# Does Anyone Else Eat Bastard Tacos? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 6, 2016, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-eat-bastard-tacos/745283 "2016-02-06T00:13:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2016, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-eat-bastard-tacos/745283/1 "2016-02-06T00:13:09Z")
By “bastard taco” I mean stuff rolled up in a tortilla that makes absolutely no pretense at being authentic Mexican or Tex-Mex. Dinner tonight was a taco lightly brushed with butter and garlic powder with mushrooms, bell pepper, and mozzarella cheese parked in the microwave for 40 seconds to melt the cheese. Three of them, actually, and a bottle of beer. I’m also thinking of doing an olive oil and garlic seasoned tortilla with feta, mushrooms, spinach, and nuts of some sort given the same treatment. Of course, there are a bajillion variations - caesar salad wrapped up in a tortilla, tuna or chicken salad in a tortilla, a variant that’s essentially a turkey (or other) sandwich rolled up in a tortilla instead of between slices of bread, and so forth. Anyone else do this? Any other ideas? ---
**Author:** ![raventhief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/raventhief/32/4_2.png) [@raventhief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/raventhief)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2016, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-eat-bastard-tacos/745283/2 "2016-02-06T00:23:51Z")
Wouldn’t that be a (warm) wrap? ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2016, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-eat-bastard-tacos/745283/3 "2016-02-06T00:26:51Z")
Here in San Francisco, most sandwich places offer a wrap alternative for any sandwich, meaning you get the same ingredients wrapped up in a tortilla or some other type of flatbread. In fact there are tons of wrap restaurants in San Francisco that pretty much serve their entire menu on a wrap. ---
**Author:** ![BrassyPhrase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ea666f/32.png) [@BrassyPhrase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrassyPhrase)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2016, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-eat-bastard-tacos/745283/4 "2016-02-06T00:34:07Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > By “bastard taco” I mean stuff rolled up in a tortilla that makes absolutely no pretense at being authentic Mexican or Tex-Mex. > > Anyone else do this? Any other ideas? I always have tortillas in the house. And I put pretty much everything in them. But there is what I call “white trash tacos” Barbecued beef in white bread. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2016, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-eat-bastard-tacos/745283/5 "2016-02-06T00:42:02Z")
Spaghetti Tacos…[it’s a thing](https://www.google.com/search?tbm=isch&q=spaghetti+tacos&spell=1&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiIsKap9OHKAhWJ4yYKHRChADgQvwUILygA&dpr=1&biw=1366&bih=645). Okay, so it’s a thing from iCarly, but when you put spaghetti in taco shells it makes kids happy and it doesn’t taste awful or anything. I wouldn’t make it when I’m sitting home alone, but if my daughter wants them, I have no problem have a few myself. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2016, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-eat-bastard-tacos/745283/6 "2016-02-06T03:11:47Z")
As others have said, I’m seeing a difference between a taco and a tortilla. But yes, I often throw stuff that isn’t Mexican into a tortilla and roll it up. In addition to several of the ideas already mentioned, I’ll add that leftover Chinese food makes a great burrito. ---
**Author:** ![Arrendajo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Arrendajo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arrendajo)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2016, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-eat-bastard-tacos/745283/7 "2016-02-06T03:24:31Z")
Oh yes (psst… they’re called wraps). I’ll put anything in a tortilla. One of my favorite snacks is my girlfriend’s homemade hummus smeared on a flour tortilla with a sprinkle of shredded cheese & nuked just long enough to melt the cheese. Roll and eat, while making appropriate moans of gastronomic ecstasy. ---
**Author:** ![Penfeather](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penfeather/32/384_2.png) [@Penfeather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Penfeather)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2016, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-eat-bastard-tacos/745283/8 "2016-02-06T03:28:30Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > Spaghetti Tacos…[it’s a thing](https://www.google.com/search?tbm=isch&q=spaghetti+tacos&spell=1&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiIsKap9OHKAhWJ4yYKHRChADgQvwUILygA&dpr=1&biw=1366&bih=645). > > Okay, so it’s a thing from iCarly, but when you put spaghetti in taco shells it makes kids happy and it doesn’t taste awful or anything. I wouldn’t make it when I’m sitting home alone, but if my daughter wants them, I have no problem have a few myself. [Hey, Spaghetti Tacos are good enough for Wonder Woman.](http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/taco13.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2016, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-eat-bastard-tacos/745283/9 "2016-02-06T04:31:55Z")
> [@Penfeather](#): > > [Hey, Spaghetti Tacos are good enough for Wonder Woman.](http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/taco13.jpg) Well, she’d certainly get a big tip from _me._ Bastard tacos no, bastard quesadillas yes. Any leftover palatable meat and/or vegetable, any available cheese, spread between two tortillas (corn or flour, not picky) and sauteed in a lightly oiled skillet until everything is warm and melty. Serve with a little salsa if I have any, or hot sauce and pickled jalapeños. I try for compatible combinations. Grilled chicken/carmelized onion/pepper jack would be a go. Italian meatballs/collard greens/Camembert…Nahhhh. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2016, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-eat-bastard-tacos/745283/10 "2016-02-06T12:52:20Z")
> [@Penfeather](#): > > [Hey, Spaghetti Tacos are good enough for Wonder Woman.](http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/taco13.jpg) When is that from? The URL says (implies) April 2014, which means iCarly predates it by several years but it would be interesting if iCarly were copying WW. ---
