Review of Taco Bell Quarterly Volume #3: On Heartaches, Hopes, and Living Más
Review of Taco Bell Quarterly Volume #3: On Heartaches, Hopes, and Living Más
Cover: “Adoration of the CrunchWrap”
by Heidi Munger Sung
by Noreen Ocampo
In case you haven’t already heard of Taco Bell Quarterly, I’ll include a quick rundown: it’s the ultimate amalgamation of art and (you guessed it) Taco Bell, the most glorious home that a piece of Taco Bell writing and its Taco Bell writer could ever dream of. A few months ago, I stumbled across Taco Bell Quarterly when I needed it most; after experiencing pages upon pages of creative writing and visual art that brought emotional depth and its darker strokes in harmony with humor, wit, and most importantly, Taco Bell, I was inspired to find new ways to inject life into my own writing. Who’s to say that Taco Bell writing can’t be the most literary, most profound, and most heart-warming out there? Taco Bell Quarterly and editor-in-chief MM Carrigan are here to show us the truth. I’m here to highlight and share some words about and from TBQ’s third volume, which was recently published on September 29th. Feel free to click the link to the volume and read along!
And without further ado…
Job Fiesta by Rosa Leff
All I want is for my sister to Live Más by J.C. Rodriguez
The volume immediately starts off with a poem that will tear you apart. J.C. Rodriguez’s words are unapologetic, genuine, and so full of love as he brings us to art school, to the soda fountain, to Vine-watching with his sister in their mom’s minivan, to his reflection in the mirror. My favorite lines: "I asked the universe / or God or whoever to substitute my loss for her / self-esteem.”
Cinnabon Boy by James Morris
I love the tension here: “ooey-gooey bites” vs. Cinnabon Delights, speaker vs. father, speaker’s “friend” vs. Taco Bell-induced food poisoning — and more. The seamlessness of this poem is unforgettable, too; what initially seems like a poem about Taco Bell’s Cinnabon Delights evolves into something more (I won’t spoil it) and then effortlessly circles right back to the dessert.
“What can I get for you today?” by Noreen Ocampo
Surprise! Here’s one by me, a poem based on my very real struggles at the drive-thru as someone who “[lacks] eloquence & volume & certainty.” Super honored to be in this volume.
Double Decker Elegy by Aaron Burch
In the aftermath of the most recent Taco Bell menu cuts, Aaron Burch’s “Double Decker Elegy” is more pertinent than ever as he brings us through the five stages of grief following the unexpected removal of his go-to order. If you are feeling a similar grief, I doubly recommend this piece, and despite the unspoken “obsessions” and unsolved mysteries, Burch brings us back to a brighter place by the end of the elegy.
Tacos for Teachers (May It Fill Their Bellies Like It Never Filled Mine) by Denzel X. Scott
This poem is one of my absolute favorites from the whole bunch. In it, Denzel X. Scott discusses Taco Bell and its intersections with Blackness, education, socioeconomic inequality, and more, with a poetic structure and voice that are equally powerful as they are fun. Some favorite lines: “I’ve never seen a single offering from Taco Bell catch the ancient forest of black interests / ablaze.”
Last Shift at the Johnstown Mall by K. Joffré
An unexpectedly emotional story that gets you right at the end and shows us that despite first impressions and all our expectations, both Taco Bell and people have layers upon layers. My favorite lines might show you what I mean: “He takes a wrapped Burrito Supreme from his bag and hands it to me. Had he handed me this an hour ago I would have chucked it, but now, after the high of almost killing this dude, I find myself exhausted and hungry.”
Fathomless, for my kind friend Luc by Glennys Egan
Even with Taco Bell as the backdrop of the youthful memories described in this poem, “Fathomless, for my kind friend Luc” is heartbreaking, both an ode of friendship and exploration of unanticipated loss. The juxtaposition of such intense — but gently described — emotions in this poem is heartrending, and although Glennys Egan brings us to a sort of resolution, her story is one that I continue to think about.
Stuck in Second Gear by Sam Heaps
“Stuck in Second Gear” begins not at a Taco Bell but at a “KFC / Taco Bell,” where the narrator’s transformation takes place: “In the parking lot I am baptized, my loyalties shifting from asceticism to hedonism.” I love the intense undercurrent running throughout this piece, as well as Sam Heaps’ lucid, unapologetically visual prose. (You’ll get what I mean after reading!)
Ceci n’est pas une tripelupa by Manda Comisari
Nothing On It by Aaron Muller
In this piece centering family, religion, and unhappiness, served with a side of Taco Bell, Aaron Muller writes, “I guess my father, for all his lack of emotional intuition, knew enough about children to butter us up with a favorite meal before dropping the bomb.” I love everything about this one, from how intimately personal it feels to the unexpected appearance and importance of a Taco Bell meal near the end.
