One Search Leads to Another. And so on.

wow! another reason to love wikipedia. i just did a search on the fire and ice taco--attempting to find a description of this item since i can't imagine what it entails. Naturally, Wikipedia rears its lovely head--again with the list of discontinued items. Well, since Friday when i posted the discontinued items, someone has added the Mexi Nuggets. I never heard of them. Next to the item on the list was a footnote, which linked to this article:

When one of life's simple pleasures was taken from me

More From Staff Columns

PAUL CRAIG, pcraig@newsreview.infoJune 21, 2005

Life's simple pleasures often take an edible form. Dipping pizza and French fries in ranch dressing, for example, while not entirely necessary, is quite delicious.

Same goes for a cold Dos Equis before a hot plate of Mexican food arrives. A pint of chocolate milk during the morning drive is also quite a treat.

A quick warning, and not because I know from personal experience, but it may be harmful to interchange the two beverages and situations above. While we all know drinking and driving is bad, I don't think any of us want to discover how bad burritos and chocolate milk might be.

Another guilty pleasure of mine, though, is Taco Bell. I love Chalupas, dream of Double Decker Tacos and crave Mexi Nuggets. Until last summer, that is, when Taco Bell took my Mexi Nuggets from me.

That turned a simple pleasure into a serious frustration. It's like when that beer you drink leads to hiccups. Or the chocolate milk you're sipping spills onto your lap.

Bad as those situations may be, at least you can still enjoy the product of your eventual pain. Now, when I need Mexi Nuggets, they aren't there.

By introducing its "Big Bell Value Meal" last year, Taco Bell created a flurry of new items costing around a buck. Included in the original mix was the Cheesy Fiesta Potatoes, a bowl of fried spuds covered with liquid cheese.

Now, on any other day, liquid cheese might be a simple pleasure of mine, if not a dietary staple. Not, however, when it's used as a replacement for the easily eatable, spiced-up Tater Tot-like creations, known as Mexi Nuggets.

I gave the new creation a try and, while not bad, the fact that it replaced a favorite took away from its effect.

It's like when Sammy Hagar replaced David Lee Roth in Van Halen or a stream of other blonde actresses took over for Suzanne Sommers on "Three's Company."

It's just not the same.

The cheesy potatoes do have a plain counterpart, called simply "Fiesta Potatoes," that are a little closer to the originals. The problem is, they just never seem to have the crispiness or flavor of their now-deceased brethren.

Maybe I just don't want them to.

To be fair, our local Taco Bell has finally unleashed the Crunch Wrap Supreme. This culinary treat has been in the Portland area for a while and I was worried it would never make the journey south.

Some people worry about disease, unemployment and the homeless. Me? I've been fretting about the Crunch Wrap.

While it can't replace my beloved Mexi Nuggets, I have come to grips with the fact that they're gone. They've entered the fast food graveyard along with other classics like Kentucky Fried Chicken's Chicken Littles and the Arch Deluxe at McDonald's.

At least no one can ever take my ranch dressing away from me.

* You can reach reporter Paul Craig, who considers Double Decker Tacos the best deal in fast food, at 957-4211 or by e-mail at pcraig@newsreview.info.


I love that he mentions Chicken Littles. I used to love those and even though my "ethics" now wouldn't allow for me eating them (really, no pretensiousness intended), I appreciate this Paul Craig all the more including them in this article which depicts a devotion so many of us understand.