Taco Bell: Too Thrifty

Photo courtesy of
‘Volcano Taco’
courtesy of ‘brunorepublic’

While I am all for thrifty dating, I have to draw the line somewhere. Specifically, that line is Taco Bell. I just want to go on the record as saying there is nothing romantic about Taco Bell. Fellow blogger KatieT claims that it’s perfectly acceptable once you’ve been together for a while, but not I. I don’t care how long you’ve been dating or how much you love the Bell; cheap, terrible, fake Mexican fast food is how you know the romance has died. And this? I really, truly hope nobody began a marriage that way.

Jasmine is a Spin magazine contributor who is completely obsessed with music and all things new and different. She’s lived in the DC area since 2006, and still has plenty to discover about this great area! Find out why she loves DC.

13 thoughts on “Taco Bell: Too Thrifty”

  1. Mmmm, just looking at that picture makes my heart melt. I’m sorry, but when you’re looking for some down and dirty, drive-thru, deliciously satisfying cheap food, Taco Bell is a girl’s best friend. If Matt took me to Taco Bell on a date, I would get excited, cause I love Taco Bell. Although not a first date option, Taco Bell is a perfectly acceptable 18th or 33rd date option for any couple looking to get down with a crunchy taco or cheesy gordita crunch.

  2. Yummm Cheesy gordita crunch. Jasmine I’m going to have to agree with Katie on this one. I have had many sweet “dates” eating taco bell in the parking lot with my boyfriend. Now if you eat it inside on the hard plastic seats under the harsh florissant lighting, then that is not a romantic Taco Bell date. You have to do the drive through and take it home or eat it in the car while listening to music to make it an appropriate date.

  3. Please allow me to pour out some of my large soda for the Taco Bell that is long gone on Wilson Blvd. That place was awesome.

    …but not for dates.

  4. I’m with Rebecca on this one. My heart would die if someone took me INSIDE the Taco Bell, but yes, in the car would be ok for the right person. This also applies to Krispy Kreme.

    But as far as fast food for a cheap date, nothing beats Amsterdam Falafel…

  5. I’m with the dissenters. Same for places like Wendys- sure you don’t go there for a first, or even fifth date, but if you’ve been together for a while, hey, in this economy a cheap meal is a cheap meal.

    Besides, I’m addicted to their Baja Dew. ;)

  6. Baja Dew?! God, that sounds disgusting. Listen, I have nothing against eating cheap–been there, do that all the time. The fact remains that Taco Bell is not an acceptable date location. Dates are supposed to be at least semi-classy affairs with some modicum of romance and even a little bit of intimacy. I defy any one of you to prove that you can achieve these things at the Bell.

  8. Jasmine, that depends. Eating there? GOD no. But getting some cheap takeout and a DVD and enjoying a fun movie night? Less than twenty bucks and you have a fun evening with someone you care about, a good movie (well, hopefully), and food that might not exactly be Ray’s The Steaks, but isn’t really all that bad either.

  9. Okay, but seriously, unless you both really like Taco Bell (and you know, maybe you do), there are much better choices for cheap takeout on cheap-date-night. Like El Pollo Rico, for example. Tom and I can eat dinner, be full, and NOT feel like we’ve put something vile and harmful into our bodies for less than $15.

  10. I don’t mind me some Taco Hell but I have to disagree with getting it for takeout to eat at home. That stuff congeals into a scary mass if you let it cool. It has to be eaten promptly, preferably without looking directly at it.

  11. This is the kind of post that I was hoping for when you guys made the transition. I confess that I do like to plan and make an event out of the date. My go to places on first dates are as follows. DC: Central, Rasika, Oyamel, Gtown game followed by matchbox, Brasserie Beck. Bethesda: Assaggi(sp), Bezu, Penang. VA: Busara, Capital Grille.

    All that being said: I love Taco Bell (2 steak gordita’s and a jumbo drink 3/4 diet and 1/4 cherry). It just doesn’t get any better.

  13. Woah. Thanks for pointing me to this article Katie. And Tom, I too miss the Wilson Blvd Taco Bell. Now I have to drive over to the one on 29 – it’s gotta be like 2 miles away, which is ridiculous.

    I’d like to ask what the definition of a “date” is for the purposes of this post? If a date is anytime that two people in a relationship go out to eat together, then I must disagree! I don’t think I’ve ever dated anyone that I didn’t go to Taco Bell with! And eating inside is totally part of the charm.

    Now if we are talking about dates that are pre-planned and have meaning, then no…I would not go to Taco Bell for those. That is what Super Pollo is for.