Cheese Quesadillas and the Thing About Parenthood by Adam Shaw
You don’t want to miss Adam Shaw musing over what menu item to pick for his daughter’s first taste of Taco Bell and the beautifully described catastrophe that ensues. That’s all I’m going to tell you — you’ve got to read this one and experience the crisis/tension/panic for yourself! Spoiler alert: “I set the plate in front of her, and the house fell silent.”
Suburban Blues; or, Fuck Norman Rockwell by Amee Nassrene Broumand
Amee Nassrene Broumand brings us to hometown suburbia in another one of my favorite pieces from the volume, full of seamless juxtapositions of hopes and blues. And then, a moment that will forever remain a mystery for both poet and reader: “Google says—/ by omission—that Taco Bell doesn’t serve hot tea. / Did they ever?”
Live Menos! by Amy Freeman
Even as Amy Freeman flips the age-old “live mas” slogan on its head, Taco Bell promises “We Are Here For You” in the second stanza of their poem. The heartaches here are hard-hitting, but Freeman still leaves us with a touching and necessary reminder (especially now) that the Taco Bell drive-thru is there, no matter what.
Deconstructed, reconstructed beef glory supreme by Mark Wilson
Baby Bell by Nicky Gonzalez
This story is full of mysteries and questions but is unbelievably heartwarming all the same. I need a sequel or, better yet, a whole novel based on Baby Bell and friends. I’ll add my favorite line, to get you started: “‘You know how sometimes bodegas have a cat? Well, we have a baby.’”
A Taco Bell Outside of Time by Danny Caine
In a breathless description of a distant past, Danny Caine writes, “Never mind that it was a scene and now it’s not.” Despite this Taco Bell being “Outside of Time” and the liveliness of this scene now feeling otherworldly, Caine’s closing descriptions allow us to experience an intense energy we may be missing.
A Passing Moment of Clarity at a Popular Cantina Chain by Carly Dudek
Sometimes the “oasis of chaos / and joy” that one needs can be found at Taco Bell. In this poem, Carly Dudek entwines mental health with Taco Bell and following perhaps the most powerful usage of Taco Bell’s famous slogan of “live mas” I’ve ever seen, delivers a much-needed message of hopefulness and resilience.
The World Can Be by Elise Triplett
My favorite lines of dialogue from this short story exemplify this piece’s undeniable timeliness: “‘Lady, have you looked around you? Everything is over. The world is ruined.’” Despite just how over the world may be, however, Elise Triplett reminds us again that Taco Bell can be our safe haven, in their story’s world and perhaps in our real one as well.
Secret Menu by Joe Aguilar
I love the structure of “Secret Menu.” True to its title, this piece reads like an explanation of mysterious secret menu items before quickly evolving into a short story about a mother and her secret-menu-journey. Perfect ending, even with its quiet heartaches and poignant questions.
Drive Thru Comic by Santiago Gaughan
Thick Summer by KJ Shepherd
This one is fast-paced, punchy, and rhymes. What initially feels like a vivid, light-hearted piece on brotherhood, however, ends with a stanza that comes like a punch to the gut. Here are my favorite lines, second only to the ending: “Had our father’s eyes meet our mother’s eyes: ‘Can’t afford to be a coloring book.’ Waited five years for my next tattoo.”
When the world wants you dead, Taco Bell can keep you alive by Lane Chasek
Just as promised by the title, this poem reminds us that there is something powerfully magical about Taco Bell, which is, in the speaker’s words, “refuge for the vegan stoner and transwoman.” Here, Lane Chasek uses Taco Bell as a vehicle to discuss identity, loss, and belonging, seamlessly conveying even the most harrowing ideas from a Taco Bell parking lot.
Hotcakes by Rochelle Hurt
Rochelle Hurt’s poem written from the point of view of a Taco Bell employee reveals the inside scoop and bitter truth: sometimes, Taco Bell isn’t a safe haven at all. Sometimes, the customers in the drive-thru line aren’t the god-sent angels you may hope for. In Hurt’s words, “Soon I saw all the PTA ma’ams / clutching their jumbo pearls, as if / I’d filch them from their chests.”
I’d Be a Lake by Sara McNally
Sara McNally’s poem prepares readers to return to the real world, with Taco Bell as just a backdrop for one of the beginning moments that McNally easily weaves into the ones that follow. An important thread that persists through the poem’s shifting colors bids us farewell with the ending lines, “I love the lake for reflecting / the sky back up to itself. I love the lake / for showing the sky its face.” An incredible ending to this volume.
In-Digestion from Sketches by Jared Schwartz
Noreen Ocampo is a Filipina American writer from metro-Atlanta. Her poetry appears or is forthcoming in Taco Bell Quarterly, Depth Cues, and Marías at Sampaguitas, among others. She was also a music fellow in the 2019 COUNTERCLOCK Arts Collective and enjoys experimenting with various artistic mediums. An undergraduate at Emory University, she majors in Film and Media Studies as well as English with a concentration in multi-ethnic literature.