# Do fast food taco chains have the market cornered on decent taco shells? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** food-cooking\ **Created:** [February 9, 2023, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-fast-food-taco-chains-have-the-market-cornered-on-decent-taco-shells/979531 "2023-02-09T14:58:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2023, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-fast-food-taco-chains-have-the-market-cornered-on-decent-taco-shells/979531/41 "2023-02-10T23:49:29Z")
> [@scabpicker](#): > > Canned tortillas and a form to fry them date back to the 30s. Canned tortillas? Never seen them. Markets here have a section with all the different tortilla brands/sizes/flavors (i.e. corn v. flour v. spinach v. tomato). They all come and have always come in plastic bags my whole life. I’m 71. Now, I had a friend who went to college back East in the early 70s, and he actually stooped to eating canned enchiladas. _Shudder._ ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2023, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-fast-food-taco-chains-have-the-market-cornered-on-decent-taco-shells/979531/42 "2023-02-11T00:18:18Z")
> [@scabpicker](#): > > My opinion is that statements saying hard shells aren’t Mexican are silly, short sighted, and more than a little bit ignorant. I wasnt saying hard shell tacos are not authentic Mexican food, altho they started here iirc, you _can_ get them South of the Border, in mostly in places catering to tourists. I said that about Taco Bell. But yes, a soft small corn tortilla is very authentic. ---
**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:** [February 11, 2023, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-fast-food-taco-chains-have-the-market-cornered-on-decent-taco-shells/979531/43 "2023-02-11T00:18:29Z")
> [@carrps](#): > > They all come and have always come in plastic bags my whole life. I’m 71. Around here (Chicago), the corn ones also come in wax paper or very thin paper packaging. Ideally, they should be still warm to the touch from the morning tortilleria delivery. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2023, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-fast-food-taco-chains-have-the-market-cornered-on-decent-taco-shells/979531/44 "2023-02-11T00:19:20Z")
In supermarket chain stores? ---
**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:** [February 11, 2023, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-fast-food-taco-chains-have-the-market-cornered-on-decent-taco-shells/979531/45 "2023-02-11T00:20:22Z")
Local chains, yes. ETA: Here’s an example of the wax paper one: [![](https://images.freshop.com/1564405684703734813/204a754c4beddc4b9dfc5fe593726b3e_large.png) ](https://images.freshop.com/1564405684703734813/204a754c4beddc4b9dfc5fe593726b3e_large.png) There’s a few supermarket chains that carry it around here. ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2023, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-fast-food-taco-chains-have-the-market-cornered-on-decent-taco-shells/979531/46 "2023-02-11T00:20:28Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > I wasnt saying hard shell tacos are not authentic Mexican food, altho they started here iirc, you _can_ get them South of the Border, in mostly in places catering to tourists. I apologize for misinterpreting your post. In retrospect you were clearly referring to Taco Bell, not hard shells in general. ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2023, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-fast-food-taco-chains-have-the-market-cornered-on-decent-taco-shells/979531/47 "2023-02-11T00:21:36Z")
> [@carrps](#): > > Canned tortillas? Never seen them. I haven’t either, but I also didn’t live through the 1930s. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2023, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-fast-food-taco-chains-have-the-market-cornered-on-decent-taco-shells/979531/48 "2023-02-11T00:27:35Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Local chains, yes. I was thinking of mega-conglomerate supermarkets. I can’t think of small chain markets near me. Independents, yes. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2023, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-fast-food-taco-chains-have-the-market-cornered-on-decent-taco-shells/979531/49 "2023-02-11T00:28:46Z")
> [@scabpicker](#): > > > [@carrps](#): > > > > Canned tortillas? Never seen them. > > I haven’t either, but I also didn’t live through the 1930s Did you mean canned _tamales_? Hormel makes them, they are a common item on our grocery shelves. They are… well… not that bad. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2023, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-fast-food-taco-chains-have-the-market-cornered-on-decent-taco-shells/979531/50 "2023-02-11T00:31:44Z")
No. Canned enchiladas. ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2023, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-fast-food-taco-chains-have-the-market-cornered-on-decent-taco-shells/979531/51 "2023-02-11T00:33:18Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Did you mean canned _tamales_? Hormel makes them, they are a common item on our grocery shelves. No, I’m meaning an archaic method of packaging them that’s mentioned in the above article. I’d heard about them before, and they sound terrible, but they did apparently once exist. > [@DrDeth](#): > > They are… well… not that bad. Canned tamales are also not that good, either. I mean, they’re unlikely to kill you. ---
