#1122 Market Taco

So not long ago I was at a Mexican restaurant in Tacoma with my son. He decided he wanted to try the fish tacos. But there was no price on them. The menu said, “market rate.”
“Market rate,” of course, is the menu designation for often wild items that fluctuate wildly in price. So restaurants don’t have to go out and print new menus every time there’s an escargot shortage.
It also conveys the subtle message that the item you are about to eat is as fresh as fresh can be. So fresh, they are telling you, that they haven’t even had time to price it like the regular stuff.
What made it odd is that fish tacos are usually not that hoity-toity. Chunks of halibut or white fish, sometimes breaded and fried, nearly always frozen because what the hey, you’re smothering them in numerous spicy ingredients anyhow.
Nonetheless, my intrepid son told the waiter he’d have the fish tacos.
“Halibut or Salmon?” the waiter asked.
“Halibut,” said my son.
“Well, I should tell you then,” the waiter said, “they are $26.99. The salmon is just as good and it’s ten dollars less.”
I’m not sure how he picked up the vibe that I’m a cheapskate but I’m glad he did. Neither my son nor I could come up with the right value equation for fish tacos with Halibut at 26.99.
And isn’t halibut usually less than salmon? Unless they’re halibut cheeks. A name you always have to be careful how you inflect in delicate company. Halibut cheeks or Hali-buttcheeks.
I’m glad we opted for the salmon and paid less. Seems the market from which they derived the market price must have had a Frigidaire sign on it. The flavor wasn’t so bad but the chunks of imbedded frost were a dead giveaway.
Ah well, it’s important to try new things and places. When he delivered the check, the waiter gave us each a piece of candy. I’m not sure if it’s a Mexican tradition or what. Maybe they just reserve this candy for those who tried the market-rate fish tacos.
The candy was a dum-dum sucker.
America, ya gotta love it.