Taste the Fire

Those of you in the Southwestern states may have been privy yesterday -- as we were -- to the "Taste the Fire" event at El Pollo Loco. Essentially, El Pollo Loco -- a Mexican restaurant chain that features grilled chicken -- was offering the world a free meal on April 28, 2009: two pieces of flame grilled chicken, two tortillas, and salsa for every person who walked through their doors from noon to 8 p.m.

I've been an El Pollo Loco fan for years and was especially pleased at the prospect of feeding my family there for free.

So yesterday I had Michelle pick me up from work so we could rush over to the nearest restaurant. We got there just after 5 p.m., and the line was already out the door. We parked, and took our place in line, and found we were surrounded by homeless people. I suppose that made sense, but it made me a little less sure that I'd done the right thing in making it a family outing.

The guy in front of us was especially chatty, perhaps partly explained by the fact that he reeked of alcohol. He seemed generally pleasant, though a bit less so when he volunteered information about things like his most recent arrest and what he deemed to be excessive bail ("I've never had bail set at $25,000 before") as well what he deemed to be excessive force by the "trolley cops" when they caught him without a ticket recently. [Meanwhile the family in front of this man felt the need to explain to my kids that they really were nice -- they'd only cursed and felt the need to flip off a few passing cars as we arrived because they'd been provoked.]

As we neared the inside area of the restaurant, the man in front of us did speak of Utah fondly and just how much he loves Mormons (this before he found out that we were Mormon). When Michelle noted that we were Mormon, he noted proudly that he'd read the "Mormon Bible" and even tried to recite a few passages he remembered. He spoke even more fondly of his wife of 11 months -- who was in and out of line while tending their things -- and he beemed to talk about the fact that they were married legally by a minister. The mostly one sided discussion made for an odd sort of kinship between us -- fellow people in line -- that I might've looked more gently upon if I hadn't been so caught up in what I felt was an increasing need to shield and protect my kids.

As we left it, the man at one point had decided to go to Utah in hopes of lower rent and a kinder general populous in Provo.

Ultimately, our turn came up in line. We got four of the aforementioned 2 pc. chicken meals for free, and even got suckered into buying $4 worth of sides. We decided against eating at the restaurant, opting instead for the comfort, privacy, and safety of our own home. The chicken and salsa were good -- they always are at El Pollo Loco. And, whatever might be said of the propiety of taking my wife and kids to the event and having them mingle in line with the folks we mingled with, we sure went home feeling more grateful that we even had a home to return to.