# Burritos: Rice and/or beans? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 26, 2015, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burritos-rice-and-or-beans/728902 "2015-08-26T01:31:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Dervorin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Dervorin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dervorin)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2015, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burritos-rice-and-or-beans/728902/81 "2015-08-27T12:59:13Z")
Rice. Beans. Peppers. Cheese. Lettuce. Tomatoes. Salsa. Guacamole. Everything else you can think of. I’m in favour of 'em all. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2015, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burritos-rice-and-or-beans/728902/82 "2015-08-27T13:56:38Z")
Garbage Burrito wins by 30 lengths! Beans No Rice finishes a distant and embarrassing second, and Rice No Beans comes in third, and heads straight to the factory to become glue and next week’s lunch special at the Lyon Taco Bell. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2015, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burritos-rice-and-or-beans/728902/83 "2015-08-27T15:07:23Z")
> [@araminty](#): > > Why on earth are some of you putting OLIVES in your burritos?! Because they’re delicious, and my family doesn’t appreciate their deliciosity so I have trouble getting them in my food, and burritos are individual food so I can have all the olives I want, that’s why. > [@Chronos](#): > > And that sounds pretty good to me, but I don’t think I’d even recognize it as a “burrito”. I’d probably just call that a wrap. Nah. Wraps are stupid and I hate them, so I can’t call it a wrap. But seriously, if it’s hot sauce and beans and meat wrapped in a tortilla, that’s about as burritoriffic as you can get. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2015, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burritos-rice-and-or-beans/728902/84 "2015-08-27T15:11:03Z")
Yeah, I find that adding some crushed olives adds a lot to a surprisingly wide variety of dishes. It’s not always the first thing I think of, but when I do think of it, it usually turns out pretty well. ---
**Author:** ![Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/channing_idaho_banks/32/250_2.png) [@Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Channing_Idaho_Banks)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2015, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burritos-rice-and-or-beans/728902/85 "2015-08-27T15:48:14Z")
Of course you put beans and rice in a burrito. They warm it up. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2015, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burritos-rice-and-or-beans/728902/86 "2015-08-27T15:59:30Z")
All these votes for cheap, flavour-robbing filler, I should open a burrito stand! ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2015, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burritos-rice-and-or-beans/728902/87 "2015-08-27T18:03:11Z")
They’re good no matter which way you do it. But I do expect that, if rice or beans are added, it will be specified. Well, I tend to assume that a meat and rice burrito will have beans, too. But the point is that a steak burrito is just steak and maybe peppers/onions to flavor up said steak. The rice has to be Mexican rice, though. ---
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2015, 11:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burritos-rice-and-or-beans/728902/88 "2015-08-28T11:28:41Z")
> [@Quimby](#): > > Brown rice, no beans. In a bowl not a wrap if that matters. So…not a burrito in any way, then. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2015, 11:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burritos-rice-and-or-beans/728902/89 "2015-08-28T11:36:53Z")
> [@Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](#): > > Of course you put beans and rice in a burrito. They warm it up. Huh. Beans do. Rice in my experience does the opposite, which is part of why I don’t like it. All the folks talking about Mexican rice, however–I’m wondering if the use of plain white rice around these parts is an anomaly, and if rice in burritos is better in other places, more flavorful. ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2015, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burritos-rice-and-or-beans/728902/90 "2015-08-28T12:41:16Z")
> [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](#): > > So…not a burrito in any way, then. I ordered a burrito the other day and was asked “in a bowl or a wrap?” That’s like saying “I’d like a burrito” and being asked “So, would you like a burrito or a not-a-burrito?” ---
**Author:** ![NAF1138](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naf1138/32/3245_2.png) [@NAF1138](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NAF1138)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2015, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burritos-rice-and-or-beans/728902/91 "2015-08-28T13:28:13Z")
> [@Ukulele\_Ike](#): > > I don’t even KNOW how to order a burrito in SoCal. Are you supposed to eat them out of hand? SoCal? Yes. A burrito is something you should be able to eat with one hand. Beans are a must (to me beans are the essence of burrito, everything else is dressing), rice no. Those gigantic, can’t eat them with your hands at all, monstrosities that are now becoming ubiquitous around the US are something that San Francisco unleashed on the world. They are good, but they are burritos the same way that Chicago deep dish is pizza. Sort of the same shape but a totally different food. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2015, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burritos-rice-and-or-beans/728902/92 "2015-08-28T14:26:30Z")
I dunno, there’s a place back in Bozeman that I really miss nowadays that did the giant monster burritos, but they were still eatable without utensils and with one hand. And they did have rice, for what it’s worth, and some of them had beans. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2015, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burritos-rice-and-or-beans/728902/93 "2015-08-28T15:05:58Z")
