laudable effort. Chipotle's ambience, its usually prosperous neighborhoods, and some of its ingredients (mainly, its white rice and its corn salsa) are not typical of the great San Francisco taquerias; however the production line, the aluminum foil wrap, and the size of the Chipotle burrito are similar to the San Francisco approach. Some New York establishments advertise "Cal-Mex" or "San Francisco style" burritos. barbecue in New England, the question of whether truly good San Francisco burritos can exist outside of their city of origin sometimes seems as much a spiritual question as an objective culinary one. Changes in taquerias = changes in the Mission In 2000, an anti-gentrification activist remembers the days that "Anglos were chased out of taquerias" and sees "charging for chips and salsa" as a bad sign for the neighborhood. |
| www.sfbg.com/37/11/x_cheap_eats.html SEARCH cheap eats by dan leone Falling down I'M SORRY TO have to announce, on little if any authority, the death of the San Francisco Mission District Burrito. If anyone knows of a place that can still give you a consistently delicious regular meat burrito with chips, fresh salsa, a drink, and change for a five, then let me know and I'll run there. Is it my imagination, or are burger joints popping up as fast as burrito joints are falling flat on their faces? Oh, they're still there, still in business, but when you raise your prices and lower your standards and start charging extra for chips (and, in one case, stop providing salsa fresca), Jack, you dead, as the old song says. I don't even live in the city anymore, let alone the Mission. Or maybe someone knows of something somewhere else, some other neighborhood?... I haven't been to Guadalajara (the taqueria) in a long time. To expect to eat even burritos for under $5, this day and age and city, might be entirely, even insanely, unreasonable. But that's my problem, if I can't keep up with inflation, right? Cancun is 50-50 and falling, and the other Mission standbys, instead of stepping up, are falling with it. I went there the other day and not only were they charging for chips, but they also didn't have any of the fresh red salsa. They had their green one, which was good as ever, and they had a runny unfresh red one, and that was it. At least the burrito was good - although not as good as it would have been if I were scooping salsa fresca into it, like I used to. As for charging-for-chips, I've got just the three-word response: fuck that shit. I mean, it's not like anyone in their right mind doesn't want them. A burrito without chips is like a burger without fries, or Batman without Robin, or - not to get overly poetical about it - eggs without bacon. I had high hopes for El Castillito - the Castro one, across from Safeway on Church and Market (next to another new burger joint). I always liked the old El Castillito on 24th Street, and maybe I still do like the old one on Mission and 17th, but I'd never been to this one. I was hungry in so many ways - craving a burrito, yes, but also hungry for a new favorite taqueria. I couldn't even drive straight, I was so excited for a burrito. Now that I only eat one or two a month, I crave burritos more intensely than when I ate three a week. But the meat was less than succulent, and the cheese was three slices of cheese food product singles, a la Altena. It tasted like it had been setting there since, say, June. El Castillito charges for chips now too - 75-c-, just like El Farolito, only at least El Farolito gives you a fairly generous amount. El Castillito gave me a handful or so, wedged into the same basket as the burrito. If I'm paying separately for a burrito and chips, I want a basket for the burrito and a basket for a whole basketful of chips. Dan Leone is the author of Eat This, San Francisco (Sasquatch Books), a collection of Cheap Eats restaurant reviews, and The Meaning of Lunch (Mammoth Books). |