By Alex Chrisman
We all have guilty pleasures. Some like to watch professional wrestling, others enjoy eating Cheez-Wiz straight from the can. I like Jack in The Box tacos. Having grown up in Southern California, I have access to high-quality tacos. There’s really no excuse for eating what Jack passes off as a “taco.” Each fried shell contains beef, textured vegetable protein and defatted soy grits, along with a host of chemicals and spices. There’s also lettuce and American cheese, which I happen to despise, so I go cheese- less.
As I’ve gotten older, my body is less tolerant of fast-food abuse. McDonald’s will put me down for the day, as it saps my normally high level of energy. Pizza Hut makes me want to take a nap. Jack’s tacos, which are sometimes two for a dollar, are borderline. I don’t feel like running a race, but I’m not ready for bed either.
I’m not alone in partaking in this culinary misadventure. Back in 2017, the Wall Street Journal reported that the company sold 554 million tacos a year. That is a whole lot of grease and fat. I’m surprised that they are not sponsored by the American Cardiology Institute. Selena Gomez (according to Business Insider) famously chose the tacos over birthday cake. I’m not a big cake guy myself, so consider me inspired.
It is important to note that if you are going to eat these tacos, you must use the taco sauce. Without it, the meat is left to stand on its own, and that’s one solo act you won’t want to experience. It’s not bad, it’s just plain and missing something, and that something is the sauce. It has just the right amount of spice and kick. I keep the extra packets and use them in jambalaya and other spicy dishes. I order the tacos with extra sauce, which is a bit messy, but worth it. Each taco has 172 calories, so compared to some other quick service options, they are a bit less likely to send you to an early grave.
Jack in the Box needs no help promoting these deliciously inauthentic tacos. (Del Taco needs help maintaining consistency when it comes to warming their ground beef, but that’s another story) Try them if you like; better yet, don’t, you might like them, and I can’t imagine they are the key to long life.
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