‘Spicy’ Fast Food Just Isn’t That Spicy
Photo by Abhishek Hajare/Unsplash
Imagine a volcano coursing with the Earth’s white-hot blood, primed to melt just about anything that touches it.
Now imagine a food named after this scorching natural phenomenon. It’s gotta be pretty dang hot, right? At least enough to make you break into a sweat and reach for the nearest cold beverage in the hopes of quelling the heat?
Not so when it comes to fast food—at least not here in the States. For most chains, “spicy” on a menu tends to mean tepid on the palate at best, with salt taking center stage and boosting minuscule levels of capsaicin to produce hollow heat. While subpar spice isn’t an issue exclusive to Taco Bell, the chain’s new Volcano Menu refreshed my disappointment in the fast food industry.
That’s not to say The Bell’s latest menu additions are bad, it’s just to say that they’re not all that spicy. The menu, which consists of three items, revives something I hope remains on the menu for a long time: the spicy taco shell. Similar to the restaurant’s Doritos Locos Taco shell, it’s dusted in neon-red powder. Other than the shell, the Volcano Menu’s taco is largely standard Taco Bell fare. Beef, lettuce and cheese in that order make for a tasty snack as the beef’s juices slowly erode the bottom of the shell. The only other notable difference is the Lava Sauce. I didn’t notice any sauce on my taco, but I ordered an extra side just to give everything a fair shake.
The sauce, which is effectively a hot nacho sauce, is reminiscent of a less-spicy version of Qdoba’s queso diablo. It has a noticeable kick to it, though isn’t going to blow anyone’s head off. That said, it’s delicious—after all, it is spicy cheese; what’s not to love?