The Honorary Mexican

Sometimes we do crazy things to save money. Sometimes we roll taquitos for 4+ hours for free food and ice cream. Sometimes mid roll, while we are trying to contain that deliciously shredded chicken inside the fresh-off-the-grill corn tortilla an ex-con asks for our phone number. (And by "we" and "our" I mean "me". el-o-el.- that's "lol" in Mexican- err, yah- Mexican.)

Yes. All that just happened.

The beginning of October is a glorious time for the Central Coast of California. The air starts to get a little nippier, the trees start to get a little prettier and in the Santa Ynez valley all the winemakers harvest their grapes. But in Santa Barbara County there is a different harvest that gets all the locals with their pumped up kicks excited. Yup, that's right, the avocado harvest.

We Californians (I think I can claim this now that I have been here for 7 years) take our avocados VERY seriously. I would almost say you could compare our general feeling for avocados to that of the Egyptians feelings for cats. Si. Avocado's are our GODS! Gods that we we want to stuff our faces with. To celebrate this amazing fruit (yes, fruit, there is a seed), every year Carpinteria puts on the Annual Avocado Festival.

Just imagine one long street with vendor after vendor selling all things avocado- guacamole, burritos with guacamole, tacos with guacamole, fried avocados, avocado ice cream and taquitos with guacamole! You ever wonder what Heaven will be like- just visit Carp the first weekend of October. Screw streets made of gold, my heaven has streets made of avocado. NOM NOM NOM. I know, Heaven just got WAYYYY cooler.

Anyways, so on Thursday I texted my friend Jes (yes, I realize I do mention her a lot in my blog- but I swear she's not my only friend- just my coolest), to see if she wanted to hang out.

Jes: "No dice Salsa, I'm rolling taquitos. Remember?"
Me: "Ahh" (yes, I did remember- her church had a taquito booth at the Avocado Festival).

I offered my help... "Want help?"

That's how it all started. Of course as soon as she told me there was all I could eat food and soft serve ice cream, there was no way I was doing anything else on my Thursday night. Plus, I'm not going to lie, I was a wee bit excited about rolling really real, authentic Mexican taquitos :D.

(I have always had a fascination with Mexican food. Mostly because I am HA-BSESSED with it- if there was ever a food that speaks to the people its Mexican food. I was completely stoked- I got to be Mexican for a night! Woo hoo!)

So at 5:30pm on Thursday, Jes picked me up and we rolled to the Taquito Rolling Headquarters- Tropicana in I.V.- obviously.  She set me up at one of the stations and her friend Laura taught me how to roll. An hour later when the convict crew showed up, I was giving tutorials on "How to Roll." I think it may have been my finest hour in life.

That's how it went all night- me, Jes, her church friends and the convict crew rolling taquitos. I'm telling you, if you want to have fun- roll taquitos with that group of people. HEYA! hahaha. So, not only did I have a TON of fun, make a bunch of new friends, roll a buhjillian taquitos- but I was making financially responsible decisions. FREE FOOD! WOO!

And, yes, I did have a convict- well ex-convict ask me for my number. Maybe I don't need to do online dating after all....

HAHAHAHAHA.

No, I didn't give it to him.

Over and Out, Jildo "The Honorary Mexican"- because I roll a damn good taquito.

P.S. Jes- next year- I'm coming all FOUR taquito rolling nights. No more holding out on the fun now that I know whats up!