# Where have you been all my life? (Tried a chimichanga for the first time) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 20, 2017, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-have-you-been-all-my-life-tried-a-chimichanga-for-the-first-time/780314 "2017-02-20T13:56:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![CoastalMaineiac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e8c25b/32.png) [@CoastalMaineiac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CoastalMaineiac)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2017, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-have-you-been-all-my-life-tried-a-chimichanga-for-the-first-time/780314/1 "2017-02-20T13:56:24Z")
I went to a Mexican restaurant yclept Las Palapas in Bangor, Maine the other day. I can’t speak for how authentic it is, but the staff all “look” Mexican, I guess, and I can hear them speaking in Spanish while I’m there, so I assume it is as close to authentic as possible in this part of the word. I usually get their “Speedy Gonzales” special, which comes with a taco, an enchilada, and rice and is a steal at less than $6 after taxes. But this day was different. I decided I would try something I had never had before, so I ordered a steak chimichanga. That was the most delectable comestible I have had the pleasure of putting in my mouth for a long time! How have I lived over 30 years and heretofore never have beknown this delightful dish? Does _everything_ taste that much better when deep fried and smothered in melted cheese? ---
**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:** [February 20, 2017, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-have-you-been-all-my-life-tried-a-chimichanga-for-the-first-time/780314/2 "2017-02-20T14:01:42Z")
> [@CoastalMaineiac](#): > > Does _everything_ taste that much better when deep fried and smothered in melted cheese? 😕 Uh, yes? That’s like in the preamble to the Constitution. ---
**Author:** ![CoastalMaineiac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e8c25b/32.png) [@CoastalMaineiac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CoastalMaineiac)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2017, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-have-you-been-all-my-life-tried-a-chimichanga-for-the-first-time/780314/3 "2017-02-20T14:15:07Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > 😕 Uh, yes? That’s like in the preamble to the Constitution. To Life, liberty, and the pursuit of deep fried foods smothered in melted cheese!😃 ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2017, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-have-you-been-all-my-life-tried-a-chimichanga-for-the-first-time/780314/4 "2017-02-20T14:16:37Z")
> [@CoastalMaineiac](#): > > Does _everything_ taste that much better when deep fried and smothered in melted cheese? Sometimes I realize I don’t even know who you are anymore. I don’t know who you are, but it’s times like this that I realize it. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2017, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-have-you-been-all-my-life-tried-a-chimichanga-for-the-first-time/780314/5 "2017-02-20T14:22:12Z")
I have to ask… Is “Speedy Gonzalez” an actual special they offer, or is it a $6 euphemism? ---
**Author:** ![CoastalMaineiac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e8c25b/32.png) [@CoastalMaineiac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CoastalMaineiac)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2017, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-have-you-been-all-my-life-tried-a-chimichanga-for-the-first-time/780314/6 "2017-02-20T14:31:26Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#): > > I have to ask… > > Is “Speedy Gonzalez” an actual special they offer, or is it a $6 euphemism? It’s an actual special listed on their menu for $5.50 ($5.94 including tax). ---
**Author:** ![campp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@campp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/campp)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2017, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-have-you-been-all-my-life-tried-a-chimichanga-for-the-first-time/780314/7 "2017-02-20T14:47:38Z")
You didn’t say anything about the guacamole or the sour cream. _You did get those with the meal, right?_ ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2017, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-have-you-been-all-my-life-tried-a-chimichanga-for-the-first-time/780314/8 "2017-02-20T14:54:33Z")
> [@CoastalMaineiac](#): > > so I ordered a steak chimichanga. > > That was the most delectable comestible I have had the pleasure of putting in my mouth for a long time! How have I lived over 30 years and heretofore never have beknown this delightful dish? Does _everything_ taste that much better when deep fried and smothered in melted cheese? I _think_ chimiichangas are a Arizona-Mex or New Mexico-Mex type of dish- they’re not Tex-Mex, and not really Cali-Mex either. As a matter of fact, you don’t typically find them on the menu at old-school Tex-Mex places at all; just at the more new-fangled places / places with a nationwide footprint. But you’re right- they’re really tasty. I prefer mine with ranchero sauce (sort of a cooked salsa, I suppose) on top ---
**Author:** ![CoastalMaineiac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e8c25b/32.png) [@CoastalMaineiac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CoastalMaineiac)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2017, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-have-you-been-all-my-life-tried-a-chimichanga-for-the-first-time/780314/9 "2017-02-20T15:25:38Z")
> [@campp](#): > > You didn’t say anything about the guacamole or the sour cream. > > _You did get those with the meal, right?_ I don’t care for either one, but I did have some salsa that was absolutely delicious! And that melted cheese…😛 If it wasn’t 35 miles away, I’d probably eat there again today! ---
