What the hell is a Chalupa? I mean I know what taco bell says they are, but is there a translation for this word like there is for gordita?
I am wondering what these words are and where they come from. These people seem to have a knack for coming up with incredibly annoying stuff. Example: Talking chihuahua. I want to strangle that dog.
“And on the eighth day, God Created beer
to prevent the Irish from taking over
the Earth.”
~SNOOGANS~
It does not mean anything.
Click here to Stomp the Chihuahua!
That it is unwise to be heedless ourselves while we are giving advice to others, I will show in a few lines.
– Phædrus –
Trivia: The first Del Taco was in Barstow, CA (in the middle of the Mojave Desert). The guy who started it bought a little stand from a guy named Bell… Who then moved to Glendale and started Taco Bell.
My question is, why is Taco Bell food so crappy?
The easy answer is grade ‘D’ meat.
Del Taco is much better, I wish that they would expand though…are there any outside of CA?
See those stars over there? That is the Little Dipper. I’d show you the Big Dipper, but my zipper is stuck.
I don’t know if there is any translation in Spanish. But my translation is: purely nasty, tasted like it was fried in an eythl based oil…ick ick ick, first and last time I will ever have one.
I kinda like Chalupas ::shrug::
>^,^<
KITTEN
Fluff yer hair Beula, I’s feelin frisky - M.S.
Spanish for “boat” or “launch,” a chalupa is a corn tortilla formed into a small boat shape and fried until crisp. It’s then usually filled with shredded beef, pork, or chicken, vegetables, cheese or a combination of these, and served as an appetizer.
– Barron’s FOOD LOVER’S COMPANION, 2nd edition
A Taco Smell (“sm” replaces “b” for hilarity purposes. Please don’t laugh to hard) chalupa is about as related to a real chalupa as their gordita is actually related to a real gordita. This translates to it is not anything like it at all. A gordita is basically the taco filling in a puffed corn tortilla (it is related to a puffy taco but typically has more cornmeal). The Taco Bell gordita just puts it into a pita. This may taste good to some people, but I can’t imagaine it being mexican food. The chalupa is not a puffed tortilla at all. A chalupa is a flat corn tortilla deep fried (like a tortilla chip) and typically topped with beans, lettuce, cheese, and sometimes various meats/guacamole/or sour cream. The traditional way of serving them would not have the tortilla folded at all. Anyway, as with the gordita, a pita will not suffice. It doesn’t even look like a chalupa or gordita. Taco Bell, in Texas, served what they called a tostada (a tostada is what a fried corn tortilla is normally called) which was pretty much a chalupa. Gorditas are typically more labor intensive than Taco Hell can accomodate.
I hate Taco (sh)Bell(it).
HUGS!
Sqrl
Gasoline: As an accompaniement to cereal it made a refreshing change. Glen Baxter
Like Diane said…I like chalupas too. Then again, I also like Spamburgers.
“…send lawyers, guns, and money…”
Warren ZevonWhile I don’t believe Taco Bell has any relation to real Mexican food, I still love it and eat it all the time. You may be surprised that I say that after this next bit though.
I worked at Taco Bell for about 6 months in High School. You want to know about the taste? Well, I can recall one instance when our walk in fridge broke down. All the meat turned brown, but did we throw it away? Nope, we cooked that nasty meat anyway! Oh yeah, then there was the time someone spilled a whole vat of beans on the floor and…yep, scooped em up. I have personal experience winging cockroaches with a chef’s knife at about a 10 foot range on the back wall of the store. Then there was the time someone had sex in the walk-in… I could go on. But, even knowing all this, I keep going back. Hmmm, a mexi-melt sounds damn good right now…
“It is now proved beyond doubt that smoking is one of the leading causes of statistics.”
My sentiments as well, Dem. Who cares if it’s not ‘authentic’ Mexican; it’s cheap and it’s good.
I love Mexican food too; I just don’t confuse the two.
You are all invited to my house for an authentic, made-from-scratch Mexican meal!
SeaDiver, you must not realize that a lot of us are in your area. Read the minutes of the last SF area meeting before you go and invite us to your house! 
“It is now proved beyond doubt that smoking is one of the leading causes of statistics.”
That might be smart, Democritus, thanks for the heads-up! 
Ok, I’ll at least BRING some authentic, made-from-scratch Mexican food next time there’s a meeting around here, how’s that?
Ike, I so completely want to be YOU when I grow up. I have the first edition of the FOOD LOVER’S COMPANION and I refer to it all the time when answering questions on my cooking tips forum. It’s a great resource.
Live a Lush Life
Da Chef
SeaDiver, you’ll have a life-long friend in me if you make some tamales. I make them so-so, but my Grandma used to make the best tamales.
“It is now proved beyond doubt that smoking is one of the leading causes of statistics.”
BTW, I’m leaving work now and am going to get a chalupa super value meal on the way home! Yummy!
Diane,
I must have had a bad experience, it was the worst tasting thing I had eaten in a long time. It was like someone poured gas on it, it was that nasty.
I don’t eat there a lot, but they are okay for a fast food chain…me I prefer an authenic New Mexican meal and I make a mean green chili < grin >
Techchick-
Damn! Don’t even get me started on green chile! I’ve been jonesing for that stuff ever since I left NM to move to CA. I get people to send me shipments of it once in a while. How I took it for granted while I lived there! Nothing like a breakfast burrito loaded with green chile to erase a hangover.
Democritus-
Do you have a pressure cooker? It’s tamale time!