(Still) Celebrating the 150th! by Cam T. '13

What’s that? You think the celebrations ended with the Toast to Tech?

Pull yourself out from under that rock. I’m not talking about that silly little shindig; I’m talking about a different 150th!

That’s right; this year, Anna’s Taqueria is celebrating their 150th deciyear!

(You can groan, now.)

MIT is a fairly unique school when it comes to on-campus dining options; there’s a huge cooking culture in many of the dorms, as students are not required to join the campus meal plan (although don’t worry, parents and the I-have-to-buy-groceries?-type : there are dining dorms with dining halls and that nice ol’ traditional mandatory-dining-plan that you know and love from all those other schools you’ve visited). However, when it comes to quick food at minimal investment and effort to yourself, I still think MIT’s the place that can’t be beat; the majority of my confidence in that statement comes from the friendly little place under the Student Center steps.

I don’t know why the lighting in this photo is so abysmal. I had an unsuccessful photo-day. Oh well, pretend it looks warm and inviting.

For Chipotle lovers and strangers to Mexican food alike, I have but this to say: you have to try a burrito from Anna’s. If you’re up for it, it’s a delicious experience for the mind, the mouth, and the wallet. I had never had a burrito until my junior (or senior? I forget; Michelle, do you remember?) year of high school, when my friend Michelle dragged me to the also-fairly-delicious Felipe’s Taqueria in Harvard Square. In fact, I don’t think I’d ever had any sort of Mexican food beyond the occasional “taco day” at my middle school’s cafeteria, and that really shouldn’t count. Shortly after, I tried my first burrito at Anna’s, and since that day I’ve been hooked. MIT students frequently compare the addictiveness of an Anna’s burrito to that of certain Schedule II drugs; in a nutshell, once you pop, the fun is burrito.

I wouldn’t normally include close-up shots of food, as I think they’re quite overused; however, in a blogpost about the art of the burrito, I found myself lacking for other sources of graphic content. Also, how am I supposed to center captions with this newfangled WYSIWYG editor? Gone are the days of WYGIWYG :( And why doesn’t this burrito look as appetizing in this picture as it does in real life? I guess I’m new to this food photography dealio which I normally mock. The length of this caption makes me feel like Chuck Lorre.

Since then, I’ll try a burrito anywhere I go; I jump at any chance to travel, and so far I have yet to find a burrito more tasty and well-made than what I can get from the little taqueria right in MIT’s front yard. For $4.50, you can get a more-than-filling lunch with not-quite-all the fixin’s; for $0.75 extra, you can supersize it. They offer whole wheat tortillas, spicy sauces for chicken and steak, and more exotic meats like lengua (cow tongue) which seem to scare most of my friends away (my verdict: decent, but I far prefer the steak and salsa roja). Also, since the burritos are so well-priced and quickly available, they become a staple of my diet during the parts of the year where I can’t find the time to cook for myself. On top of that, with grains, meats, proteins, and vegetables, I think those burritos are singlehandedly responsible for balancing my diet.

But this is something anybody can experience, any day of the year, when they come to MIT. What prompted me to post this? What’s so special about right now, and why should you drop everything you’re doing and come to visit MIT in just 4 weeks (and change)?!

Why, to celebrate Anna’s 15(0)th anniversary, of course! Fifteen years old and going strong, Anna’s is giving away free things on the 15th of each month! (Hey MIT: why no free things on the 150th of each month? Hrm?)

In other words, my dinner tonight came with a free glass of a delicious Mexican drink: horchata. The perfect thing to cool down the spicy taste of that steak and salsa roja burrito, with a whole wheat tortilla, rice, beans, lettuce, salsa, and cheese. So, come visit MIT, and while you’re here make sure to try a burrito from Anna’s!

Also, hm. This website looks different… did I miss something?

-Cam