**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:** [February 11, 2023, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-fast-food-taco-chains-have-the-market-cornered-on-decent-taco-shells/979531/52 "2023-02-11T00:33:29Z")
Gustavo Arrellano talks about canned tortillas in his book [Taco USA: How Mexican Food Conquered America](https://www.amazon.com/Taco-USA-Mexican-Conquered-America/dp/1439148627/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2GD1R2K0626WJ&keywords=taco+usa+how+mexican+food+conquered+america&qid=1676075560&sprefix=how+the+taco+conquered+the+usa%2Caps%2C174&sr=8-1). ---
**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:** [February 11, 2023, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-fast-food-taco-chains-have-the-market-cornered-on-decent-taco-shells/979531/53 "2023-02-11T00:34:09Z")
The one I normally shop at is an independent chain, with 17 locations in the Chicago area. I would have to check at the Albertson’s affiliated store to see what versions of tortillas they have. They probably have the paper packaged version in addition to the plastic bagged ones, but I’m not sure if they’d still be warm or not. There’s also a Kroger-affiliated store I go to, but I don’t typically buy my tortillas there. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2023, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-fast-food-taco-chains-have-the-market-cornered-on-decent-taco-shells/979531/54 "2023-02-11T00:34:12Z")
> [@scabpicker](#): > > Canned tamales are also not that good, either. I mean, they’re unlikely to kill you. Dropped from a proper elevation they might, especially if still in the can. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2023, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-fast-food-taco-chains-have-the-market-cornered-on-decent-taco-shells/979531/55 "2023-02-11T00:34:21Z")
I missed that the canned tortillas were historical. No wonder I’d never seen them. ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2023, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-fast-food-taco-chains-have-the-market-cornered-on-decent-taco-shells/979531/56 "2023-02-11T00:35:28Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > Dropped from a proper elevation they might, especially if still in the can. Oh yes, if they’re prepared properly, you are completely doomed. ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2023, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-fast-food-taco-chains-have-the-market-cornered-on-decent-taco-shells/979531/57 "2023-02-11T00:58:39Z")
> [@carrps](#): > > I missed that the canned tortillas were historical. No wonder I’d never seen them. So, I went looking for them. Apparently Old El Paso made them at one time as well, but I found this: > **[5 Mexican Foods That Should've Never Been Sold in a Can…But Were (Or Are) –...](https://www.ocweekly.com/5-mexican-foods-that-shouldve-never-been-sold-in-a-canbut-were-or-are-6631030/)** > [@](#): > > This is the one foodstuff no one of my generation believes ever existed–but oh, did they. They were invented by George Ashley of El Paso, who made fresh tortillas but wanted to satiate the desires of Texans who lived in other countries but wanted even a simulacra of Mexican food–hence, tortillas in a can. You could find them on store shelves in the East Coast as late as the early 1990s, but are no longer made by anyone save a Montebello survivalist ompany that never picks up their phone. Pick up the phone, guys! My, these bizarre things lasted until the 1990s? I’m almost surprised I wasn’t ever offered them in a dare. ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2023, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-fast-food-taco-chains-have-the-market-cornered-on-decent-taco-shells/979531/58 "2023-02-11T12:23:32Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > You could buy a whole chicken in a can back then. You can still buy that today (I will not post the image of the contents of that can as it’s not something that can be unseen): [![](https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/eyoAAOSwbwFe8HVc/s-l640.jpg) ](https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/eyoAAOSwbwFe8HVc/s-l640.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2023, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-fast-food-taco-chains-have-the-market-cornered-on-decent-taco-shells/979531/59 "2023-02-11T22:13:03Z")
The creepiest thing to me is canned bread, because it’s just so wrong. [![](https://media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com/image/upload/newscms/2020_22/1573215/can-bread-kb-main-200527.jpg) ](https://media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com/image/upload/newscms/2020_22/1573215/can-bread-kb-main-200527.jpg) ---
**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:** [February 11, 2023, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-fast-food-taco-chains-have-the-market-cornered-on-decent-taco-shells/979531/60 "2023-02-11T22:24:08Z")
> [@scabpicker](#): > > My, these bizarre things lasted until the 1990s? I’m almost surprised I wasn’t ever offered them in a dare. The canned tortillas don’t really sound that bizarre to me. I mean, it’s just a tortilla packed in a can instead of plastic bag, right? Both are vacuum sealed, I assume. I’m guessing it’s not like packed in liquid or anything. Am I missing something? It just seems like not the most cost effective way to package tortillas, but I don’t otherwise see the problem. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-fast-food-taco-chains-have-the-market-cornered-on-decent-taco-shells/979531.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-fast-food-taco-chains-have-the-market-cornered-on-decent-taco-shells/979531.md?page=4)