Breakfast tacos.

I didn't know what the hell a breakfast taco was when I moved to Texas way back in 1999. No seriously, I'll tell you a story:

I had some tortillas, some bacon, a fried egg, and some hot sauce. I slapped them together. I made another one. I made another one. I thought that I had discovered something new and exciting. Later that day I told a co-worker my brilliant innovation and they just kind of...looked at me. Then said, "You made breakfast tacos." I can smile about it now but at the time it was terrible.

Breakfast tacos are kind of a big deal here in Austin, TX. Practically every where has breakfast tacos - gas stations, cafes, coffee joints, bakeries, truck stops, you name it. Sometimes they are really piss poor - gluey tortillas, rubbery eggs, bland beans, half cooked bacon. Sometimes they are totally completely awesome and will banish hangovers, evil spirits, dark thoughts, and will cure gout. There's a taco truck next to a construction site near work -Carmen's - that has quite possibly the best that I have had. Over stuffed with fresh, light scrambled eggs, crispy - almost burnt slabs of bacon, and great tortillas. Cheap too, plus it's kind of awesome to stand there wolfing down breakfast tacos and a real Coke with a bunch of construction workers.

Breakfast tacos come in any number of variations but most common is egg & potato or egg & bacon. The main constant is that the eggs are scrambled. If I make them at home I just fry the egg - I'm a big fan of the sunny side up.

You can use a good red salsa - not to chunky or watery. A good verde is my personal favorite - the citrus and bright heat makes for a great wake-up call. Hell, good old fashioned hot sauce - Lousiana Sunshine, Cajun Chef, or some of the awesome cheaper than a buck a bottle Mexican stuff. If you don't have access to the cheap Mexican stuff let me know and I'll send you some.

I'm still pretty much a Yankee because I haven't truly begun to appreciate corn tortillas. I'm a flour tortilla man myself. Then again most places I go to have flour tortillas for breakfast then corn or flour for lunch. If anyone has any insights please let me know.

Here's a quick recipe for those of you who are unfamiliar:

Make some scrambled eggs.
Make some thick sliced bacon or salt pork.
Get some kick ass salsa.
Flour tortillas.

Slap the damn things together. Eat. Get ready to start grilling and drinking.