**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 20, 2017, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-have-you-been-all-my-life-tried-a-chimichanga-for-the-first-time/780314/10 "2017-02-20T16:45:01Z")
Hey, no BEANS? In MAINE, of all places? ---
**Author:** ![CoastalMaineiac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e8c25b/32.png) [@CoastalMaineiac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CoastalMaineiac)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2017, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-have-you-been-all-my-life-tried-a-chimichanga-for-the-first-time/780314/11 "2017-02-20T16:50:42Z")
> [@Ukulele\_Ike](#): > > Hey, no BEANS? In MAINE, of all places? It was Friday at dinnertime, not Saturday at suppertime. ---
**Author:** ![DSYoungEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2017, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-have-you-been-all-my-life-tried-a-chimichanga-for-the-first-time/780314/12 "2017-02-20T17:22:04Z")
> [@bump](#): > > I _think_ chimiichangas are a Arizona-Mex or New Mexico-Mex type of dish- they’re not Tex-Mex, and not really Cali-Mex either. As a matter of fact, you don’t typically find them on the menu at old-school Tex-Mex places at all; just at the more new-fangled places / places with a nationwide footprint. > > But you’re right- they’re really tasty. I prefer mine with ranchero sauce (sort of a cooked salsa, I suppose) on top The origin of the chimichanga is disputed. But it would appear to have been developed either in Sonora state, or in Alta-Sonora (Arizona, for those of us in the US :p). I’ve eaten them in various places all over the US for decades now. Deep-fried food is always tasty. Cheese is food of the gods. Putting the two together is always a win-win situation. 😃 [Wiki on the Chimichanga](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chimichanga) ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2017, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-have-you-been-all-my-life-tried-a-chimichanga-for-the-first-time/780314/13 "2017-02-20T17:25:49Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#): > > I have to ask… > > Is “Speedy Gonzalez” an actual special they offer, or is it a $6 euphemism? Local legend (Tucson) has it that “chimichanga” is a euphemism for a dirty word. 😉 ---
**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 20, 2017, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-have-you-been-all-my-life-tried-a-chimichanga-for-the-first-time/780314/14 "2017-02-20T17:26:52Z")
> [@CoastalMaineiac](#): > > It was Friday at dinnertime, not Saturday at suppertime. If I was the sort of person who did emojis, I would be posting one of those “big grin” emojis right here. Because of the thoroughly Maineness of your statement. ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2017, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-have-you-been-all-my-life-tried-a-chimichanga-for-the-first-time/780314/15 "2017-02-20T20:25:03Z")
Please tell me that you pronounced it correctly when ordering. I had a co-worker _yeeeaaarrsss_ ago, that ordered one in the Mexican restaurant we happened to go to lunch on that day and ordered a kyma-chang-a. :smack: ETA: she also asked the waiter if there were any ja-lap-in-knows in it! ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2017, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-have-you-been-all-my-life-tried-a-chimichanga-for-the-first-time/780314/16 "2017-02-20T21:39:22Z")
> [@Omar\_Little](#): > > Please tell me that you pronounced it correctly when ordering. I had a co-worker _yeeeaaarrsss_ ago, that ordered one in the Mexican restaurant we happened to go to lunch on that day and ordered a kyma-chang-a. :smack: > > ETA: she also asked the waiter if there were any ja-lap-in-knows in it! He should have replied, “They’re only in the tack-os.” ---
**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 20, 2017, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-have-you-been-all-my-life-tried-a-chimichanga-for-the-first-time/780314/17 "2017-02-20T21:52:37Z")
Only in someplace like Maine would they have a “Speedy Gonzalez” special. Try that shit around here and there would be riots. ---
**Author:** ![CoastalMaineiac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e8c25b/32.png) [@CoastalMaineiac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CoastalMaineiac)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2017, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-have-you-been-all-my-life-tried-a-chimichanga-for-the-first-time/780314/18 "2017-02-20T22:01:53Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Only in someplace like Maine would they have a “Speedy Gonzalez” special. Try that shit around here and there would be riots. Why would there be riots? They don’t like Looney Tunes in southern California? ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2017, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-have-you-been-all-my-life-tried-a-chimichanga-for-the-first-time/780314/19 "2017-02-20T23:07:28Z")
Sigh… I really liked the Frito Bandito, too… I was at a little, independent, micro-store – a place with a name like Filibertos, or Robertos, or Umberto’s – I call 'em all “Abiertos,” because so many are open 24 hours – and they had a SPICY guacamole. One of those things that you eat, and then, ten seconds later, you realize, Ay ay ay, that’s HOT! Maid-o’-Mercy, that stuff was good! ---
**Author:** ![campp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@campp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/campp)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2017, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-have-you-been-all-my-life-tried-a-chimichanga-for-the-first-time/780314/20 "2017-02-21T00:55:36Z")
Chimichangas are how I judge a Mexican restaurant for the first time. And, CoastalMaineiac, you must learn to use and love guac and sour cream. It’s not like we’re counting calories here.