Hard shell tacos are not entirely an invention of the United States. As I learned in this exhaustive article on the subject, people in Mexico do deep-fry soft shell corn tortillas to make something similar to the hard shell tacos enjoyed in fast food joints, dive bars, and trailer parks in the United States. Mass production of the shells, though, goes back to a guy named Glen Bell, who started a fast food chain where the word Taco replaces his first name.

So U.S. tacos are roughly to Mexican food what spaghetti and meatballs are to Italian food or General Tso is to Chinese food. I say, try to enjoy some of the finer things in life while also not becoming too much of a snob. A couple low-brow cooking tips: Try the mass-produced hard taco shells with the square bottoms. Heat them up a little bit in the toaster oven. Beef and pork are both awesome, but if you feel bad for the mammals, ground turkey is also pretty good. Get the kind with lots of fat and thigh meat, not the ground turkey breast. It’s cheaper anyway. Fish tacos are also pretty awesome but a topic for another day. If it’s Meatless Monday, pinto beans with lots of toppings and seasoning are also very good, but let’s be honest, just not quite the same as a little flesh donated by our animal friends. Fry your onions a little bit and both your tongue and stomach will thank you.

Long live Taco Tuesdays!