by Maggie Ybarra
Daily Lobo
Every night, you can find the Mancilla family parked by the sidewalk on Central Avenue, selling homemade food to those fortunate enough to pass by. Irene Mancilla and her husband, Floriberto, depend on an old catering truck for their income. They call their business El Taco Loco and have a painting of a fat, happy man wearing an oversized sombrero on their passenger door, presumably to illustrate just how happy you will be after eating at their roadside kitchen. Every night of the week, the Mancillas arrive at the parking lot at 6101 Central Avenue N.E. and set up their business while their young daughters, Daisy and Crystal, happily occupy the driver's and passenger's seats with their Barbies. Inside the catering truck is a stove on which the Mancillas cook Mexican food concocted from old family recipes and a small fridge where they store cold drinks. Most of the sodas in the fridge were bottled in Mexico and have Spanish words printed on their glass containers. Others simply say "Sprite" or "Coke" and are specially stocked for those
unfamiliar with classic Mexican tastes such as pina, mango, guava or tamarindo. Outside the catering truck, the Mancillas have an old fold-up table set with chairs if customers want to dine in and enjoy the atmosphere. And if you're the kind of person who can appreciate the old-world charm of cars speeding by - beneath the overhang of stars in the sky and beside children chasing after each other in circles while the smell of spices shift in the air - then you should consider buying a meal from El Taco Loco and staying to enjoy the scenery. The Mancilla business, though small and mobile, has all the comforts of Mexico. There is a plastic pink radio that sits on the counter, tuned to Spanish music. Not far from the table, a vertical
rotisserie rotates with soft slices of pastor (spiced pork). Beside the rotisserie sits an old lamp, minus the lampshade, used specifically to illuminate the steam emanating from the meat. Sometimes Daisy and Crystal grow restless inside the van and decide to chase each other around the rotisserie. They often stop to chat with customers, trying out what few English words they know and asking questions in Spanish. Even if you can't understand a single word, the girls still manage to communicate with you through their grins. And if that doesn't work, they'll do their best to use their Barbies as translators. El Taco Loco sells tacos, burritos and tortas (a hamburger-like sandwich with chopped meat). Everything on the menu comes with optional scoops of homemade guacamole or pico de gallo along with a side of lime. El Taco Loco and the Mancilla family add color and culture to Albuquerque's nightlife. So if you're ever traveling on Central Avenue, trying to find something different but affordable to eat, just head east of San Mateo Boulevard and start looking for the catering van with a table parked outside. Buy a carne asada taco or a lengua torta and enjoy the taste of the good life.