**Author:** ![Apocalypso](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@Apocalypso](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apocalypso)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2016, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-eat-bastard-tacos/745283/11 "2016-02-06T13:58:27Z")
When I was younger I got really into Tex-Mex, and restaurants like Chi-Chis and On the Border were my favorites. But starting in my mid/late 20’s I found some more authentic Mexican food and was instantly hooked. Nowdays, I’ll experiment once in a while, but for the most part if it’s in a tortilla it must be meat, cheese, taco veggies, and some form of tomato/chile sauce. I’m not necessarily a food purist or anything except for a few odd things like this. ---
**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:** [February 6, 2016, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-eat-bastard-tacos/745283/12 "2016-02-06T14:26:11Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > By “bastard taco” I mean stuff rolled up in a tortilla that makes absolutely no pretense at being authentic Mexican or Tex-Mex. The problem with corn tortillas is that they tend to tear when you try to roll them; so no, I don’t make ‘bastard tacos’. I do make ‘bastard burritos’, but my definition isn’t as wide as yours. To me, a ‘bastard burrito’ is something that pretends to be Mexican. Mine are made with ground beef cooked with a packet of taco seasoning, shredded cheddar cheese, shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, chopped onions, and sour cream. So pretty much just a burrito. The ‘bastard’ part is using ground beef and the taco seasoning. I agree with others who say things mentioned here are just ‘wraps’. ---
**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 6, 2016, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-eat-bastard-tacos/745283/13 "2016-02-06T14:28:30Z")
I don’t know if this really counts as a “bastard taco” or a “real” taco, but one of my Mexican friends makes “tacos polacos” (“Polish tacos”), which are a mix of sliced up Polish sausage, fried onions, chipotle, and potato. It reminds me of a typical Polish lunch for me growing up, just put into a tortilla with a little spice. (He uses flour tortillas for this particular one.) Great stuff. There’s really nothing you can’t make into a taco. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2016, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-eat-bastard-tacos/745283/14 "2016-02-06T14:30:20Z")
One of my favorite snacks is crunchy peanut butter and honey rolled up in a tortilla. ---
**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 6, 2016, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-eat-bastard-tacos/745283/15 "2016-02-06T15:14:47Z")
Oh, and the “bastard” tacos I make are generally when I have anything like a stew or barbecue meat or whatever lying around. Those I usually put in a warm corn tortilla and eat like a taco, not a wrap, with whatever sauce I feel is appropriate. With pulled pork, for example, I’ll top it with coleslaw and a North Carolina sauce. With a curry, maybe a raita or a chutney. For a meaty beef stew, I’ll just use the gravy and maybe add some onions and cilantro, and hot sauce. Same with sloppy joe or leftover bolognese. You can add lettuce, tomato, and cheese to those and have a bastardized picadillo (spiced ground beef) taco. Hell, even leftover roast veggies work fine with a bit of cheese and hot sauce. Mashed potatoes, too, if you fry them up in the corn tortilla (but that’s a “real” style of taco.) For the flat stuff, like deli meats, I tend to go the sincronizada/quesadilla route. Lately, I’ve been hooked on ham & cheese & Heinz 57 or Branston pickle in between two flour tortillas. ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2016, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-eat-bastard-tacos/745283/16 "2016-02-06T18:01:01Z")
When I was a broke college student, I’d take flour tortillas, add a couple spoonfuls of instant flavored mashed potatoes, some canned veggies (corn, green beans, peas) and a squirt of hot sauce to make something of a burrito. Nowadays, I eat pretty low carb so when I’m craving tacos, I use romaine lettuce leaves. They are really quite good in place of tortillas, crunchy and totally leakproof. ---
**Author:** ![Some\_Call\_Me.Tim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@Some\_Call\_Me.Tim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Some_Call_Me.Tim)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2016, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-eat-bastard-tacos/745283/17 "2016-02-06T18:01:28Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > When is that from? The URL says (implies) April 2014, which means iCarly predates it by several years but it would be interesting if iCarly were copying WW. Cover date April 1993, printed a few months earlier. The $1.25 cover price definitely identifies it as not having been printed this century, even if you can’t read the year in that scan. ---
**Author:** ![Balance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Balance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balance)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2016, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-eat-bastard-tacos/745283/18 "2016-02-06T18:17:05Z")
> [@Shoeless](#): > > One of my favorite snacks is crunchy peanut butter and honey rolled up in a tortilla. I’m not a peanut butter fan, but I like to do this with sunflower seed honey butter. Of course, I’ll make wraps out of almost anything, or just eat the plain tortillas. I love tortillas. ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2016, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-eat-bastard-tacos/745283/19 "2016-02-06T18:18:24Z")
I don’t care How good those Bastard Tacos are, I’m Not going into the “Titty Twister” roadhouse… :eek: ---
**Author:** ![eulalia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eulalia/32/457_2.png) [@eulalia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eulalia)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2016, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-eat-bastard-tacos/745283/20 "2016-02-07T05:48:27Z")
I occasionally make pepperoni pizza burritos. Quick lunch, better than a hot pocket but not as good as real pizza. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-eat-bastard-tacos/745283.md?page=2)