No Bailout for Taco Lovers

Yet another nasty sign of how the financial crisis is affecting our lives: After years of holding prices steady, Ana Maria’s  stall in the Grand Central Market in downtown Los Angeles has raised its tacos from $2 to $2.50.

There will be no bailout. It’s simply pay more, or forget about tacos so tempting that  you have to fight through a mob to place an order.

These are honest tacos, just meat, salsa, onion and cilantro heaped on corn tortillas—two under the meat and two more on the side so that you can wrap the overflow into a second  fat taco. I guess this will stay the same. (Or did that plate I saw as I walked by look just a little lighter?)

Now that I am obliged to splurge, I’ll stick to my two favorite fillings rather than risk something that I might not like as much. They are carnitas, or pork chopped to shreds before your eyes, and carne al pastor, pork with zesty seasonings, which may be even better.

I suppose we’ll still get salsa, onions and cilantro. But in this economy, who knows?  Belt tightening may become part of the dress code, not just a figure of speech.

All we can hope for is that Ana Maria will carry on, even if we have to tighten our belts another notch  and pay $2.75 for a taco.

Tacos are $2.50 at Ana Maria, Stall C9-10 in the Grand Central Market, 317 S. Broadway, Los Angeles, CA 90013. Tel: (213) 620-0477. The market is open daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.