> [@NAF1138](#): > > SoCal? Yes. A burrito is something you should be able to eat with one hand. Beans are a must (to me beans are the essence of burrito, everything else is dressing), rice no. Those gigantic, can’t eat them with your hands at all, monstrosities that are now becoming ubiquitous around the US are something that San Francisco unleashed on the world. They are good, but they are burritos the same way that Chicago deep dish is pizza. Sort of the same shape but a totally different food. Wait. People eat burritos in a manner other than out-of-hand (OK, maybe not the wet burritos, but I don’t see those in the Chicagoland area)? Even the giant burritos here I’ve seen are typically eaten with hands. You keep them in the wrapper, and peel as you eat. ---
**Author:** ![NAF1138](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naf1138/32/3245_2.png) [@NAF1138](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NAF1138)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2015, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burritos-rice-and-or-beans/728902/94 "2015-08-28T15:11:36Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Wait. People eat burritos in a manner other than out-of-hand (OK, maybe not the wet burritos, but I don’t see those in the Chicagoland area)? Even the giant burritos here I’ve seen are typically eaten with hands. You keep them in the wrapper, and peel as you eat. I see mission style burritos being eaten with a fork and knife a lot, but I live in Pennsylvania now where they don’t know from Mexican food. Down at the local Chipotle I would say half of everyone eats their burrito with a fork. But the point stands, giant mission burritos are to regular burritos as deep dish is to regular pizza. Nothing wrong with either, but they aren’t really the same food. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2015, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burritos-rice-and-or-beans/728902/95 "2015-08-28T15:19:30Z")
> [@NAF1138](#): > > I see mission style burritos being eaten with a fork and knife a lot, but I live in Pennsylvania now where they don’t know from Mexican food. Down at the local Chipotle I would say half of everyone eats their burrito with a fork. But the point stands, giant mission burritos are to regular burritos as deep dish is to regular pizza. Nothing wrong with either, but they aren’t really the same food. I don’t think I’ve ever had a Mission burrito, but the standard fast-food burritos in Chicago tend to be large, as well (maybe something like 4 inches diameter by 8-10 inches long, and sometimes they get [silly big](http://s3-media3.fl.yelpcdn.com/bphoto/U_0xVVN4hUMbB37lEE6jvQ/o.jpg)). That’s part of why I almost never order a burrito – they’re just too damned big. I’m sure they’re eaten in all sorts of manners around the Americas. It’s just that where I’m from, I’m not used to seeing people eating them with anything but their hands. Maybe occasionally I’ve seen knife and fork, but, growing up when I was a teenager and had an appetite for burritos, I couldn’t think of a single one of my peers who would have taken a knife and fork to them. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2015, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burritos-rice-and-or-beans/728902/96 "2015-08-28T15:58:54Z")
**puly** , I’m pretty sure what you’re thinking of _is_ what is known as a Mission-style burrito. Large, does contain beans and rice, usually wrapped in foil for carrying and peeling-to-eat. It’s what I think if as a real, serious burrito–what I want when I want a burrito. If I wanted something small, without the beans and rice inside, I’d be getting tacos. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2015, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burritos-rice-and-or-beans/728902/97 "2015-08-28T16:02:18Z")
> [@Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](#): > > Of course you put beans and rice in a burrito. They warm it up. > [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > Huh. Beans do. Rice in my experience does the opposite, which is part of why I don’t like it. Well of course if you’re getting cold rice it won’t be any good!! ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2015, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burritos-rice-and-or-beans/728902/98 "2015-08-28T17:00:18Z")
> [@Peremensoe](#): > > **puly** , I’m pretty sure what you’re thinking of _is_ what is known as a Mission-style burrito. Large, does contain beans and rice, usually wrapped in foil for carrying and peeling-to-eat. > > It’s what I think if as a real, serious burrito–what I want when I want a burrito. If I wanted something small, without the beans and rice inside, I’d be getting tacos. We generally don’t have rice in ours, and we include lettuce and tomatoes, typically, so I don’t think it’s a Mission-style. At least all the people from the part of the world where Mission Style burritos are sold have told me they long for finding one in this city. ETA: [Here’s some pictures of a typical one](http://www.elfamousburrito.com/). Some places do put rice in them, but, in my experience, most of the places I visit do not. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2015, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burritos-rice-and-or-beans/728902/99 "2015-08-28T21:00:11Z")
That pictured burrito has rice, and is what I was thinking of. And more-or-less what I see described as Mission-style in the East (if the term is used at all, which is not that commonly). Lettuce and tomatoes are commonly available, but neither their presence nor absence determines the kind of burrito, as I see it done. Just like adding sour cream or not. ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2015, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burritos-rice-and-or-beans/728902/100 "2015-08-28T21:36:42Z")
I think that’s actually cheese, not rice. It threw me at first too. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burritos-rice-and-or-beans/728902.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burritos-rice-and-or-beans/728902.md?page=6)