Vegetarian Lunch in America 4: Taco Bell No. 6 With No Meat

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Today's vegetarian lunch: It is "No. 6 with no meat"! It is a Taco Bell meal deal, number 6 on the meal menu at the Taco Bell I visit. It contains two chalupas, one hard-shell taco, plus a large 32 Oz Pepsi cola, full of sugar and caffeine. I grab lots of Fire sauce and a few Hot sauce sachets on the side.

Chalupa: It is very much like a thick soft Indian puri (deep fried flat flour bread), which is folded in half with fillings. The standard main filling is ground beef, but I ask for beans instead of the beef. The additional fillings include sour cream, shredded lettuce, a blend of three cheeses — cheddar, pepperjack, and mozzarella, and diced tomatoes. The chalupa is on the right in the picture above.

Taco: The hard-shell taco that comes with my meal is a fried flour or maize semi-circular shell, which is about as hard as a potato chip. The standard filling in the taco is ground beef, but I substitute that with beans. The additional fillings include shredded lettuce and cheddar cheese. In the above picture, the taco is on the left.

Cost of the meal deal: $4.64 (includes $0.35 tax), about 204.16 Indian Rupees.

Taco Bell is a Mexican-style (not authentic Mexican) fast food chain, quite popular in the US. This is the first fast food chain I visited in the US. If my life style is such that I don't make my own lunch daily, I visit Taco Bell about once every 2 or 3 weeks. I like Taco Bell for two reasons: (i) almost any item they have can be made with no meat; (ii) they are available across the length and breadth of the country, which makes them very convenient when I am travelling in some strange place and want to quickly find something familiar and vegetarian-safe to eat. The only other fast food places I go to are Subway (quite rare) and Baja Fresh (about once in 2 weeks).

Vegetarian alert: My Taco Bell meal today had no meat and no eggs. Even the cheese was not made with animal rennet as per Taco Bell's website. In many Mexican restaurants the Spanish rice and refried beans are made with beef or chicken stock, and the chips are fried in beef lard. I have checked in person as well as on Taco Bell's website that their beans and rice are not made with any animal stock. When ordering at Taco Bell, just ask for any item with "no meat". If you ask for beans, they will add it instead of meat for no extra charge (most Taco Bell places substitute beans or suggest it without your asking). If you want to avoid Taco Bell items with eggs or any other allergens, check this chart. Most importantly, before you take a bite or take away your Taco Bell food, check for yourself that there is no meat in it. Sometimes there is a mistake in the kitchen and you can get meat in your food, although you asked for "no meat".

Background: Vegetarian Lunch in America.