Memo from in front of the telly.

So I spent this weekend holed up in a beautiful little cottage in the Lake District (Ambleside, to be precise), eating and drinking and watching the box with my fella.  Saturday night we ended up in front of Catfish - this documentary-style film following a guy called Nev, and his online relationship with a family who he's never met (a bit of a limp description I know, but whatever else I say will definitely ruin the film when you watch it).
There's some controversy over whether the action is real or fabricated, but either way the story was totally addictive, and had us speculating in every ad break as to how it might progress.  It's pretty easy to follow and generally the message of it seems quite obvious... until a particularly unassuming character comes up with this little anecdote out of the blue:

"They used to tank cod from Alaska all the way to China - they'd keep them in vats in the ship. By the time the codfish reached China, the flesh was mush and tasteless. So this guy came up with the idea that if you put these cods in these big vats, put some catfish in with them and the catfish will keep the cod agile... And there are those people who are catfish in life, and they keep you on your toes. They keep you guessing, they keep you thinking, they keep you fresh. And I thank god for the catfish because we would be droll, boring and dull if we didn't have somebody nipping at our fin."

Now, maybe out of context it really doesn't have as much meaning, but it's pretty much what drove me to write this memo.  Without the agitators, the people who challenge us, and push us to keep going and changing and working, we'd be... mush.



Okay, that's all the deep stuff done with.  I promise the next post won't be so wishy-washy... Or I will as long as you go and watch Catfish.

Memo from GoBurrito, Lancaster

I’ll put my cards on the table now: I LOVE Tex-Mex food – tacos, nachos, quesadillas, burritos, enchiladas… you get the picture.  It’s versatile, it tastes amazing, and quite simply there is no excuse not to like it.  I’ll end the sermon for now, but the current trend of little burrito-bars bursting into town centres means that, if you haven’t already, you should jump on the bandwagon and try some Tex-Mex soon.

Anyway, as most towns now host one or more of these dining paradises, I've been making it my business to try them as I see them.  Having now sampled a handful from Southampton to Edinburgh (and one or two abroad), I'm here to say: none has yet surpassed Lancaster’s GoBurrito.  Suitable for Tex-Mex virgins and veterans alike, GoBurrito has a solid menu, competent staff and a big personality, all packed into one modest little unit.

Now, with burrito bars, the most important part for me is the quality of the food – I like to know that if my favourite filling isn't available then my second choice will taste just as good.  GoBurrito totally nails this, and although the shredded beef has been a bit over-cooked once or twice, the meat in general is never fatty, and flavoured to perfection.  All the toppings and sauces taste pretty good too, and it definitely helps that you can see the ingredients being prepared and cooked fresh in the kitchen and kept hot in the bar as you order.

The menu is, of course, another big priority.  I'm a fan of chicken in Tex-Mex dishes, but in GoBurrito they offer a good meat and veggie chili - though I'm too carnivorous to try the latter just yet - the beef that I already mentioned, pulled pork and chorizo, as well as a vegetable medley.  On top of your main filling, you also get the choice of soured cream, cheese, lettuce, salsas (mild, spicy or both) and for a little extra there’s jalapeños and guacamole too!  Portions are in small, medium (best) and large, but if you’re not too sure on the foil-wrapped delight of a burrito parcel, then everything can be put onto nachos instead, and surely there’s nobody in the world that doesn't like a nacho?!

chili nachos -the burritos are too good to not devour immediately, so no picture of them at the moment, sorry!

The format is pretty standard; like Subway - pick your filling, pick your topping et voilà – but better, as the staff seem to genuinely enjoy their job, and whether the shop is packed or quiet, there’s always a friendly, upbeat atmosphere.  If you’re curious, you can find GoBurrito on Lower Church Street in Lancaster, opposite the taxi rank, and they have a blog, facebook page and a well-kept twitter page (@goburrito).  If that’s a little bit far from you, I’m really sorry! But I can guarantee this won’t be the only Tex-Mex on my memo, and I unhesitatingly urge you to go find your local outlet (and let me know about it)!

Finally, I realise that I've gushed a lot here, but in case there was any confusion: if we’re headed to a heaven, mine serves Tex-Mex.