Danny Trejo Has Been In Approximately 300 Movies, But Have You Tried His Tacos?

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You know him as Machete, or the uncle in Spy Kids, or that guy who gets his head stuck onto a tortoise in Breaking Bad—but it’s tacos that taught this actor-turned-entrepreneur some of his most important life lessons.

The way I grew up was bobbing and weaving and dodging bullets. But I’ve always eaten tacos. They’re the food of champions.

As a baby it was soft shell only, because, you know, you could choke. But the first time my family let me eat a hard-shell taco, I was about four or five, and it was a rite of passage. I got to sit with the big people, eat ground beef, tomato, cheese, avocado, and a little bit of lettuce (not a lot because it takes up too much room) on a hard-shell taco with my dad and all my uncles. It was like me and John Wayne.

In my early 20s, I got locked up in the San Quentin penitentiary. And there was this guy. I’ll never forget him. If you look up “gangster cholo” in the dictionary, you’ll see his picture. He’d always come by saying, “I got burritos! I got tacos!” Whatever’s in the prison kitchen is what you’re gonna get: ground beef, or if they have hot dogs, a weenie wrapped in a tortilla. “Hot dogs, I got hot dogs!” Let me tell you something: When you’re hungry, they're delicious.

The first time I got to the joint, he comes by. “Taquitos! Taquitos!” I whistle: “How much are they, homie?” He tells me in Spanish and I say, “You know what, I just got out of the hole, homes. I ain’t got no money.” And in unbelievable, perfect English, he goes, “Oh, you don’t plan on leaving us soon, do you?” I almost died. Because what he’s saying is, “Look, if you don't pay me later, I’ll kill you.”

I’ll never forget that: You might not pay anybody, but the taco guy is the guy you always pay, because you always want to eat.

By Danny Trejo As Told To Hilary Cadigan
February 13, 2020
Source and complete article: Bonappeitit.com