Rating: 4 stars ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Have you ever craved something you have never smelled, let alone tasted before? No? Just me? Ok, don’t judge me! Well, that has been my predicament for over a month now. It was so palpable, that somehow I tasted Tacos without ever coming close to it. There’s not a doubt in my mind that had I been a member of the better sex and with child, my offspring would have entered this world with a tortilla birthmark!
For years I’ve wanted to try this delectable looking meal and every time I saw one of those Chihuahua dogs, I thought I was being teased mercilessly.
Someone once said that ‘in every crisis, there’s an opportunity’ and none was more evident than this Work-From-Home order that came as a result of our latest crisis, Covid-19. For the first time in years, I finally had the chance to purchase lunch on the road and you guessed it; ding ding ding – it’s Taco time!
Let’s set the mood, shall we? It happened on a Monday, usually the most dreaded day of the week for normal working people, but this Monday I somehow woke up with purpose and motivation (could it be my mind feeling less pressured because I’m working from home?). I rolled over in bed, turned on my laptop and commenced reading and responding to emails. in literally no time it was 11:00 AM and I was becoming increasingly anxious for lunchtime. I continued to get on with my work; organizing with my team members and responding to clients, with my eyes constantly peering at the time.
It was 2:00 PM. That was my cue! I hopped out of the bed and went to shower and get dressed. I was so excited, I didn’t know what to wear. I started asking myself questions like “Self? Should I wear my shorts and slippers? Do you think I should dress a bit formal or is jeans appropriate?” WE decided on jeans, casual sneakers and a polo shirt.
I got dressed real quick and made sure to put on my favourite cologne – Versace Eros. I had to smell good, I mean this was a big deal for me (blame Covid-19 and solitude). For weeks leading up to that Monday, I had been doing some research and found the best Taco place in the country was Chillitos Jamexican Food. I researched their offerings and knew exactly what I wanted.
The journey there was pretty uneventful and quite easy (hooray COVID) and as soon as I turned on to Hope Close, I felt butterflies in my stomach, it was like that first date with the love of my life. Listen, I was nervous! I had practised for hours and worked on my posture and the tone of voice I’d use when I got to the cashier, but as soon as I parked in the decently sized car park, I forgot all my training.
In the car park, only a few cars were there, which indicated to me that I wouldn’t have to wait too long to be served. As I approached the door, the few people inside Chilitos turned their attention to me. This made me even more nervous, could it have been that I was an overdressed unusual? Did I not enter through the correct door? I took out the trusty cellphone and did the trick where I pretended like I had something urgent to check on it.
As I scanned the space I saw signs indicating where I should pick up orders and where I should make orders; that was refreshing, I thought. Immediately one of the workers beckoned to me to approach, but I misread her signal. In my nervousness, I somehow read her gesture as she pointing me to a bottle of sanitizer for me to self sanitize. I took up the bottle and sprayed my hands and the lady cried out “NOOOOOOO”. Time froze and again everyone was looking at me, this time I looked back at them like “What? You didn’t sanitize your hands?”. The cashier looked at me and shook her head in bewilderment, then in a very calm voice said “that’s not what I was telling you to do”, I said “Oh? Isn’t this Sanitizer?” To which she responded “Yes, but not for humans” I thought it odd for animal sanitizer to be in reach, but I digressed. She went on further to say “That’s what we use to clean the counters and surfaces”. Oh…Oops.
After properly sanitizing my hand with actual hand sanitizer this time, I placed my order for Gorditas (Tacos). I ordered a mixed filling with Jerk Chicken and Ackee with Ripe Plantains. The waiting time was less than 10 minutes. I could not wait until I got home, so I decided to devour all the Gorditas right there in the car. The first bite I took was better than I had imagined, with each bite tasting better than the previous one. It was flavorful and scrumptious and more than one could hope for when trying a meal for the first time.
Despite my ‘Darwin Awards-Esque’ performance, it was such a great experience. The staff were always smiling, very attentive and friendly to the customers. I will definitely be going back there soon and would recommend it to anyone.
Rating: 4 stars ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Written by: Jason McPherson